Antibiotics are a powerful weapon against deadly bacterial infections, but only if they are used correctly. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are dangerous because they result in antibiotic resistance, whereby bacteria stop responding to antibiotics and future infections become harder to treat. Resistant and untreatable infections are increasing in Kenya and worldwide, which calls for proper management and use of antibiotics.
Here are practical tips to ensure you are using antibiotics safely and effectively:
1. Take the Right Antibiotic for the Right Infection
Antibiotics are meant to treat bacterial infections and not flu, colds, coughs, and viral sore throats. They should only be used when they are prescribed by your doctor.
Do not pressure your doctor to prescribe an antibiotic if the diagnosis does not require an antibiotic. Using antibiotics in the absence of a clear clinical indication may even harm you.
2. Follow the Exact Dose and Schedule
For your body to fight bacteria effectively, a steady amount of the medicine is needed in your bloodstream. You must take the correct number of tablets and follow the correct dosing frequency, ensuring you do not miss any doses. For instance, if the medicine label says take a dose every 12 hours, space the doses evenly, e.g., 8 am and 8 pm. If it says you take a dose every 8 hours, space them at 7 am, 3 pm, and 11 pm.
Setting reminders and alarms, as well as linking your doses to your daily routine activities, helps you stay on track with your doses. In case you forget to take a dose at the appropriate time, take it as soon as you remember, but if it is almost time for the next dose, do not take double doses. Just take the usual dose and continue with the usual schedule.
3. Complete the Full Course
Many people stop taking antibiotics as soon as they start to feel better. What they don’t know is that bacteria may still be in the body even when you do not feel them. When you start to feel better, it means most of the weakest bacteria have been killed, but the toughest ones are usually still alive, and they can multiply if you stop taking the medicine. This means the infection may return or persist, or it may lead to resistance, whereby the medicine stops being effective against the bacteria. You might therefore require stronger, and often more expensive, antibiotics to treat the same infection. You must therefore always complete the full course of treatment as prescribed unless your doctor tells you to stop.
4. Watch Out for Drug–Drug Interactions
If you are taking multiple drugs, ask your pharmacist if it is safe to mix them with your antibiotics. Certain antibiotics should not be mixed with certain drug classes such as blood thinners, antacids, iron and calcium supplements, herbal medicines and oral contraceptives. The drugs reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics, or the antibiotics reduce the effectiveness of other drugs. For instance, antibiotics can interfere with oral contraceptives; hence, a backup plan is needed during the course of treatment.
5. Take with Food or on an Empty Stomach (Depending on the Drug)
Always ask your pharmacist how you should take your antibiotic concerning meals. Some antibiotics require that you take them on an empty stomach so that they can be absorbed more effectively into the body. Taking medicine on an empty stomach means taking it at least 1 hour before food or 2 hours after food.
For some antibiotics, you will be required to take them with food to avoid stomach irritation or improve absorption. This means the medicine should be taken within 30 minutes of a meal or a snack.
Antibiotics in the tetracycline class (e.g. doxycycline) must not be taken together with dairy products such as milk, yoghurt or cheese. These drugs bind to calcium in milk and other dairy products, forming a complex that is not readily absorbed into the body. You must wait 2 to 3 hours to consume dairy foods after taking the antibiotic.
If a medicine requires you to take it with a full glass of water, it means you should take it with sufficient water so that the medicine moves smoothly through the gut and to ensure it is dissolved properly. Ensure you take it with water and not milk or juice.
Always follow instructions from your pharmacist and read the medicine labels and insert if you are unsure about how to take your antibiotic. Some common antibiotics include:
- Azithromycin: can be taken with or without food
- Doxycycline: best taken with food to reduce nausea
- Amoxicillin: can be taken with or without food
- Metronidazole: best taken with food if it causes nausea
6. Avoid Alcohol When Necessary
The reason you are told to avoid alcohol when on certain treatments is that alcohol reduces how that particular medicine works, or can increase the side effects when taken simultaneously. Common antibiotics that you must avoid taking simultaneously with alcohol include metronidazole and tinidazole. If you mix these medicines with alcohol, you may get severe nausea, vomiting and headaches or even life-threatening reactions. It is generally safe to avoid alcohol until the full course of treatment is completed.
7. Don’t Share or Reuse Antibiotics
Even if you have the same symptoms as a friend or family member, you should not use their leftover antibiotics, as they may not work for you or might even be expired. Any leftover antibiotics should be safely disposed of and not saved for future use.
8. Store Antibiotics Properly
Like any other medicine, storing antibiotics under the correct conditions ensures they retain their effectiveness.
- Keep tablets in a cool, dry place
- Store syrups in the fridge only if instructed
- Keep out of reach of children
9. Report Any Side Effects
Since antibiotics kill both good bacteria and bad bacteria in the body, it is common to experience side effects such as diarrhoea, stomach upset and even yeast infections. This is the reason your doctor sometimes prescribes probiotics alongside antibiotics. Probiotics should be taken at least 2 to 3 hours after the antibiotic dose so that the antibiotic does not kill the good gut bacteria that you are trying to replenish. Staying hydrated while on antibiotics helps to flush out toxins from the body and manage side effects.
However, it is important to know if the side effects you are experiencing are unusual or if what you are having is an allergic reaction. If you start taking your medicine properly as you have been instructed and you notice the following, stop the medicine and seek medical help immediately:
- Severe diarrhea
- Skin rash
- Swelling of the lips, face, or eyes
- Difficulty breathing
- Persistent vomiting
Final dose of clarity
When you take antibiotics responsibly, you are helping in the global fight against antibiotic resistance. This is important to prevent harmful bacteria from developing resistance to antibiotic drugs and hence becoming untreatable. Remember:
- Do not self-prescribe
- Never stop your treatment early
- Never share or save your antibiotic
- Take your doses at regular scheduled times
- Follow food and dairy instructions
- Ask about other drugs and supplements that you are taking
- Support your gut with probiotics (eg yoghurt or probiotic supplements)
- Ensure proper hydration to flush out toxins
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