Why didn’t I get an Antibiotic?

Every day while working in an urgent care clinic I am asked one or two times, “Why are you not giving me an antibiotic?” “Will you give me an antibiotic? or “I know that “x” antibiotic will work it always helps these symptoms.” This is an enormous uphill battle that has caused much frustration in the medical field. ” Do no harm.” The clinician has been set up by unethical physicians over time, fear by the patient, induced by media, the need to get back to work as soon as possible,  and the myth that antibiotics are the cure all for illness. The pressure we receive by our patient population can be excessive; however we have no one to blame but ourselves. If the medical profession would spend the time with patients, educate them on the “TRUTH” there could be a different outcome over time. Antibiotics are not some innocuous pill that has zero side effects. There are many effects that can cause harm, or at the very least uncomfortable symptoms. Antibiotics DO NOT cure viruses. For example; approximately eighty percent of all sore throats are caused by a virus. Patients still want an antibiotic, despite having a negative strep test. This rigid, dogmatic position does not bode well for the patient, not to mention the inadvertent teachings they are role modeling to their children. The other twenty percent of sore throats are caused by either mononucleosis (a virus), post-nasal drainage, allergies, or many of the viruses that cause upper respiratory infections. When you are diagnosed with Upper Respiratory Illness (URI), you are being told by your clinician that you do not have a bacterial infection, or the clinician is not exactly sure of your diagnosis. You should NOT receive an antibiotic with this diagnosis. The same is true with the diagnosis “Viral Syndrome.”

We now operate in a medical system to please the patient at all costs. There are too many clinicians that do not want to upset the patient and appease the patient so they will not lose business. I used to work at one of those type of clinics, and was directly told, ” Give the patient something, they came here with a co-pay they are expecting something.” This is the mentality, this is where medicine has gone. This did not occur in my youth. In the fifties and sixties this “please the patient, or give the patient what they want” was non-existent. Again,”Do No Harm.” Not, “Appease and Placate.”

When you walk into a clinic,urgent care, or emergency department and you find out the clinician is NOT giving you an antibiotic, or hesitant to. Be glad you have an ethical clinician in front of you, at least when it comes to prescribing antibiotics.

I am so pleased to say, I now work in a clinic where the entire staff of clinicians are ethical, and operate on the premise to do no harm. It took a few years to find such a clinic, but I am pleased to say they still do exist.

What are the side effects of Antibiotics?

The side effects are wide ranging. The can be as minimal as an upset stomach to a severe allergic reaction, causing death. Antibiotics for the most part are safe, however they are not just being prescribed to us. We are ingesting them in many other ways. We are taking in antibiotics in some of the water we drink, and in the meat we eat. The antibiotic Ciprofloxin (Cipro), is commonly used to prevent infections in cattle. It is mixed in with their food, hence we ingest it when we eat steak. There are more resistant urinary tract infections now to Cipro than ever before.

Antibiotics can interact with other medication causing side effects. Then there is the “Cover your butt scenario from the pharmacist.” With all prescriptions you will get a print out of all common and uncommon side effects. This is mandatory. I have had numerous patients call concerned about what they are reading. They do not realize this is a standard print out, to avoid liability with little interest in educating the patient. All antibiotics can cause stomach upset and diarrhea. When a prescription says this medication could cause acne they do not tell you it is less than one percent and it is transient. Yet, patients get anxious, and I have seen people refuse to take the medication because of this concern.

The side effects also can cause a reaction where you need another medication. The all too common candidiasis (yeast infection). Then we have rashes, and intestinal infections that can be caused by some antibiotics. At times you may need two different antibiotics, depending on the infection. Please remember antibiotics have their place, find a clinician you trust, and then “trust them.” Educate yourself by reading articles such as this one, and make an informed decision, but at some point we need to trust the professional.

Any substance you ingest, food, antibiotic, natural herbs, vitamins, candy, etc can cause side effects. Many individuals believe that because natural herbs like Valerian root, Ginkgo, and others are natural that there are no side effects. This could not be further from the truth. In some cases there is a higher risk, since it has not been measured or studied. We do not know the dose for one’s weight, child versus adult. Antibiotics are life savers, are helpful and have increased our life span and quality of life. If we keep abusing them and taking them for a virus, and they continue to be wrongly prescribed we will be in a very dangerous place within a few years.

Try to understand when you have a health care provider that does not prescribe you an antibiotic, they really have your best health in mind more than you know.