My personal philosophy about taking antibiotics is to only take them when they are prescribed to me by a physician and to follow the directions the pharmacist gives me when I pick up the prescription. I don’t usually go to the doctor when I am sick as I just try and strengthen my immune system to fight the sickness and overcome it, instead of just running to the doctor every time so they can give me me antibiotics to feel better. I believe I formed this philosophy because I always assumed the doctors knew what they were doing and would only prescribe antibiotics if they deemed it necessary. I also am pre-pharmacy and have always been interested in that field, so I also trust that the pharmacist’s extensive knowledge about the drugs and their directions are worthy following down to the tee. I feel like I always trusted these healthcare providers because of their credentials, knowing that they both have doctorates in their respective professions gave me a perception that they are always doing the right thing. The older I have got and the more I have educated myself I have found that not to be true, as physicians and pharmacists alike can make mistakes. In the case of antibiotics, it seems like doctors largely over-prescribe these drugs and it is causing a large problem of antibiotic resistance which could easily be avoided with other treatment options.
