Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacterial infections in people and animals. They work by killing the bacteria or by making it hard for the bacteria to grow and multiply.
Antibiotics can be taken in different ways:
- Orally (by mouth). This could be pills, capsules, or liquids.
- Topically. This might be a cream, spray, or ointment that you put on your skin. It could also be eye ointment, eye drops, or ear drops.
- Through an injection or intravenously (IV). This is usually for more serious infections.
What do antibiotics treat?
Antibiotics only treat certain bacterial infections, such as strep throat, urinary tract infections, and E. coli.
You may not need to take antibiotics for some bacterial infections. For example, you might not need them for many sinus infections or some ear infections. Taking antibiotics when they’re not needed won’t help you, and they can have side effects. Your health care provider can decide the best treatment for you when you’re sick. Don’t ask your provider to prescribe an antibiotic for you.
Do antibiotics treat viral infections?
Antibiotics do not work on viral infections. For example, you shouldn’t take antibiotics for:
- Colds and runny noses, even if the mucus is thick, yellow, or green
- Most sore throats (except strep throat)
- Flu
- Most cases of bronchitis
What are the side effects of antibiotics?
The side effects of antibiotics range from minor to very severe. Some of the common side effects include:
- Rash
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Yeast infections
More serious side effects can include:
- C. diff infections, which cause diarrhea that can lead to severe colon damage and sometimes even death
- Severe and life-threatening allergic reactions
- Antibiotic resistance infections
Call your health care provider if you develop any side effects while taking your antibiotic.
Why is it important to take antibiotics only when they’re needed?
You should only take antibiotics when they are needed because they can cause side effects and can contribute to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance happens when the bacteria change and become able to resist the effects of an antibiotic. This means that the bacteria continue to grow.
How do I use antibiotics correctly?
When you take antibiotics, it is important that you take them responsibly:
- Always follow the directions carefully. Finish your medicine even if you feel better. If you stop taking them too soon, some bacteria may survive and re-infect you.
- Don’t save your antibiotics for later.
- Don’t share your antibiotic with others.
- Don’t take antibiotics prescribed for someone else. This may delay the best treatment for you, make you even sicker, or cause side effects
- What DO antibiotics treat?
- Antibiotics ONLY treat certain infections caused by bacteria, such as:
- Strep throat
- Whooping cough
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Antibiotics are also needed to treat life-threatening conditions caused by bacteria, such as sepsis, which is the body’s extreme response to infection.
- What DON’T antibiotics treat?
- Antibiotics DO NOT work on viruses, such as those that cause:
- Colds and runny noses, even if the mucus is thick, yellow, or green
- Most sore throats (except strep throat)
- Flu
- Most cases of chest colds (bronchitis)
- Antibiotics also ARE NOT needed for some common bacterial infections, including:
- Many sinus infections
- Some ear infections
- This is because these illnesses will usually get better on their own, without antibiotics.
- Taking antibiotics when they’re not needed won’t help you, and their side effects can still cause harm.
- Viruses are germs different from bacteria. They cause infections, such as colds and flu. However, antibiotics do not treat infections caused by viruses.
- For more information on common illnesses and when antibiotics are and aren’t needed, visit Common Illnesses.
- What are the side effects of antibiotics?
- Anytime antibiotics are used, they can cause side effects. Common side effects range from minor to very severe health problems and can include:
- Rash
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Yeast infections
- More about:
- C. diff infection
- Antibiotic-resistant infections
- More serious side effects can include:
- C. diff infection, which causes diarrhea that can lead to severe colon damage and death
- Severe and life-threatening allergic reactions
- Antibiotic-resistant infections
- Call your doctor if you develop any side effects while taking your antibiotic
- Why is it important to take antibiotics only when they’re needed?
- For more information on antibiotic resistance, visit Antibiotic Resistance Questions and Answers.
- Antibiotics are important to treat infections and have saved countless lives. However, anytime antibiotics are used, they can cause side effects and contribute to antibiotic resistance, one of the most urgent threats to the public’s health.
- When antibiotics are needed, the benefits usually outweigh the risks of side effects or antibiotic resistance. However, too many antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily and misused, which threatens the usefulness of these important drugs.
- This is why it’s important that we all use antibiotics ONLY when we need them to protect us from harms caused by unnecessary antibiotic use and to combat antibiotic resistance.
- What is unnecessary antibiotic use?
- Unnecessary antibiotic use happens when a person is prescribed antibiotics when they’re not needed, such as for colds and flu.
- Unnecessary use also happens when a person is prescribed antibiotics for infections that are sometimes caused by bacteria that do not always need antibiotics, like many sinus infections and some ear infections.
- Antibiotics aren’t always the answer when you’re sick. It’s important to use antibiotics only when they are needed to protect yourself from harms caused by unnecessary antibiotic use and combat antibiotic resistance.
- What is misuse of antibiotics?
- Misuse of antibiotics happens when a person is prescribed
- the wrong antibiotic,
- the wrong dose of an antibiotic, or
- an antibiotic for the wrong length of time.
- Talk with your doctor about the best treatment for your illness.