Suffering from a sore throat or runny nose? For some people, that many mean opting to use antibiotics without seeing a doctor, a practice that health experts say may not help cure the disease and could help aggravate the problem of antibiotic-resistant germs.
A study published Monday in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy concluded that many people are tempted to use antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription. They rely on drugs purchased from ethnic grocery or drug stores or the leftovers in their medicine cabinets, potentially contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and causing damaging side effects.
“This kind of inappropriate use is very risky,” said Larissa Grigoryan, coauthor of the study and an instructor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “If you use antibiotics irresponsibly like this then resistance rates will increase.”
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