Amoxicillin, a very popular antibiotic, is made to treat many infections such as a sore throat, sinus infection, bronchitis, and many other diseases. Amoxicillin was created in the 1970s by a British scientist, however since then, the drug is proving to be much less effective than before. Research has shown that over time, the drug has become less effective to treat a sinus infection, and that most patients are better off without the drug. This is because, with many uses of the drug, the bacteria has become resistant. Antibiotic resistance is a problem that could be limited by increasing the regulations on over the counter drugs and other medications. This will decrease the misuse of antibiotics and limit their needs. As a result of this, the chances of drug resistant bacteria would decrease. One of the biggest obstacles of overcoming the problem of drug resistant bacteria is that people are not made educated enough on these issues. Because of this, people are abusing their antibiotics, and it is affecting everyone.

The first thing that people need to know, is what an antibiotic is, and when to use it. Antibiotics are created to fight bacterial infections. While this sounds like a positive thing, keep in mind that while there is bad bacteria, there is also good bacteria in your body. Antibiotics attack all bacteria in its path. That is why you should only use antibiotics when completely necessary. The antibiotic can have an undesirable effect on the bacteria. If the drug is overused, than the bacteria will eventually become drug resistant, and that is why you should only use it when needed. For example, an antibiotic should not be administered to a patient with a viral infection, as it will be ineffective.

The first step to eliminating drug resistant bacteria is for the government to put regulations on the drugs that feed this fire. These regulations should limit the access that consumers have to over the counter drugs. This would mean that consumers would not have access to refills on their drugs without their doctor writing them another prescription. This will help to eliminate the over usage of drugs. Another regulation that will assist in limiting the usage of antibiotics is only prescribing the number of pills needed. If your doctor has given you instruction to take two pills a day for 10 days, he/she should only be prescribing you with 20 pills. This means, that after a patient is healed, they will not have extra pills to keep.

Citations

Combating Antibiotic Resistance FDA, 18 Nov. 2011. Web. 17. Mar. 2015

Holding Back the Tide of Antibiotic ResistanceElsevier, Jan. 2006. Web. 17. Mar. 2015

Levy, Stuart B. The Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance Scientific American, 1 Mar. 1998

"Commonly Prescribed Antibiotic, Amoxicillin, Ineffective for Treating Uncomplicated Chest Infections, Study Suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.

No refills on drugs unless needed Only prescribed number of pills needed Throw out old pills Drugs only available with prescription Follow drug instructions Separate hospital wings on drug resistant patients Limit which antibiotics can be prescribed for certain diseases (attack a narrow range of bacteria) Talk about how antibiotics kill good bacteria http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121218203351.htm