This week (18 – 24 November) is World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. As resistance continues to grow to a wider range of medicines, the focus of this campaign has broadened from just antibiotics to include all antimicrobials, including antiviral, antifungal and antiprotozoal medicines. The theme for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020 for the human health sector is “United to preserve antimicrobials.”

In honor of this week, I repeat a post I had made on this issue a while back, in response to a question.

Q: Good evening doctor. I am highly impressed with your assistance. Please doc, can one use double antibiotic at the same time?

A: The way you asked this question makes me suspect already that perhaps you are making this prescription by yourself or perhaps you approached ‘Dr Lagbaja’ who owns the chemist shop at the corner to mix some drugs for you. Both practices are dangerous. You should not be prescribing for yourself and Dr Lagbaja in the chemist shop is absolutely not a doctor and has no idea what he’s saying or prescribing for that matter!

So, back to the specific question, can 2 antibiotics be used at the same time. Yes. It depends on what’s being treated. I’ll give an example, in Peptic Ulcer Disease due to the organism Helicobacter pylori, the triple therapy is used in the treatment involving 2 antibiotics and another drug. Please be guided by your doctor in terms of what drugs (antibiotics or otherwise) to take, how much and for how long. Antibiotic resistance occurs because people buy and use antibiotics that are not capable of ‘killing’ the organisms causing a disease or even when they are capable, they are not taken in enough quantities or for a long enough time to make the desired impact. In either case, the organism develops the ability to resist the effect of that drug such that when this drug is taken again another time, it will no longer be effective.

For more on antibiotic use, please click on the link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/04/03/daily-health-tips-how-do-i-cleanse-my-kidneys/

Have a good evening, y’all and quit prescribing antibiotics or any other drug for that matter for yourself! J