Antibiotics: Sometimes Essential, Sometimes Unnecessary

Here’s what to ask your MD 

By Dr. Priya Nori, Medical Director, 

Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Montefiore Health System 

Bronx Voice 

November 20, 2024

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NEW YORK - Today many people across the Bronx will see their dentist or seek quick treatment at an urgent care center. These visits can have a meaningful impact in New York City and even affect your health in ways you might not guess.

When used correctly, antibiotics are lifesaving treatments for potentially dangerous infections, but often people are not given information about the potential harms of antibiotic use. Each November, we remind our community about thoughtful ways to use these important treatments.

According to Centers for Disease Control data, dentist offices, urgent care centers, and primary care offices are places where antibiotics are commonly overprescribed. Often these healthcare providers reported prescribing antibiotics because they believe patients expect them or because time constraints make it an easier choice versus taking the extra time to explain why they aren’t needed.

For dental procedures, antibiotics are rarely required as a preventive measure, and antibiotics do not work against viral respiratory infections.

The harms of antibiotic use can outweigh the benefits in some circumstances, and the downsides come in many forms to you, your family, your community and even the world.

Antibiotics can kill off weaker bacteria, leaving resistant superbugs that multiply, making infections even harder to treat. Some bacteria are good for our health— especially gut microbiota, when good bacteria are killed off by antibiotics, it can lead to other problems like C. difficile. Also known as C. diff, this infection can cause severe diarrhea, colon damage or death.

These resistant bacteria and C. diff spread easily and could make people in the same household sick. Hard-to-treat infections could spread in our communities locally and globally. Research published recently in the Lancet blamed misuse of antibiotics for growing antibiotic resistance bugs that could kill 39 million people over the next 25 years.

There are a few simple steps you can take to avoid unnecessary antibiotics:

· Tell your dentist, urgent care provider, family doctor, or other health care provider that you don’t expect an antibiotic from them if it’s not needed. Let them know that you understand the benefits and risks of antibiotics, and you trust their judgement on these medicines.

· Ask some basic questions, which can give you a better understanding of any medications prescribed for you, especially antibiotics. You should always feel informed before you start any medicines. Your healthcare provider should be open to answering the following questions:

* What are the benefits of this medication, and how will it help me?

• What will happen if I don't take this medication?

• What are the potential harms or negative effects of this medicine?

Antibiotics have extended many lives, and they are essential to modern healthcare, from surgeries, to childbirth, to cancer treatment. Patients, parents, and prescribers must all do our part to use antibiotics responsibly. We can protect ourselves, our families, our neighbors and the rest of the world, while also ensuring antibiotic availability for generations to come.