Brochure - AU - adults

Why does taking
antibiotics lead to
antibiotic resistance?
Any time antibiotics are used, they can cause
side effects and lead to antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent
threats to the public’s health. Always remember:
1. Antibiotic resistance does not mean the
body is becoming resistant to antibiotics; it
is that bacteria have become resistant to the
antibiotics designed to kill them.
2. When bacteria become resistant, antibiotics
cannot fight them, and the bacteria multiply.
3. Some resistant bacteria can be harder to treat
and can spread to other people.

What is the right way to
take antibiotics?
If you need antibiotics, take them
exactly as prescribed.
Improving the way healthcare professionals
prescribe antibiotics, and the way we take
antibiotics, helps keep us healthy now, helps
fight antibiotic resistance, and ensures that
these life-saving drugs will be available for
future generations.
Talk with your doctor if you have any questions
about your antibiotics, or if you develop any
side effects, especially diarrhea, since that could
be Clostridium difficile infection (also called C.
difficile or C. diff), which needs to be treated. C.
diff can lead to severe colon damage and death.

What are the side effects?
Each year in the United
States, at least 2 million
people get infected
with antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. At least 23,000
people die as a result.

Common side effects range from minor to very
severe health problems and can include:
• Rash
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Yeast infections
More serious side effects can include:
• Clostridium difficile infection
• Severe and life-threatening allergic reactions
To learn more about antibiotic prescribing and
use, visit www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use.

Antibiotics
Aren’t Always
the Answer.

Why is it important to
Be Antibiotics Aware?
Antibiotics save lives. When a patient needs
antibiotics, the benefits outweigh the risks of
side effects or antibiotic resistance.
When antibiotics aren’t needed, they won’t
help you, and the side effects could still hurt
you. Reactions from antibiotics cause 1 out of
5 medication-related visits to the emergency
department.

In children, reactions
from antibiotics are the
most common cause
of medication-related
emergency department
visits.

What do antibiotics treat?

How can I stay healthy?

Antibiotics are only needed for treating certain
infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics are
critical tools for treating common infections,
such as pneumonia, and for life-threatening
conditions including sepsis, the body’s extreme
response to an infection.

You can stay healthy and keep others healthy by:

What don’t antibiotics
treat?
Antibiotics do not work on viruses, such
as colds and flu, or runny noses, even if the
mucus is thick, yellow or green. Antibiotics also
won’t help some common bacterial infections
including most cases of bronchitis, many sinus
infections, and some ear infections.

• Cleaning hands
• Covering coughs
• Staying home when sick
• Getting recommended vaccines, for the flu, for
example
Talk to your doctor or nurse about steps you can
take to prevent infections.