When Your Child Should Not Get an Antibiotic
What are antibiotics?Antibiotics are medicines -- like Amoxicillin and Penicillin -- that help fight bacteria that make us sick. Antibiotics do not help fight viruses such as a cold or the flu or most sore throats.
How are taking antibiotics and quality health care related?
Antibiotics are powerful medicines, and we want them to work when we need them the most. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed can cause them to lose their power against the bacteria that make us sick. This is called antibiotic resistance, which means that when you really need an antibiotic medicine to fight an infection, it may not work very well or at all. In this case, quality health care means that your child's doctor should not prescribe antibiotics for any illnesses caused by a virus. For example, your child has a sore throat, she should take an antibiotic only if the doctor first tests for, and finds the bacteria that cause strep throat. This website has quality measures that looks into how pediatrician’s offices are testing and prescribing antibiotics for sore throats and coughs (upper respiratory infection s).
What questions should I ask our pediatrician about antibiotics?
Here are some questions to ask your child's doctor when she is sick and may need an antibiotic or other medicine:
- What illness does my child have?
- Was the illness was caused by a virus, bacteria, or something else?
- Is there a test you can perform to find out the cause?
- Does my child need an antibiotic to help her get better? Why or why not?
- If she needs medicine, how much medicine should my child take and how often?
- How long should my child take the medicine? When should she stop taking it?
- What problems should I watch for when my child takes the medicine?