Danger that Can Arise from The Lack of Understanding: How Should Antibiotics be Taken Correctly?

Have you ever had an infection and felt like your body was very sick in a certain area? If you have, do you know what the definition of infection is and how to treat it? 

So, infectious disease is a type of disease caused by germs, usually there are a lot of them in tropical areas like Indonesia some are even endemic. Antibiotics are needed to cure this disease. There are several ways to fix that, the most important thing is to take the right medicine. Infectious diseases are an important public health problem, especially in developing countries. One of the mainstay drugs to overcome this problem is antimicrobial, including antibacterial/antibiotic, antifungal, antivirus, and antiprotozoal. Medicines are chemicals, which of course have certain doses. Each drug also has several side effects, one of which is nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, or even constipation. This is totally normal as long it is under the standard conditions. So, it is important for all of us to know some of the side effects of a drug, and if the disease feels like it is getting worse, of course you need further treatment by a doctor. So, antibiotics are also a part of medicine, it has a lot of side effects too.

I think that at least once in life, every person has taken antibiotics for certain conditions. For example, from painful swallowing due to throat infection, fever with increased signs of infection on examination blood, serious illnesses such as sepsis, all of those require antibiotics for treatment. But if any of you have never consumed that, it means your body is always healthy and those bacterias have never attacked your immune systems. Antibiotics are also a kind of medicine and it can cure any disease according to its mechanism. As we know, antibiotics are one of the important things to consume when we have an infection. But unfortunately, not everyone knows that improper use will cause a condition that is very dangerous for the human body.

Medicines have several groups, one of the medicines that is often used by the public is antibiotics. Antibiotics are defined as a natural compound that can generally suppress the growth process of an organism, which is also specifically aimed at inhibiting the growth of bacteria that can disrupt the continuity of the human body's organs. So, we can conclude that antibiotics are capable of stopping the process of those infections. To protect the human body from pathogenic bacteria, a large number of antimicrobial compounds have been developed those targets points of vulnerability in bacteria. These antibiotics can be grouped into three broad categories based on: Antibiotics that target bacterial cell walls, antibiotics that block the production of new proteins, and antibiotics that target DNA or DNA replication.

The first antibiotic was discovered on September 28, 1928, and this has been designated as a historic day for the world of chemistry and also health. The antibiotic called penicillin was discovered by a scientist named Sir Alexander Fleming. This discovery was made because of Fleming's carelessness. It started with Fleming forgetting to clean up the equipment and storing bacteria in a laboratory dish at Santa Maria Hospital (now it is the one of hospitals in London) before the holidays. After returning from holiday, the Scottish chemist discovered that the research bacteria had been contaminated with a type of fungus. He was shocked. But after looking carefully, it turned out that the growth of these bacteria was actually hampered by fungi. Fleming then took samples of the fungus and examined them. He discovered that the fungus was useful for treating bacterial diseases. He named the fungus penicillin or penicillin. Because the fungus comes from the genus Penicillium. Fleming also discovered that bacteria themselves could develop resistance and resistance to penicillin if too little of the antibiotic was used and it was used for a short period of time. Fleming's discovery in September 1928 marked a new century in the world of modern antibiotics. Due to Fleming's discovery of penicillin, the expression "Without Fleming, no Chain, no Chain, no Florey, no Florey, no Heatley, no Heatley, no Penicillin."

Penicillin paved the way for a major revolution in the world of medicine. Because before the discovery of antibiotics, tuberculosis was a disease that caused a high death rate. This death rate is caused by the treatment of tuberculosis which can only be treated by providing fresh air and healthy food which is not very effective in killing the bacteria that cause tuberculosis disease. Antibiotics have also revolutionized the organ transplant process which can now be done more safely. Before the discovery of antibiotics, doctors experienced obstacles in transplanting organs because the patient's immune system attacked the new organ they wanted to transplant. Thanks to antibiotics, the immune system can be weakened so that the organ can be transplanted smoothly. In fact, before the 20th century, the average life expectancy for humans was 47 years. After the antibiotic revolution, life expectancy in the United States reached an average of 68 years, followed by Scandinavian countries at 70 years. Eastern countries have also experienced improvements, such as China, which has managed to catch up with their gap from the United States from around 20 years to just two years. Cases of maternal deaths in England and Wales have also decreased drastically compared to 60 years ago after the discovery of antibiotics. So it can be concluded that the emergence of antibiotics has provided a glimmer of new life in the world of health.

Antibiotics have many classifications and types, according to the disease suffered by a person. Antibiotics can be classified into 8 groups, namely the Penicillin group, Cephalosporins group, Aminoglycoside group, Quinolone group, Tetracycline group, Macrolide group and Lincomycin, Polypeptide class and other classes of antibiotics.

