WEBVTT - Why Shouldn't You Share Antibiotics?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, it's one of those things you kind

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<v Speaker 1>of know you're not supposed to do, but might be

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<v Speaker 1>tempted to do in a pinch. After all, those prescription

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<v Speaker 1>labels are probably just suggestions, right, Yeah, No, taking someone

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<v Speaker 1>else's medications is pretty much always a terrible idea, But

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<v Speaker 1>some research indicates that parents may be perpetuating the problem

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<v Speaker 1>more than experts realized. Presented at the American Academy of

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<v Speaker 1>Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in November, the research suggests

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<v Speaker 1>a quote alarming percentage of parents have reported sharing or

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<v Speaker 1>borrowing antibiotics that were originally prescribed for their children. The practice,

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<v Speaker 1>called antibiotic diversion, can lead to serious issues, since taking

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<v Speaker 1>unnecessary or improper doses of antibiotics contributes to the rising

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<v Speaker 1>rates of anti biotic resistant infections. For the article this

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on How Stuff Works, spoke via email

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<v Speaker 1>with lead author to mar Kahan, whose name I hope

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<v Speaker 1>I just said correctly, who was then a research assistant

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<v Speaker 1>in Developmental and Behavioral pediatrics at Northwell Health. She said,

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<v Speaker 1>our study was prompted by several patient visits observed in

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<v Speaker 1>our office where parents mentioned that their children had experienced

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<v Speaker 1>illnesses or infections in recent months that they had resolved

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<v Speaker 1>by taking leftover antibiotics they had on hand in their

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<v Speaker 1>homes or receiving leftover antibiotics from individuals outside the family.

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<v Speaker 1>These parents did not consult a medical professional before taking

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<v Speaker 1>the leftover antibiotics. We wanted to conduct a more systematic

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<v Speaker 1>analysis to determine the prevalence of this practice antibiotic diversion

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<v Speaker 1>among parents and children in the United States. Antibiotics are

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<v Speaker 1>intended to fight infections caused by disease causing bacteria, which

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<v Speaker 1>are a broad category of single celled organisms found inside

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<v Speaker 1>and outside our bodies. The drugs work by either killing

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<v Speaker 1>the bacteria or making it harder for them to multiply.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem is bacteria are unfortunately adaptive. When antibiotics are

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<v Speaker 1>used incorrectly, that is, when they're not needed or when

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<v Speaker 1>you stop using them too soon, some bacteria in a

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<v Speaker 1>population survive and pass along the genes that made them

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<v Speaker 1>stronger to the next generations. In this way, bacteria may

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<v Speaker 1>become resistant to antibiotics, meaning the drugs no longer effectively

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<v Speaker 1>fight them or keep them from multiplying. For the study,

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<v Speaker 1>researchers distributed an anonymous online questionnaire to a national sample

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<v Speaker 1>of four ninety six parents. Con said, we found that

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<v Speaker 1>antibiotic diversion was highly prevalent. Forty eight point two percent

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<v Speaker 1>of parents who had left over antibiotics after the antibiotics

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<v Speaker 1>were taken by their children report saving them instead of

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<v Speaker 1>disposing of them. Seventy two point six of those who

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<v Speaker 1>had left over antibiotics later shared them with other members

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<v Speaker 1>of the family or unrelated adults. According to Kahan questionnaire,

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<v Speaker 1>respondents indicated that they had not been told by their

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<v Speaker 1>pediatricians to dispose of the antibiotics, even if there were

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<v Speaker 1>leftovers at the end of the course. There were some

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<v Speaker 1>other key findings from the study. To Liquids and drops

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<v Speaker 1>were found to be the most commonly diverted form of antibiotics.

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<v Speaker 1>Creams came in third, and tablets fourth. The diverted antibiotics

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<v Speaker 1>were typically administered in the prescribed dosage, which might sound

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<v Speaker 1>like a good thing but actually means the dosage usually

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't properly adjusted for the recipient. Otherwise, parents were also

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<v Speaker 1>prone to estimating dosage based on the age of the child.

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<v Speaker 1>Also not a great strategy. Considering the amount of guesswork

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<v Speaker 1>involved and overall sent of parents surveyed so that they

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<v Speaker 1>had given their child adult medications. The researchers behind the

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<v Speaker 1>study see a silver lining to these unsettling fine things.

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<v Speaker 1>Kahan said. Over use of antibiotics has consequences not only

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<v Speaker 1>to the individual, but to the population as a whole,

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<v Speaker 1>as it contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

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<v Speaker 1>It is hoped that health care professionals will emphasize to

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<v Speaker 1>patients the risks of taking antibiotics when they are not

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<v Speaker 1>prescribed and the importance of disposing of leftover medication. So

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<v Speaker 1>bottom line, sharing maybe caring, but definitely not when it

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<v Speaker 1>comes to prescription drugs. Today's episode is based on the

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<v Speaker 1>article sharing leftover antibiotics is a really bad practice on

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot com, written by Michelle Konstantinovski. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot Com, and it is produced by Tyler Klang.

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