Not so fast.

“If your cold has been caused by a virus, antibiotics aren’t going to do anything for you. Antibiotics only treat infections caused by bacteria, not viruses like colds and the flu,” says Dr. Jerome Leis, medical director, infection prevention and control at Sunnybrook.

“The best way to treat most colds, coughs or sore throats is with plenty of fluids and rest.”

So, while you’ll likely be prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection like pneumonia, you won’t get antibiotics if you’re suffering from the common cold, which is a viral illness.

It’s not just because the antibiotics won’t work for you. There’s another, larger-scale reason: antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause. It’s making it more difficult to treat infectious diseases, and is undermining many advances in medicine.

Without effective antibiotics, infections can result in longer illnesses and more deaths. In fact, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today.

“Current worldwide estimates of deaths attributed to untreatable infections directly from antibiotic resistance are at about 700,000 a year,” says Dr. Leis.

“At our current rate of antibiotic overuse, and without the development of new drugs, by 2050 that number is expected to rise to 10 million deaths worldwide. This is more than what we see from cancer today.”

As a patient, there are four things you can do to help make sure antibiotics remain effective for those who need them:

1. Only use antibiotics as prescribed

You should only use antibiotics when prescribed to you by a certified health professional

2. Never use leftover antibiotics

Different antibiotics are used to treat different types of infections. Even if you believe your infection has recurred, seek medical attention to determine the cause and whether antibiotics are still right for you

3. Don’t share antibiotics with others

They can put your friends and family at risk. Antibiotics can cause side-effects like allergic reactions, development of C.difficile diarrhea and serious drug interactions. Plus, sharing antibiotics promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant organisms

4. Prevent infections

Regularly wash your hands, avoid close contact with sick people and keep your vaccinations up to date

The post Why no amount of antibiotics will help get rid of your cold appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Over the past century, access to effective antibiotics has saved millions of lives, and enabled major medical and surgical breakthroughs. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics, however, has contributed to a phenomenon known as antibiotic resistance.

“Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world, including Canada. It threatens our ability to treat common infectious diseases, resulting in prolonged illness, disability and death,” says Christine Peragine, Pharmacist and Clinical Research Fellow in Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infectious Diseases at Sunnybrook.

Antibiotic resistance is increasing the overall cost of health care, by contributing to lengthier hospital stays for patients and more intensive care unit admissions.

It’s also impacting many of the medical advancements we take for granted, like organ transplants, chemotherapy for cancer treatment, diabetes management and major surgeries. To be successful, these conditions and procedures require effective antibiotics, because they have a high risk of infection. If current trends continue, it will become more difficult to achieve good outcomes for patients.

Here’s what you need to know about antibiotic resistance:

What is antibiotic resistance?

Resistance develops when potentially harmful bacteria change in a way that makes them immune to antibiotics. Resistant bacteria survive, multiply and spread, causing more harm.

How does antibiotic resistance happen?

Drug resistance is a natural evolutionary phenomenon. When people take antibiotics for a bacterial infection, the antibiotic kills off the “weaker” organisms. However, there may be some organisms that are resistant to the antibiotic, so they aren’t killed off. This allows them to multiply and spread, meaning that the next generation of the bacterial infection will no longer respond to (or be killed off by) that antibiotic.

Why is antibiotic resistance a problem?

Antibiotic resistance is a problem because standard treatments become ineffective. An antibiotic that used to work on certain infections no longer does. People are unable to recover from infections, and may then spread those infections to others.

In Canada, the prevalence of resistant- and multi-drug resistant bacteria (also known as ‘superbugs’) is increasing. We are one step away from creating a superbug resistant to all commercially available antibiotics that would be capable of defeating every antibiotic in the medicine cabinet.

What can you do to reduce antibiotic resistance?

If you’ve been prescribed antibiotics, there are a few easy steps you can take to prevent antibiotic resistance:

1. Only take antibiotics in the way they have been prescribed to you

2. Don’t ask for antibiotics to treat viral infections like colds and the flu. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, and won’t speed up your recovery from viral infections

3. Clean your hands often! It is possible to pass on antibiotic resistant bacteria to others, so prevent the spread of germs by practicing good hygiene

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