Some doctors giving wrong medicine for viruses

SOME doctors are prescribing antibiotics for viruses although they are only effective in destroying bacteria. “People get antibiotics far too much for viral illnesses,” stated Dr Helmer Hilwig, clinical director of the Adult Priority Care Facility at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope. He said if a doctor diagnosed a person’s illness as caused by a virus and then prescribed antibiotics, that physician was in effect contradicting his own diagnosis.

Dr Hilwig said viruses are common at Christmas and Carnival time in TT when there is increased interaction between persons either through shopping or playing mas. He also said foreigners were bringing in new viruses and mutations. The most recent illness circulating this country was dubbed the ‘Tsunami’. Its symptoms included diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, headache and vomiting. Dr Hilwig warned that using antibiotics to fight viruses would only worsen the situation and upset the stomach. Misusing antibiotics can cause drug resistant bacteria to grow and “wipe out” the normal bacteria flow.

“The human body is in symbiosis with bacteria. You can wipe out the good and bad,” Hilwig said. This can create an environment for other things to form in the bowel which are not normal. Dr Hilwig likened this to creating squatters. “And they might endanger health even more.” Another aspect of the issue is that some patients do not finish the course of antibiotic treatment and this can lead to the formation of drug resistant bacteria. Allowing the diarrhoea to run its course has been advised along with abstaining from milk products which can aggravate the condition. Doctors stress the importance of increasing fluid intake to replace what is lost during the illness. 

Dr Hilwig said the weakness people felt during a bout of diarrhoea was caused by the body losing potassium. He said coconut water was a good source of potassium as well as sports drinks such as Lucozade. Dr Hilwig said if there is no improvement after a few days and the diarrhoea remains watery, then a doctor’s advice should be sought. Dr Steve Smith, said prescribing antibiotics depended on the outcome of tests. He noted that diarrhoea can be linked to bacterial causes such as e-coli.