Key facts about antibiotics
- Antibiotics are medicines used to treat infections caused by bacteria.
- Antibiotics are usually taken by mouth, but can sometimes be given into a vein (intravenous), into a muscle (intramuscular) or applied to the skin (topical).
- Antibiotics work by killing bacteria and/or preventing their growth.
- Different types of antibiotics treat different kinds of infection.
- Antibiotics are commonly prescribed for respiratory infections, but most of these are caused by viruses not bacteria.
- Most patients are prescribed antibiotics without the doctor knowing the cause of the infection.
- Colds and coughs are caused by viruses not bacteria, so antibiotics will not help.
- If you take antibiotics when you don’t need them, they may lose their ability to kill bacteria.
- Antibiotic resistance is growing. If the bacteria keep “overpowering” the medicines we have, we may run out of ways to kill these bacteria.
- Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause serious infections and can be spread to others in your family.
Last reviewed: 06/10/2011
Next review due: 06/10/2013
