Antibiotics have prevented millions of deaths, yet nowadays, they have become central to one of the most significant health threats antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We pharmacologists notice that we are consuming antibiotics more than ever before, and the effects of the same are already being felt.
Where Are We Going Wrong?
There is a tendency of people to purchase antibiotics without any prescription.
A lot of unfinished courses have a resistant bacteria that is provided with an opportunity to grow.
Physicians prescribe antibiotics in cases of viral infections such as common cold or flu.
The agricultural and livestock use of antibiotics is over the top.
The broad spectrum drugs are used in situations where the narrow spectrum agent might be adequate.
The practices accelerate the evolution of resistant strains making even straightforward infections a life-threatening condition.
The Impact Is Already Here,
There is an increase in MRSA, VRE, CRE and drug resistant TB rates.
The success of treatment is declining and the length of stay is increasing.
Infections that can not be treated are the biggest killers.
Very little is being developed in regards to new effective antibiotics.
The issue of the antibiotic resistance is no longer in the distant future, it is present.
What Should Change?
Take antibiotics when the need arises.
Always use culture and sensitivity tests as a basis of treatment.
Encourage hospital antibiotic stewardship.
Use broad-spectrum agents only in case of no alternatives.
Enhance vaccination to avoid preventable diseases.
Create awareness among the people that antibiotics are of no use against viruses.
A Pharmacologist’s Takeaway
The importance of antibiotics is not as much in new discoveries, but in the preservation of the available ones. Responsible use is no longer a choice anymore but a necessity in the global health.
This has become a growing problem in India. People are just dying due to “superbugs” especially in the ICU. Eventho there are new antibiotics hitting the market everyday, the rate of resistance is much more higher. The Indian government and the pharmacist need to stop giving antibiotics like over the counter drugs. The doctors need to stop giving antibiotics without indications.
Antibiotic overuse isn’t just about prescribing too often—it’s also about inappropriate spectrum, incorrect duration, lack of culture sensitivity testing, and self-medication at the community level. Antimicrobial stewardship needs involvement from pharmacists, doctors, microbiologists, and patients through awareness programs and stricter dispensing regulations. Resistance isn’t a future threat anymore—it’s already reshaping treatment protocols.
Yes antibiotics are very debated topic these days. As growing and overuse of antibiotics has led to a situation called microbial resistance which is our fault because without proper dosing and frequency we have prescribed antibiotics without even giving it a 2nd thought.
Antimicrobial resistance is accelerating because we treat antibiotics as ordinary medicines rather than life-saving resources. Easy access without prescriptions, incomplete courses, misuse in viral illnesses, and excessive use in agriculture are collectively fuelling resistant superbugs. The rise of MRSA, VRE, CRE, and drug-resistant TB shows that AMR is no longer a future threat it is a present crisis. To reverse the trend, we need strict antibiotic stewardship, culture-based prescribing, rational use of broad spectrum agents, and widespread public awareness. Preserving antibiotics is just as important as discovering new ones. Responsible use today will determine whether we can save lives tomorrow.
Insightful and impactful write-up. You’ve clearly highlighted how misuse of antibiotics has shifted them from lifesavers to drivers of a global crisis. The structured explanation of where things go wrong, combined with real-world consequences like rising MRSA and drug-resistant TB, makes the urgency very clear.
Overall, this comment effectively stresses that combating AMR requires collective responsibility, strict regulation, and a change in public mindset.