Jakarta, IO – Antibiotics must always be prescribed by a doctor; otherwise, there are dangers from incorrect consumption of these powerful medications. In the “Consuming Antibiotics Must Be Prescribed by a Doctor!” talk show, which was held Monday (3/6/2024), dr. Dedi Suyanto, Sp.FK, explained how antibiotics are drugs or active chemical substances taken from living creatures or microorganisms, and these have been shown to inhibit or kill bacteria that infect the human body. Antibiotics are classified as “antimicrobials”, substances that can inhibit the growth of bacteria; however, they cannot kill viruses, fungi or parasites.
“Epidemiologically, Indonesia is a tropical area that favors the growth of microorganisms, one of which is bacteria. The tropical climate is exacerbated by poor lifestyle patterns, sanitation and hygiene, resulting in high caseloads of infection. Nevertheless, we still have to be careful with the use of antibiotics. In a survey at Community Health Centers, antibiotic prescriptions reached 20-40%. This means that out of 10 people who seek treatment, 2 to 4 people get a prescription for antibiotics. Antibiotic prescriptions should actually be below 20%,” said the clinical pharmacologist from Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung, West Java.
To determine whether the patient needs antibiotics or not, a doctor will investigate the form of an interview, physical examination and supporting examinations. A definitive diagnosis of the cause of a disease will allow a doctor to prescribe appropriate antibiotics.
“Doctors will not prescribe antibiotics for viral infections because usually patients will recover by themselves after taking vitamins, getting enough rest and drinking as much liquid as possible. There are two antibiotic treatments, based empirically on ‘previous cases’ or ‘definitive’, the latter being when the doctor has already identified the type of bacteria, in order to prescribe appropriate antibiotics.”
Inhibitor and Killer of Bacteria
Based on the cause, antibiotics are divided into types that inhibit or kill bacteria. Antibiotics that inhibit bacteria are usually for patients with robust immune systems, while types of antibiotics that kill bacteria are prescribed for immunocompromised patients.
“The inhibiting type can restrain the growth rate and the rest will die thanks to the body’s resistance. Antibiotics work by damaging or destroying important components of disease-causing bacteria in the cell wall or its DNA. As an illustration, when bacteria divide into 2 or 4 or 8, antibiotics will damage the cell wall so that it cannot bind to it and will thus fail to replicate.”
Read: Make It A Priority
It is emphasized that the use of antibiotics of any type must be based on a doctor’s prescription. “Antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription have the potential for misuse and underuse. Misuse implies there is no indication; in such a case, taking antibiotics damages the normal flora that is beneficial to the body. Antibiotics cannot differentiate between good bacteria and bad bacteria, so they have the potential to impair the body’s resistance. Under-use of antibiotics is not within any specified period, or it may be that a patient stops taking them when they think they are ‘cured’. Remember, while a complaint may disappear, there are remaining bad bacteria that have not died.”
At the end, dr. Dedi pointed out that the use of antibiotics that are not suitable for their intended purpose has the potential to delay recovery from a disease if not treated property, increase the duration of treatment, require high costs, and trigger complications that can even result in death. (est)