Now that cold and flu season is here, catching a virus isn’t the only danger – the overuse of antibiotics can also make you sick, a top expert warns. In fact, they may do more harm than good.

“When antibiotics were created, they were miracle drugs and they still continue to be, but over the years, we’ve used them too broadly and, as a result, we’ve become less able to resist infections,” says Sue Peschin, president and CEO for the Alliance for Aging Research.

More than two million Americans are infected with antibiotic-resistant infections and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct cause of these infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The problem is that, over the years, the bugs that cause infections have become stronger. A lot of drug companies are engaged in research to find drugs to treat these antibiotic-resistant infections, but they are still only in the development stage,” Peschin notes.

Doctors, though, are becoming savvier about when — and when not — to prescribe antibiotics, she notes.

“They are doing much better. They recognize that we’ve overused antibiotics over the years and they are getting more assertive and refusing patients who push for them,” she says.

In addition, there is better testing available to distinguish whether the ailment is the result of a viral or bacterial infection, she notes.

Unfortunately, many Americans remain confused about the inability of antibiotics to treat viruses — including those that cause the common cold and flu. As a result, many patients still pressure their doctors for antibiotics when they, or their children, feel sick — even though the drugs don’t help, and may do more harm than good.

According to the CDC, these infections are most often viral, not bacterial, and so taking antibiotics will not do any good:
•    Colds and flu.
•    Most coughs and bronchitis.
•    Sore throats (but not strep).
•    Many sinus infections.
•    Runny noses.
•    Many middle ear infections.

But taking antibiotics when you have a viral infection can result in these problems:

• Increase your risk of getting an antibiotic-resistant infection later.
• Kill the healthy bacteria in the gut, which can cause c. difficile, a severe inflammation of the colon that results in diarrhea and other intestinal symptoms.
• Result in a severe reaction necessitating a trip to the emergency room. Antibiotics cause one in five trips to hospital emergency rooms and are the most common cause of ER visits in children under the age of 18.`   

According to Peschin, a serious – and related – problem is the overuse of antibiotics in nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities.

“The CDC estimates that each year 380,000 die due to these healthcare-associated infections,” she says.

“Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications in nursing homes, with up to 70 percent of residents receiving one or more courses of systemic antibiotics in a year. Yet studies have shown that 40 to 75 percent of antibiotics prescribed in nursing homes may be unnecessary or inappropriate,” she adds.

Here are some tips from Peschin on avoiding the overuse of antibiotics:

• Practice good hand-washing hygiene to reduce your risk of catching a cold or the flu.
• Get regularly scheduled vaccines, which can prevent illnesses that would be otherwise treated with an antibiotic.
• Don’t pressure your doctor to give you an antibiotic; let a mild illness run its course.
• If you are taking an antibiotic, make sure to use your entire dosage exactly as the doctor prescribes.
• Dispose of any leftover antibiotic medicine; don’t give it to someone else.

If you’re in the process of choosing a nursing home or skilled nursing facility, such as an inpatient rehabilitation center, for yourself or a loved one, here are some questions to ask of staff members on how they handle antibiotic-resistant infections:

1. Has the facility had outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant infection and if so, what type?
2. Are patients who develop such infections isolated?
3. Is there an “antibiotic stewardship” program in place? Such programs focus on reducing the usage of inappropriate antibiotics.
4. Does everyone working there get the annual flu vaccine?  “Everyone, including the food handlers, should be vaccinated against the flu,” Peschin notes.