Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, it's one of those things you kind of know you're not supposed to do, but might be tempted to do in a pinch. After all, those prescription labels are probably just suggestions, right, Yeah, No, taking someone else's medications is pretty much always a terrible idea, But some research indicates that parents may be perpetuating the problem
more than experts realized. Presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in November, the research suggests a quote alarming percentage of parents have reported sharing or borrowing antibiotics that were originally prescribed for their children. The practice, called antibiotic diversion, can lead to serious issues, since taking unnecessary or improper doses of antibiotics contributes to the rising
rates of anti biotic resistant infections. For the article this episode is based on How Stuff Works, spoke via email with lead author to mar Kahan, whose name I hope I just said correctly, who was then a research assistant
in Developmental and Behavioral pediatrics at Northwell Health. She said, our study was prompted by several patient visits observed in our office where parents mentioned that their children had experienced illnesses or infections in recent months that they had resolved by taking leftover antibiotics they had on hand in their homes or receiving leftover antibiotics from individuals outside the family. These parents did not consult a medical professional before taking
the leftover antibiotics. We wanted to conduct a more systematic analysis to determine the prevalence of this practice antibiotic diversion among parents and children in the United States. Antibiotics are intended to fight infections caused by disease causing bacteria, which are a broad category of single celled organisms found inside and outside our bodies. The drugs work by either killing the bacteria or making it harder for them to multiply.
The problem is bacteria are unfortunately adaptive. When antibiotics are used incorrectly, that is, when they're not needed or when you stop using them too soon, some bacteria in a population survive and pass along the genes that made them stronger to the next generations. In this way, bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics, meaning the drugs no longer effectively
fight them or keep them from multiplying. For the study, researchers distributed an anonymous online questionnaire to a national sample of four ninety six parents. Con said, we found that antibiotic diversion was highly prevalent. Forty eight point two percent of parents who had left over antibiotics after the antibiotics were taken by their children report saving them instead of disposing of them. Seventy two point six of those who had left over antibiotics later shared them with other members
of the family or unrelated adults. According to Kahan questionnaire, respondents indicated that they had not been told by their pediatricians to dispose of the antibiotics, even if there were leftovers at the end of the course. There were some other key findings from the study. To Liquids and drops were found to be the most commonly diverted form of antibiotics.
Creams came in third, and tablets fourth. The diverted antibiotics were typically administered in the prescribed dosage, which might sound like a good thing but actually means the dosage usually wasn't properly adjusted for the recipient. Otherwise, parents were also prone to estimating dosage based on the age of the child. Also not a great strategy. Considering the amount of guesswork involved and overall sent of parents surveyed so that they
had given their child adult medications. The researchers behind the study see a silver lining to these unsettling fine things. Kahan said. Over use of antibiotics has consequences not only to the individual, but to the population as a whole, as it contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. It is hoped that health care professionals will emphasize to patients the risks of taking antibiotics when they are not
prescribed and the importance of disposing of leftover medication. So bottom line, sharing maybe caring, but definitely not when it comes to prescription drugs. Today's episode is based on the article sharing leftover antibiotics is a really bad practice on how stuff works dot com, written by Michelle Konstantinovski. Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and it is produced by Tyler Klang.
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