Antibiotics should not be prescribed for patients with the common cold.
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Despite years of warnings, doctors still overprescribe antibiotics for acute respiratory infections even though most are caused by viruses that those drugs can not help.
The authors recommend doctors do not prescribe antibiotics for patients with the common cold.
Sure bronchitis sounds scary.
If the doctor suspects the patient has group A streptococcal pharyngitis, they should only prescribe antibiotics if the patient tests positive for the infection (for example, using a rapid strep test and/or a culture test).
“Antibiotics are terrific. Thank God we have them for really bad things”.
However, according to Dr. Wayne J. Riley from the Vanderbilt University, it’s in the responsibility of doctors to avoid over-prescription.
According to the CDC, antibiotics are losing their effectiveness, and inappropriate prescribing is one factor. Researchers conducted a narrative literature review about appropriate antibiotic use for the treatment of acute respiratory tract infection syndromes, including acute uncomplicated bronchitis, pharyngitis, rhinosinusitis, and the common cold. The CDC estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year in the U.S.
And antibiotics aren’t without side effects. Particularly troubling is an increase in severe diarrhea caused by C-diff, the Clostridium difficile bug that can take hold in the gut after antibiotics kill off other bacteria.
The problem is more pronounced during flu season, so the CDC advises how to curb antibiotic overuse that might only make matters worse in the long.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) news release stated, “50 percent of antibiotic prescriptions may be unnecessary or inappropriate in the outpatient setting, which equates to over $3 billion in excess costs”. Treatments that can bring symptomatic relief include antihistamines, decongestants, beta-agonists, cough suppressants and expectorants.
To remind physicians about good antibiotic stewardship, ACP and CDC focused on four conditions that most likely will resolve on their own: the common cold, uncomplicated bronchitis, sore throats, and uncomplicated sinus infection. “Physicians should recommend analgesic therapy such as aspirin, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and throat lozenges, which can help reduce pain”.
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Patients with sore throats also should not receive antibiotics because they do not improve symptoms, and a similar recommendation was made for patients with uncomplicated sinus infections, which generally improve with supportive care. Even more, it’s often that patients actually demand them.
