Why should we not take antibiotics against colds and flu?

The antibiotics, as we have explained to you on other occasions, they are drugs or medicines that fight infections that are caused by bacteria. This means that antibiotics are useful against bacterial infections, but as a common side effect they also tend to destroy the normal or healthy bacteria that live in our body. As a consequence, it is common for nausea, diarrhea and vaginal candidiasis to occur in the case of women.

As we already discovered in a previous article in which we knew What are the myths about the flu and the cold, even today it is very common for many people to think that antibiotics help to cure flu and colds, as well as any other type of viral infection. In fact, it is equally common take antibiotics without a prescription. However, both issues are a complete error that can seriously affect our health.

Why? Very easy: antibiotics do not cure flu or colds, fundamentally because they are only useful against bacteria. That is, they are not useful or adequate to treat infections caused by viruses, so that their consumption in case of viral infection will not improve at all.

The risks of taking antibiotics against infections caused by viruses (flu, colds ...)

Destroy healthy bacteria in our body

Far from improving viral infection if we choose to consume antibiotics in order to treat a flu, a cold or a simple cold would be a risk to health, because antibiotics destroy the healthy bacteria found in our bodies naturally, from there that its consumption is only temporary, in the doses recommended by the doctor and never in excess.

The consequence is obvious: it is very common that after a medical treatment based on antibiotics for a few days we begin to feel its side effects, such as diarrhea, nausea and digestive discomfort. In the case of women may increase the risk of vaginal candidiasis.

Thus antibiotics are always contraindicated unless there is a bacterial infection associated.

Causes bacterial resistance

Medically it is known by the name of bacterial resistance, and basically consists of the bacteria becoming resistant to specific antibiotics. Or, which is the same, in recent years there have been increased cases of bacterial infections that have become resistant to medications.

In this sense the problem is equally obvious: then antibiotics will no longer work against bacteria that have become resistant. Moreover, our body is left without natural defenses with which to deal with a possible bacterial infection.

It causes the appearance of many side effects

Unless in reality there is an associated bacterial infection, and that the doctor has prescribed its consumption (under certain doses and for a set time), we must always avoid the use of antibiotics because they cause many side effects:

  • Diarrhea: appears when the antibiotic disturbs the normal balance of our intestinal flora, and an anaerobic bacterium known by the name of Clostridium difficile it tends to proliferate.
  • Vaginal candidiasis: it is a very common condition in women who consume antibiotics, since these drugs tend to alter the vaginal microbiota. Causes vaginal irritation, itching, burning, pain, irritation and a kind of whitish or gray-white discharge with a lump-like appearance.
  • Weakening of the immune system: as a consequence of the destruction of healthy bacteria especially present in our bacterial flora.

For all the above, the recommendation is clear: the consumption of antibiotics should only be specific, when there is a bacterial infection, and have been prescribed by the medical specialist, as well as consumed under their supervision and monitoring. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor. ThemesFlu

The Common Cold and the Role of Antibiotics (March 2024)