Cold and flu season is in full swing, which means more people are pulling antibiotic gels from their pockets or purses to wipe off germs, or buying antibacterial soaps for home use.
And if you’re a parent of a little germ-monger, you may be finding yourself in the pediatrician’s office more often than you’d like, and possibly getting a prescription or two for an antibiotic.
Unfortunately, you may be doing more harm than good to your family, the population at large, and the environment. Antibiotic gels and soaps seem to be ubiquitous these days, but outside of hospitals, they’re overkill, experts say.
Dr. Daniel Shin, infectious disease specialist at Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Mountain View Center, and assistant professor of medicine at UCSF, uses antibacterial hand gel when he’s working at the hospital, as do most nurses and doctors, but at home he uses regular soap and water.
He gets lots of questions from his patients about the gels and hand washing. “Everyone is worried about germs,” he said, but it’s best to avoid over-the-counter antibiotic products and just use regular soap and water. That’s because antibiotic gels and soaps contain a substance called triclosan, which has been shown to boost bacteria’s ability to resist treatment.
Antibacterial soaps and gels can be harmful to the environment, too, Dr. Shin said. Triclosan eventually gets into the water supply, and though it’s biodegradable, it produces potent carcinogens called dioxins when it breaks down.
Besides, “You’re not going to catch something lethal from a grocery cart,” he said.
When someone does catch a cold or other virus, that’s when it becomes really crucial to be careful of what medicines are getting prescribed, said Penny Takizawa, head of infection control at El Camino Hospital.
Experts agree that antibiotics are used more often than necessary, Takizawa said. They only work when a bacterial infection, like most forms of bronchitis, is attacking the body. But they’re ineffective against the common cold or the flu.
When they are overused, strains of antibiotic-resistant diseases, like diarrhea-causing MRSA or so-called “C-diff,” can develop, she said. C-diff is very difficult to kill outside of an autoclave, which is used to sterilize medical equipment.
C-diff poses little risk to healthy adults unless they pick up the spores and then go on antibiotics, Takizawa said. Then, the medicine will kill the good bugs that usually live in the gut, and the C-diff will thrive, causing a new illness.
The problem, she said, is that people don’t question their doctors when they prescribe antibiotics, and doctors claim that patients demand them.
Ear infections, for instance, don’t always require antibiotics, she said. Most, in fact, are caused by viruses, and can’t be cured with antibiotics. Pediatricians are now being advised not to treat ear infections with antibiotics, Dr. Shin noted.
Of course, some illnesses do require antibiotics, but the medicines aren’t a cure-all. In fact, doctors started finding diseases that were resistant to penicillin just two years after it was introduced in the 1940s, despite government claims that it would put an end to infectious diseases forever.
Ultimately, Dr. Shin said, antibiotic gels are better than nothing. But plain old-fashioned washing with soap and warm water is best. So while limited use of the gels when you’re out is OK, avoid them if you can — and don’t use antibacterial soaps at home at all.
As for prescription antibiotics, have a discussion with your doctor if he or she wants to prescribe you antibiotics.
