Hooked on Antibiotics

My body's hooked on antibiotics. It's so reliant on antibiotics that each time I'm off it, I tend to fall ill. I usually tolerate my illnesses if they are minor and put off seeing a doctor until I cannot resist the pain/agony/sufferings of the illnesses.

I realised that I've been on and off antibiotics since I contracted bronchitis. It's been 2 years and within this period of time, I do not remember not consuming antibiotics for more than two months. It really makes me wonder if doctors are prescribing it too easily, or is my sickness really that bad (each time I fall ill) that antibiotics have to be prescribed.

That really makes me wonder every prescription of antibiotics is mandatory. I remember reading that people who live in the suburbs overseas (like USA) do not have easy access to clinics and hospital. They usually have to drive an hour or so to the hospital before they can see a doctor, thus most people self medicate when they fall ill and/or visit the drugstore (pharmacy) if they run out of medical supplies. They only see the doctor when they are seriously ill and/or if they do not recover after a prolong period of time. Since antibiotics requires a doctor's prescription in most (if not all) states, most people do not consume antibiotics unless it's absolutely necessary. [It can be read here how an expatriate parent worries about his/her young child being fed too much antibiotics.]

I remember reading an article which commented on our local doctors over-prescribing antibiotics. I do agree that antibiotics should be prescribed when needed, however I personally feel that antibiotics should not be prescribed as a preventive measure for other 'potential' bacteria infection.

I can't remember where I read it or who was it written by but I did a simple search online and found several articles that supported the one which I read previously. One of it is even released by SMA (Singapore Medical Association). The article can be read here.

I usually avoid consuming antibiotics when I'm running a fever without infection. (I recognised signs of infection when I start coughing phelgm or sneezing mucus that is yellowish green. However, these are relatively obvious symptoms. There are certain infection that does not display visible symptoms.) At times, I even avoid taking paracetamol or other forms of fever reducers as long as I do not feel extremely uncomfortable (like bad migraines and bad aches in joints) and that my body temperature maintains below 38 degrees. The main reason being, running fever (not high fever) has certain benefits to our health too. Read here for more information.

Thus, the next time when you fall ill, you have got to think twice before swallowing those pills.

Note: Please do not quote me whatever I have mentioned earlier in this post as I'm no medical expert.



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Anyway, you wouldn't believe it. I am sick again. Remember very bad eczema outbreak? It got better after I took a course of antibiotics but the moment I stop it, it started flaring again. Now, it seems to be worse than before. My skin around is practically oozing pus and other who-knows-what-fluid. It's so bad that the moment I apply pressure/force to my fingers, it hurts. I cannot even tap my finger nails lightly because there's a layer of pus between my nails and my flesh, causing it to hurt a lot, so much that I almost screamed.

I visited the dermatologist this afternoon and he has swab the pus before sending it to a laboratory. Identifying the bacteria and checking out which antibiotics it reacts best to are essential for drafting the treatment plan. Meanwhile, I'm given loads of antibiotics, steroids and antihistamine which I am pretty reluctant to take but do I have a choice given the current situation I am in? Not likely, especially when I am running a fever now.