Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Buying antibiotics without a prescription is easy — and a really bad idea


Buying antibiotics without a prescription is easy — and a really bad idea

Get smart
“FDA Urges Consumers to be ‘Smart’ about Antibiotic Use”
That’s the title of a recent FDA press release. And it made me wonder: Why urge consumers? Wouldn’t it make more sense to urge doctors? After all, they’re the ones with the prescription pads.
The FDA press release doesn’t come right out and say it, but there’s one very important reason why consumers need to be educated about correct antibiotic use: Sometimes patients do an end run around their doctor. They find ways to come up with antibiotics on their own.
And that’s a really bad idea.
Kinda fishy
Buying an antibiotic is a breeze if you’re recklessly brave about ordering prescription meds online–no questions asked and no guarantees.
But here’s a source you might never expect: Pet store owners are practically unlicensed pharmacists.
Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But they’ve got plenty of antibiotics on hand.
Fish and other pets are given the same antibiotics humans use. (Not a surprise, really. I mean, what drug maker could afford to go to the expense of developing specific antibiotics for the unique bacterial infections of fish, ferrets, etc.?)
Pharmacist and pharmaceutical watchdog Corey Nahman reports that the aquarium section of any well-stocked pet store provides easy OTC access to tetracycline, ampicillin and other common antibiotics.
And according to a report in the New York Times, antibiotics can be easily purchased at small markets and swap meets in many minority communities. Among Latino, Chinese, and Russian immigrants, an antibiotic is generally regarded as a sort of generic “get well pill.”
One California health official describes an “antibiotic underground” that extends throughout the state. The pills are purchased in Mexico where no prescription is necessary. Getting them across the border in small quantities is usually no problem because curbing their use is a low
priority for U.S. Customs officials and local law enforcement.
Unfortunately, this cultural inclination to depend on easily obtained antibiotics makes it hard for doctors and pharmacists to convince minority patients to avoid purchasing the pills over the counter.
This is critical because every time you take an antibiotic, in a sense, we all take the antibiotic. The drug’s impact on bacteria in your body can impact the bacteria in the bodies of others you come into contact with throughout your community and beyond.
This is how antibiotic-resistant bacteria thrive and develop into superbugs.
In addition, antibiotics have no effect on viruses. But when you do have a bacterial infection, you can actually become sicker by taking the wrong antibiotic to treat it.
And you can be pretty close to 100 percent certain that some guy at a swap meet isn’t prepared to properly diagnose your infection.
So mark this day in red on your calendar because you’ll very rarely hear me say this: The FDA is right. Be smart about antibiotics and only use what your doctor prescribes.
Sources:
“FDA Urges Consumers to be ‘Smart’ about Antibiotic Use”  FDA Press release, 11/15/10, fda.gov
“No Prescription for Antibiotics? No Problem” Howard Markel, New York Times, 11/12/02, nytimes.com
“Antibiotics Without a Prescription?” Corey Nahman, InternetDrugNews,coreynahman.com

1 comment:

  1. When an animal falls ill, it can be traumatic for everyone involved. One of the most important things people can do in this situation is have the knowledge select the proper pet medicine. Thanks for sharing!

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