Although every kind of antibiotic has specific uses and applications, you should always get a doctor's advice before taking any antibiotics to ensure the correct diagnosis of the disease. This goes toward allowing patients to fully recover from their infection. Because medicine is an irreplaceable component in services health. Inappropriate use of medication can cause problems, as well as high use of antibiotics. The length of time you take antibiotics depends on the type of bacteria, because antibiotics work very well specific to a process, possible mutations occur in bacteria allowing the strongest bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. That is why antibiotics are usually given for 3-7 days in certain doses long enough to cause mutations to occur. Apart from that, it takes a long time to give antibiotics based on the initial diagnosis that has been made confirmed. And for the next, an evaluation is carried out based on microbiological data, clinical condition of the patient, and other support.

A lot of people believe that antibiotics are capable of curing every type of illness. As a result, they will take antibiotics as they like. They take antibiotics, for instance, when they have the flu or a headache, but that is not how it works. Everyone should be aware that antibiotics are not a cure for every illness. A class of manufactured or natural substances known as antibiotics can inhibit or stop a person's body's biochemical activities, particularly when an infection is bacterial. Once again, let me emphasise that bacterial illnesses include urinary, intestinal, and dental infections that result in toothaches. Furthermore, it is not as easy as that to get antibiotics just because you have an infection. You must see a doctor in order to receive the appropriate antibiotics for your situation, as there are hundreds of different types of antibiotics. And why should we take caution? because an illness known as antibiotic resistance exists.

Careless treatment and overuse of antibiotics are the main causes of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a process that occurs when bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, making them immune to getting killed or disabled by antibiotics during their growth. Bacteria are declared resistant if their growth cannot be inhibited by antibiotics at a certain maximum doses. Antibiotic resistance is a consequence of wrong use of antibiotics and development of microorganisms. This situation is also due to the presence of mutations or resistance genes obtained, resulting in resistance to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is a serious health problem nowadays and has been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), that antibiotic resistance is a threat for human health. When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, they use different methods, one of which is gene transfer through plasmids. The genes that control the production of β-lactamase are located on plasmids and chromosomes.

Bacterial “immunity” can be transmitted to other bacteria. This is what causes the rapid development of antibiotic resistance. The speed of development of antibiotic resistance far exceeds the speed of discovery of new antibiotics. Increasing cases of antibiotic resistance mean that some types of antibiotics can no longer be used to treat bacterial infections. If the incidence of antibiotic resistance continues to increase, it will be as if we will return to the past, when antibiotics had not been discovered. At that time, a mild bacterial infection could cause death because there was no cure. Antibiotic resistance is considered one of the biggest threats to world health.

The benefit of antibiotic resistance is it can prolong the course of the disease and improve the condition of the patient, so expensive and harmful antibiotics should be used. When using antibiotics, you must listen to the dosage, dosage, and time of administration according to the patient's condition, and drink or eat antibiotics according to the method of use. We will not experience infections that will be difficult to cure if we pay attention and know how to take antibiotics correctly.

When you consume antibiotics that are not compatible with the condition of an illness or when you're infected and your doctor gives you antibiotics for your recovery and you don't take them to the fullest, that is one cause of resistance, and if you stop taking them, it can also promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant properties among harmful bacteria. If antibiotic resistance occurs, our body will develop resistance to the antibiotics being administered, which necessitates the use of more potent antibiotics. However, the gravest consequence arises when there are no longer any available antibiotics capable of addressing the infection, which can threaten the sufferer's life. When someone doesn't finish the antibiotics they got from the doctor on the grounds that they feel cured, that's wrong because it's actually a trap. the bacteria have not completely died and the growth of the bacteria has not been completely inhibited. On the contrary, the bacteria will continue to grow stronger, so that the patient will have a longer time to recover from the disease.

The importance of correct and wise antibiotic prescribing can prevent the emergence of bacterial resistance and save on antibiotic use which will ultimately reduce the burden of patient care costs. It is not too late for us to help stop the development of antibiotic resistance. The easiest way is not to use antibiotics carelessly, for example by not taking antibiotics without a doctor's prescription and always using antibiotics as recommended by the doctor. It is important to remember that careless use of antibiotics is not only dangerous for the person using the antibiotic, but also for other people because of the risk of antibiotic resistance it creates.

In the explanation above, I really hope everyone will pay more attention to the dangers and risks that can occur if a drug is consumed not according to the specific dosage and method it should be. Especially antibiotics, it should be emphasized that antibiotics only treat infections caused by bacteria. So when you got a flu, you don't need antibiotics for treatment, but you only need flu medicine that suits your condition. This is because flu is caused by viruses, not bacteria. So antibiotics are not the medicine needed when someone has a mild flu. Likewise with other minor illnesses such as headaches or stomach aches, the most appropriate way to deal with them is to be able to differentiate the cause of the illness you are suffering from. If it doesn't get better quickly, it is highly recommended for you to see a doctor immediately.

Source:

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