As temperatures dip all over Iran, people are prone to catching cold and unfortunately many are inclined to self-medicate, taking antibiotics without a medical prescription or under a doctor�s supervision.
The use of antibiotics without a doctor�s prescription causes side effects and leads to antimicrobial resistance of the body, said an expert on medication poisoning at the Hamedan University of Medical Sciences.
Majid Hanifeh pointed out that taking antibiotics in all cases of a cold is not advised. �Common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract caused by different reasons and as long as it is not infectious, the patient should not use antibiotics,� ISNA quoted him as saying.
Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the common cold or influenza, and may even be harmful when taken inappropriately.
�Since most colds are of a viral type and some are the symptoms of allergies, taking antibiotics is not only not beneficial but may also cause the person to suffer from complications and make the body resistant to the medicine as well,� he added.
Explaining the resistance of the human body after regular and unnecessary intake of antibiotics and other drugs, Hanifeh said, �The bacteria act cleverly and if they get resistant to antibiotics, they transfer the resistant gene to others so that the medicine cannot provide a cure for the infection.�
�All antibiotics should be prescribed by doctors. If a patient does not take the right dosage at the specified intervals or does not complete the treatment process, the healing procedure is interrupted and therefore antimicrobial resistance occurs,� he pointed out.
Iran is one of the countries with excessive consumption of drugs and self-medication in particular is quite common among the people.

By Financial Tribune