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Antibiotics have revolutionized health care. Back in 1928 when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, not many people realized what an impact these medications would make on the future of health care.
Antibiotics have totally changed the way we treat infectious diseases such as pneumonia and life-threatening blood infections. Today many infections that would have been fatal in the past can now be treated.

Sadly, the good part of these medications comes with a bad side. While antibiotics have an important role in treating bacterial infections, sometimes they are overused because people don’t understand they are not totally harmless. Adverse reactions to antibiotics are much more common than most people know. The fact is visits to the emergency room for prescription antibiotic reactions are three times higher than for more commonly prescribed medicines. What measures can you take to ensure that you don’t experience a serious reaction to antibiotics?

What are the typical reactions we see when taking antibiotics?
A few people have an allergic reaction to antibiotics. This occurs typically with Penicillin, but it’s possible with any antibiotic. In some cases, an allergic reaction can have some serious or even fatal reactions. That is why you should know your medical history as well as what medications you can and can’t take. Also know what happens to you if you take that certain medication. Any history of reactions to antibiotics must be reported to your doctor, even if that reaction seemed minor. Allergic reactions can intensify with increased exposure to the antibiotic, so even though a first reaction might have been minor, subsequent exposures could quickly become severe. You should always let your pharmacist know of any drug allergies you have when you are picking up a prescription so that you can verify a second time that you are not getting something you may have an allergic reaction to.

What other adverse reactions occur when taking antibiotic prescriptions?
Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting are some of the common reactions that antibiotics can cause. This happens because antibiotics destroy both good and bad bacteria.

In order to avoid this issue, eat foods that are high in probiotics, like yogurt, to help your intestines become recolonized with good bacteria. There are other antibiotic prescription reactions that could happen with other prescription medication, and this could cause a wide variety of symptoms. Antibiotics can, in rare cases, harm your liver, which metabolizes the antibiotics. According to studies, frequent antibiotic use might lead to an increased breast cancer risk.

How can you make sure this doesn’t happen to you?
To avoid overuse of antibiotics, you should always ask your doctor the reason he is prescribing the antibiotic. Many times antibiotics are given to treat upper respiratory infections, and sinus infections, and even ear aches, even though there is no real need for them. Antibiotics have been scientifically proven not to work under these circumstances. Inform your doctor if you are taking any other medications or health supplements. Take responsibility for your own health when it comes to taking antibiotics, and always make sure that you really need to take them.