Suffering from a sore throat or runny nose? For some people, that many mean opting to use antibiotics without seeing a doctor, a practice that health experts say may not help cure the disease and could help aggravate the problem of antibiotic-resistant germs.
A study published Monday in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy concluded that many people are tempted to use antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription. They rely on drugs purchased from ethnic grocery or drug stores or the leftovers in their medicine cabinets, potentially contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and causing damaging side effects.
