Americans are taking fish antibiotics to save money?
Alarming results from a new study show that people in the United States buying fish antibiotics online and consuming them because they’re more affordable than to go visit a doctor. The study sheds light on the high costs of health care in the country and how citizens are struggling to afford basic services.
A team of researchers at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy examined online reviews from 24 websites selling nine different kinds of fish antibiotics. These fish antibiotics could be misused by humans, namely amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, cephalexin, erythromycin, doxycycline, metronidazole, clindamycin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and penicillin.
The price range of these drugs is from $8.99 for a bottle of 30 X 250 mg capsules of amoxicillin to about $119.99 for a bottle of 100 X 500mg ciprofloxacin tablets.
Customer reviews indicate human use
They searched Google for websites selling fish antibiotics in the country and studied the websites’ consumer reviews, product descriptions, and publicly available comments. They also compared the price and availability of the drugs, and the number of likes and dislikes for about 2,288 reviews related to human and non-human use of these antibiotics.
The team found that out of the reviews, they looked at, 2.4 percent or 55 reviews showed that customers bought the product for human use. These reviews also received more likes from other users than regular reviews did, with 9.2 likes on the comment about human consumption of fish antibiotics compared to just 1.3 likes for those not mentioning human intake..
Antibiotic misuse
One of the issues health experts are worried about is that these antibiotics intended for fish are available over-the-counter, while those for dogs and cats still need a prescription. If these drugs are readily available online and in stores, it could contribute to the increasing antimicrobial resistance. Also, it can lead to delayed appropriate treatment, which could endanger the life of the user.
The ASHP reports that consumers that seek cheaper and faster access to antibiotics are consuming drugs that are intended for fish rather than humans. Taking these drugs could potentially lead to dangerous consequences, including adverse side effects, antibiotic drug resistance, and treatment failures.
.Products that are intended for animals aren’t FDA-approved. He added that even if the pills look the same with those intended for humans, it doesn’t assure people that the medicines are safe for humans. Antibiotics should be dispensed only by a licensed pharmacist after the patient goes to a doctor for consultation and gets a prescription for the medicine.
Also, self-medicating with antibiotics should be reported to a health care practitioner or the physician as this may impact what type of antibiotic should be used for proper treatment.
Antibiotic misuse has led to what the World Health Organization (WHO) describes as “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today”. The WHO added that the misuse of antibiotics in humans is increasing antibiotic resistance, and many illnesses are now harder to treat, which includes tuberculosis, salmonellosis, gonorrhea, and pneumonia.
Resistance to antibiotics can lead to prolonged hospital stays, increased death rate or mortality, and higher medical costs. Worse, if there is no immediate action on this matter, the world is heading for the post-antibiotic era, wherein common infections can once again kill people, the WHO added.
Sources:
World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). Antibiotic Resistance. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistanceAmerican Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). (2019). https://midyear.ashp.org/About/For-Media/Human-Consumption-of-Fish-Antibiotics-Investigated-in-New-Study
A team of researchers at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy examined online reviews from 24 websites selling nine different kinds of fish antibiotics. These fish antibiotics could be misused by humans, namely amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, cephalexin, erythromycin, doxycycline, metronidazole, clindamycin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and penicillin.
The price range of these drugs is from $8.99 for a bottle of 30 X 250 mg capsules of amoxicillin to about $119.99 for a bottle of 100 X 500mg ciprofloxacin tablets.
Customer reviews indicate human use
They searched Google for websites selling fish antibiotics in the country and studied the websites’ consumer reviews, product descriptions, and publicly available comments. They also compared the price and availability of the drugs, and the number of likes and dislikes for about 2,288 reviews related to human and non-human use of these antibiotics.
The team found that out of the reviews, they looked at, 2.4 percent or 55 reviews showed that customers bought the product for human use. These reviews also received more likes from other users than regular reviews did, with 9.2 likes on the comment about human consumption of fish antibiotics compared to just 1.3 likes for those not mentioning human intake..
Antibiotic misuse
One of the issues health experts are worried about is that these antibiotics intended for fish are available over-the-counter, while those for dogs and cats still need a prescription. If these drugs are readily available online and in stores, it could contribute to the increasing antimicrobial resistance. Also, it can lead to delayed appropriate treatment, which could endanger the life of the user.
The ASHP reports that consumers that seek cheaper and faster access to antibiotics are consuming drugs that are intended for fish rather than humans. Taking these drugs could potentially lead to dangerous consequences, including adverse side effects, antibiotic drug resistance, and treatment failures.
.Products that are intended for animals aren’t FDA-approved. He added that even if the pills look the same with those intended for humans, it doesn’t assure people that the medicines are safe for humans. Antibiotics should be dispensed only by a licensed pharmacist after the patient goes to a doctor for consultation and gets a prescription for the medicine.
Also, self-medicating with antibiotics should be reported to a health care practitioner or the physician as this may impact what type of antibiotic should be used for proper treatment.
Antibiotic misuse has led to what the World Health Organization (WHO) describes as “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today”. The WHO added that the misuse of antibiotics in humans is increasing antibiotic resistance, and many illnesses are now harder to treat, which includes tuberculosis, salmonellosis, gonorrhea, and pneumonia.
Resistance to antibiotics can lead to prolonged hospital stays, increased death rate or mortality, and higher medical costs. Worse, if there is no immediate action on this matter, the world is heading for the post-antibiotic era, wherein common infections can once again kill people, the WHO added.
Sources:
World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). Antibiotic Resistance. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistanceAmerican Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). (2019). https://midyear.ashp.org/About/For-Media/Human-Consumption-of-Fish-Antibiotics-Investigated-in-New-Study
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