Antibiotics have drastically changed modern medicine over the past century. Their use has extended the average human lifespan by 23 years. At the same time, overuse of these powerful infection fighters can lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria, making them less effective.

Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. They’re not appropriate for everything that makes you feel sick.

“Not all infections need antibiotics,” says Dr. Julie Joseph, an infectious diseases and internal medicine physician and chief medical officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. “They’re only effective against infections caused by bacteria. If you have a viral infection, antibiotics aren’t going to help.”

Here’s what to know about the appropriate use of antibiotics.

Overuse of antibiotics is a problem

Dr. Joseph: Antibiotics are incredibly useful in helping sick people get well. They’re used to treat soft tissue and skin infections like cellulitis and impetigo. Antibiotics are effective against other bacterial conditions, including:

• Strep throat
• Whooping cough
• Bacterial pneumonia
• Urinary tract infections

Using antibiotics to treat non-bacterial infections is an ongoing problem. Antibiotics are not useful for treating viral infections, like the common cold or the flu.

Taking an antibiotic when not needed can contribute to the rise of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. There are more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections every year in the U.S.— and more than 35,000 deaths.

You can also experience side effects from taking an antibiotic you don’t need. These include nausea, diarrhea, rashes, and yeast infections. It’s also possible to develop more serious side effects.

6 ways to use antibiotics correctly 

Dr. Joseph: It’s important for everyone to know effective antibiotics use.

1. Don’t insist on an antibiotic. Don’t push your doctor to prescribe an antibiotic for you if they say you don’t need one.
2. Finish the entire course as prescribed. If your doctor prescribes a course of antibiotics for you, take all the pills as prescribed. You may start feeling better before you’ve finished the entire course, but stopping early could cause you to get sick again.
3. Follow the instructions on the bottle. Instructions improve effectiveness and help minimize side effects. If the bottle says you should “take with food,” taking the antibiotic with food might help reduce the chance that it will upset your stomach.
4. Don’t take an expired antibiotic. Once the expiration date has passed, there’s no guarantee an antibiotic is safe and effective. Expired antibiotics can fail to treat infections, leading to more serious illnesses.
5. Don’t take someone else’s antibiotic prescription. Doctors consider a number of factors when prescribing an antibiotic. These include age, weight, underlying medical conditions, and other medications taken. That prescription may not be appropriate for you if intended for someone else. Taking antibiotic not intended for your use might make you sicker or cause side effects.
6. Notify your doctor if you think you’re having an allergic reaction to a medication. Allergic reactions to antibiotics aren’t common, but they can happen. A mild reaction might be a rash. A more severe reaction might include blistering to your skin, swelling of your mouth, lips, tongue or throat, or wheezing.

Get your flu shot 

Dr. Joseph: It’s understandable to want treatment when you feel bad, like when you have the flu. But you need to get the right treatment so that you don’t make a bad situation worse. Antibiotics aren’t the right treatment for the flu because flu is caused by the influenza virus, not bacteria. Flu antiviral medications can be used to treat the flu in some cases.

Almost everyone can benefit from being proactive and getting a flu shot every year. Flu vaccines reduce your chances of getting the flu. They also reduce the likelihood of serious complications.

Get more information about specific health terms, topics and conditions to better manage your health on bcbst.com. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members can access wellness-related discounts on fitness products, gym memberships, healthy eating and more through Blue365®. BCBST members can also find tools and resources to help improve health and well-being by logging into BlueAccess and going to the Managing Your Health tab.