The winter months bring an assortment of colds, flu, bronchitis and runny noses. While it’s important to see your medical provider when you’re very ill, requesting antibiotics may not work on these common illnesses and may even be harmful.

Greg Chance, Administrator at Peoria City/County Health Department, advises the appropriate use of antibiotics, “We tend to think that antibiotics work for every illness, when actually they don’t. Antibiotics only work against infections caused by bacteria but don’t work against infections caused by viruses. Common colds, bronchitis, and runny noses are caused by viruses, so those sniffles and aches aren’t going to be cured by an antibiotic.”

Using antibiotics when they are not needed can be harmful. If they are not used correctly, antibiotics can stop working. In fact, some diseases that were treatable with antibiotics have already become resistant to them, meaning they don’t work as well as

they should, or worse, don’t work at all. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed or misusing them also increases the risk that a bacterial infection you might get later will be resistant to needed antibiotic treatment.

Chance further cautions, “Antibiotics are crucial for treating and curing bacterial infections, and it’s very important to use them exactly as your doctor advises. This means that you should only take the prescribed dose and complete the full course of an antibiotic, even if you feel better before you run out of medication. Otherwise, you may get re-infected by bacteria that’s still inside you.”

Tips for using antibiotics wisely:

Get smart about what kinds of upper respiratory infections are usually caused by viruses and can’t be cured with an antibiotic.
Take antibiotics only if they’re prescribed to you. Don’t share and/or use leftover antibiotics.
Don’t save your antibiotics for the next time you get sick. Properly dispose of any leftover medication once your prescribed dose is complete.
Prevent infections by practicing good hygiene, such as frequent hand-washing, and getting recommended vaccines.
Don’t ask for antibiotics when your doctor doesn’t think you need them. Antibiotics have side effects, and taking them when they’re not essential may do you more harm than good.

For more information call the Peoria City/County Health Department at 679-6655. For more information on important public health issues, visit our website at www.pcchd.org.