2 Current OTC pain relievers can fuel antibiotic resistance, show new research
It is not only antibiotics that contribute to this global health crisis.
You assume that a medication you can buy without a prescription in a pharmacy, a large area retailer or a grocery store is completely safe, right? But as we are going out, we learn that over -the -counter medicines (OTC) can be delivered with a long list of potential Dangerous side effects . The latest study of this study shows that two very popular and very common analgesics drugs can supply antibiotic resistance.
In relation: Doctors warn that the popular med is "the most dangerous over -the -counter medication".
What is the problem of antibiotic resistance?
As its name suggests, antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change and no longer respond to antibiotic drugs, which makes certain bacterial infections difficult or impossible to treat, as Cleveland clinic explain. The most common reason is the overuse of antibiotics.
According to a scientific article in 2023 published in Statpearls , "In 2015, 30% of prescribed ambulatory antibiotics were not necessary, with acute respiratory infections holding the highest useless use of antibiotics at 50%."
More broadly speaking, resistance to antimicrobials (AMR) refers to all cases where bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites cease to respond to drugs such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics.
THE World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that "bacterial RAM was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths".
In relation: Doctors warn that these over -the -counter antacids can endanger your heart .
Scientists are also concerned about antibiotic resistance caused by other types of drugs.
A new study, published in the journal Nature , has taken a closer look at how non -antibiotic drugs can contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
Researchers were particularly concerned with the effects of healthcare establishments for residential elderly people, where patients frequently receive antibiotics and non -antibiotic drugs, including those of pain, sleep and blood pressure.
To achieve their conclusions, scientists from the University of South Australia (UNISA) have studied the effects of nine non -antibiotic drugs on bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli):
- Ibuprofen (Advil, an anti-inflammatory pain reliever)
- Diclofenac (Voltaren, an anti-inflammatory pain reliever used to treat arthritis)
- Acetaminophen (tylenol, a drug to treat pain and fever)
- Furosemide (a medication hypotested by blood pressure)
- Metformin (a common diabetes medication)
- Atorvastatin (lipitor, a hypocholesterol drug)
- Tramadol (a drug against opioid pain)
- TEMAZEPAM (Restoril, a sleeping pill)
- Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, decongestant)
E. coli most often causes intestinal infections (gastrointestinal leaflets) and urinary tract infections (UTI). It is treated with antibiotic ciprofloxacin.
In relation: Taking too much this supplement can hurt your heart, doctors warn .
Research shows that Tylenol and Advil can contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Once the researchers have had their data, they used the sequencing of the whole genome, a technology that determines the exact order of DNA in the genome of a human and can identify genetic mutations.
They found that, out of nine drugs, the two current analgesic drugs in OTC, Advil and Tylenol, lead resistance to antibiotics when used individually and amplify it more when used together.
"When bacteria were exposed to ciprofloxacin alongside ibuprofen and paracetamol, they developed more genetic mutations than with antibiotic alone, helping them to develop more quickly and to become very resistant," said the main researcher Rietie Ventier , A Associate Professor in Unisa, in a press release .
"Worry, bacteria were not only resistant to antibiotic ciprofloxacin, but increased resistance was also observed in several other antibiotics of different classes," she continued. "We also discovered genetic mechanisms behind this resistance, ibuprofen and paracetamol both activating the defenses of bacteria to expel antibiotics and make them less effective."
Ventter explains that research does not recommend that people stop using Advil and Tylenol, but rather to be more aware of how much they take or prescribe and with what antibiotics. She and her team provide additional research on drug interactions and antibiotic resistance.
