I have taken antibiotics only a couple of times in my life. One time I got strep throat in 6th grade. I took a daily dose of penicillin for a week. 24 hours after the first dose my symptoms started to recline and 48 hours after that I was no longer contagious. The other times I took antibiotics was for ear infections when I was younger. From what I could remember the symptoms only lasted around 48 hours after the dosage. From these multiple experiences, I really depended on antibiotics. They cured me faster than I have seen any other type of drug cure. Penicillin alone saved millions of lives when it was first introduced, and it helped me a lot. I think antibiotics are a very necessary drug with a wide range of use.
Antibiotics however do not come without side effects. When I was on antibiotics my stomach was very upset. My doctor strongly recommended I have a yogurt every morning to improve my digestive health. Since I took the right dosage I knew I was safe, but taking too many antibiotics can have a harmful impact on your community of microbes. So my personal philosophy is that antibiotics are great in small doses.
