The dangers of antibiotics to humans

Many people don’t know much about the dangers of antibiotics to humans and they use them constantly without consulting a doctor or specialist.

Although the main reason for taking antibiotics is to treat some diseases and protect humans, the danger of antibiotics when they are taken in excess may threaten a person’s life, so in this article, we learn about how antibiotics work inside the body and when they become a real threat to it.

What are antibiotics?

Before we begin to explain the threat of antibiotics to human health, we must first learn about the composition of antibiotics, through the following points:

An antibiotic is a medicine or drug that is chemically composed of substances that prevent the reproduction of bacteria and limit their infection of the body so that the body can form the antibodies necessary to face the infection.
Antibiotics affect bacteria only, but viruses cannot be resisted by any type of antibiotic.
The first antibiotic discovered was penicillin, which was extracted from a fungus called Penicillium fungus, currently; there are thousands of types of antibiotics that are used for different symptoms.
Antibiotics are taken in quantity and for a specific number of days, and any irregularity in taking them, whether in timing or quantity, may lead to exposing the body to the danger of antibiotics and weakening the body’s resistance to them.
As a result of taking many antibiotics without medical advice many types of bacteria have developed ways to attack the body and have even overcome the ability of antibiotics to resist them.

Why do we use antibiotics?

In general, we use antibiotics for various therapeutic purposes, and these uses are under medical guidance to avoid the danger of antibiotics. The most important of these purposes are:

Treating some diseases that affect humans as a result of a bacterial or parasitic infection that requires resistance and activation of the immune system to get rid of it.
Also, the reason for using antibiotics is that they are a preventive method against infection with some diseases, meaning that they stimulate the body’s immune system to produce immune antibodies against a specific infection to protect the body from infection.
Some antibiotics are used to reduce the annoying symptoms that a patient feels due to a disease, in addition to some other treatments to eliminate the disease permanently.
Antibiotics are also used to prevent serious complications that may arise from the infection itself, so the doctor prescribes them to avoid the development of symptoms of other, more serious diseases.

Benefits of antibiotics

Before we talk about the danger of antibiotics in case of wrong use, we mention the most important benefits of it:

Taking antibiotics will prevent the reproduction of bacteria and try to prevent their growth to reduce the symptoms that appear as a result of the infection.
One of the benefits of antibiotics is that they are fast-acting, so they do not need a long time to begin attacking bacterial cells, which makes the patient feel some improvement.
The antibiotic is easy to use, as it is available in several forms, including pills, vaccines, and injections, and obtaining it is not difficult, which makes treating the infection much easier.

Harmful effects of antibiotics

Now we reach the main point of our article today: The dangers of antibiotics to humans, and we explain in some detail the danger of antibiotics that may occur if they are incorrectly used:

The continuous use of antibiotics without consulting a doctor result in their ineffectiveness, in the absence of the immune system, few bacteria can become resistant to these antibiotics.
The danger of antibiotics to humans, if they do not complete the duration of treatment and the prescribed amount, is considered a strong danger, as the bacteria are not completely eliminated, so the bacteria can form immune resistance against the body.
Taking antibiotics during pregnancy without consulting a doctor may endanger the life of the baby, as the danger of antibiotics then lies in that they treat the baby as a foreign body, such as bacteria, and begin to attack it.
Antibiotics aren’t taken to a breastfeeding woman, in order to avoid the risk of them leaking into the breast milk and then the child ingesting them.
In general, excessive use of antibiotics may cause some disturbing symptoms in the digestive system, such as diarrhea and gas retention.
It has been scientifically proven that one of the dangers of antibiotics to humans is that they directly affect the brain, and may cause depression and some psychological disorders.

Side effects of antibiotics

In addition to the dangers of antibiotics to human if they are taken without consulting a doctor, even taking them under medical advice may expose you to some side effects, such as:

During taking antibiotics, a person may suffer from loss of appetite, severe fatigue, and some abdominal pain.
Some people suffer from allergic reactions to some antibiotics, such as penicillin, which leads to breathing and respiratory problems or skin diseases.
The antibiotic may affect the heart, leading to an increase in heartbeat rate and confusion, and this may progress to the point of fainting and temporary loss of consciousness.
Antibiotics can cause other symptoms, such as facial swelling and difficulty moving the lower jaw bones.

The effect of antibiotics on the body

After learning about the dangers of antibiotics to humans, we now learn about the mechanism of antibiotics in the body and how they affect it through the following:

The antibiotic enters the human body and begins to target bacterial cells that cause infection and disease symptoms in humans.
Antibiotics begin to penetrate the cell walls of bacterial cells so they can attack them properly.
The antibiotic prevents bacterial cells from producing some proteins that help them reproduce inside the human body, which reduces their attack on the body’s cells.
The mechanism of antibiotics and their attempt to prevent the reproduction of bacterial cells gives the body enough time to recognize the bacteria and form antibodies in large numbers that contribute, along with antibiotics, to getting rid of all bacterial cells in the body.

The right way to use antibiotics

At the end of our talk about the dangers of antibiotics to humans, we point out that the correct use of antibiotics means exposure to the least possible side effects, and the most important tips to follow are the following:

Continue to take the prescribed antibiotics at the specified times without any delay.
Read the instructions for use carefully to know what to do before and after taking the antibiotic.
It is necessary to maintain your health system during the period of taking antibiotics to avoid the annoying symptoms that may arise from it.
Do not stop taking the antibiotic before the end of the treatment period, even if you feel better.
Tell the doctor everything you suffer from or any allergies you have to certain substances.
Pay attention to the conditions for storing the antibiotic and do not expose it to heat or light so as not to spoil its chemical composition.

God created a medicine for every disease, and before Allah created the medicine, Allah created various means of prevention, so make sure you are as healthy as possible, even during illness.