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FRIDAY, November 2, 2018 – A new study reveals that an "alarming" number of American parents are saving unused antibiotics and distributing them to their family members and other people.
This type of misuse helps to fuel antibiotic resistance. the authors of the study said. Their report is due to be presented Monday in Orlando, Florida, at the National Conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP.
"This is dangerous not only for antibiotics not prescribed for them, but also for whole populations of people for whom certain antibiotics might no longer be useful when the targeted bacteria become resistant to them." said Dr. Ruth Milanaik, lead author of the study, in an AAP press release.
Milanaik directs the Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Monitoring Program at the Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York.
The researchers conducted an online survey of nearly 500 US parents and found that about 48% of those surveyed said they had kept the remaining antibiotics instead of getting rid of them correctly.
73% then gave the drugs to their siblings, unrelated. unrelated children and adults, sometimes several months after the initial prescription of the antibiotic. Some of the parents also used the remaining antibiotics themselves
One of the reasons often used by parents to keep their antibiotics unused was to avoid the cost of a second visit to the doctor.
According to the study authors, the dosage of unused antibiotics administered to other people was typically the prescribed dosage, or was estimated based on the age of the child.
The survey also revealed that 16% of parents had said Milanaik said that more needed to be done to educate parents about antibiotics and about the risks of taking them without adequate medical consultation.
"Although the discovery of antibiotics has revolutionized medicine, it is imperative that clinicians emphasize the importance of [proper use and disposal of these medications] to ensure that they remain an effective tool against infectious diseases, "she said.
Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary, unless published in a peer-reviewed journal.
For more information
the American Academy of Family Physicians has more information about antibiotics.
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