Buying antibiotics over the counter is easy–and dangerous

Gone Fishing

A friend of mine had a bad sore throat. She also had reason to believe she’d been exposed to strep. So she asked me this question: Can I get antibiotics over the counter?

My reply: “No!”

That was easy!

I strongly suggested she call her doctor. If she really had strep throat, she needed to know that–the sooner the better. But after we hung up, something nagged. I wondered…was I being naive? CAN you get antibiotics OTC?

Within moments online I had my answer: Of course antibiotics are available OTC, silly!

But what a really bad idea.

Buyer beware!

Buying an antibiotic is a breeze if you’re recklessly brave about ordering prescription meds online–no questions asked and no guarantees.

But here’s a source I didn’t expect: Pet store owners are practically unlicensed pharmacists.

Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But they’ve got plenty of antibiotics on hand.

Fish and other pets are given the same antibiotics humans use. Not a surprise, really. I mean, what drug maker could afford to go to the expense of developing specific antibiotics for the unique ailments of fish, ferrets, etc.?

Pharmacist and pharmaceutical watchdog Corey Nahman reports that the aquarium section of any well-stocked pet store provides easy OTC access to tetracycline, ampicillin and other common antibiotics.

And according to a report in the New York Times, antibiotics can be easily purchased at small markets and swap meets in many minority communities. Among many Latino, Chinese, and Russian immigrants, an antibiotic is generally regarded as a sort of generic “get well pill.”

One California health official describes an “antibiotic underground” that extends throughout the state. The pills are purchased in Mexico where no prescription is necessary. Getting them across the border in small quantities is usually no problem because curbing their use is a low priority for U.S. Customs officials and local law enforcement.

Unfortunately, this cultural inclination to depend on easily obtained antibiotics makes it hard for doctors and pharmacists to convince minority patients to avoid purchasing the pills over the counter.

This is critical because every time you take an antibiotic, in a sense, we all take the antibiotic. The drug’s impact on bacteria in your body can impact the bacteria in the bodies of others you come into contact with throughout your community and beyond. This is how antibiotic-resistant bacteria thrive and develop into superbugs.

In addition, antibiotics have no effect on viruses. But when you do have a bacterial infection, you can actually become sicker by taking the wrong antibiotic to treat it.

And you can be pretty close to 100 percent certain that some guy at a swap meet isn’t prepared to properly diagnose your infection.

Think you have strep? Call your doctor!

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Sources:
“No Prescription for Antibiotics? No Problem” Howard Markel, New York Times, 11/12/02, nytimes.com
“Antibiotics Without a Prescription?” Corey Nahman, InternetDrugNews, coreynahman.com