Thailand. Highest rate of antibiotic use in the world?

[JJGreen]

Any visit to the doctor or pharmacy here results in a handful of medicines.

Sniffles? Here is some anti biotics. Splinter in finger? Try some anti biotics. Diarrhea from food? Antibiotics.

 

It is massively convenient being able to buy from a pharmacy here without a script, but is it best way with superbugs and resistance a world wide problem?

 

Is there a country in the world with higher antibiotics usage?

[Rob13]

It's odd, I have to got to 2 or three pharmacies to get aspirin sometimes, they love to sell  me antibiotics though. I don't get it. I've always heard using them too often weakens the immune system.

[lostinisaan]

 

   It's truly amazing how often you'll get Amoxicillin 500 mg capsules for all sorts of illnesses.

 

          The big problem is that you'll need an experienced Micro Biologist to find the right antibiotics for you if you really caught something serious.

 

       But if you think that you only take antibiotics when you go to see a doctor, you're wrong. It';s in milk and many other meat products. Scary shitt.

 

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4092948/

[NickJ]

What many people fail to understand or grasp is that the entire world is one giant petri dish. So the over prescription of antibiotics and the under regulated dispersment of them has seen the whole world suffer as pathogens become immune to them.

Kids here hand them out to each other when one of there friends remarks that he or she has a touch of a sore throat.

Meanwhile in regulated areas we see physicians more and more reluctant to prescribe.

In my youth as a patient for various illnesses, I can never recall an antibiotic regime that was less than two weeks, often three when cultures were done.

Yet. Read the literature that comes in the boxes. Many still tour three to four day protocols.

Baffles me. 

[Witblitz]

If the OP had simply done a simple google search he would find 

that India has the highest rate of use in the world and Thailand doesn't even factor in the stats

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-becomes-worlds-largest-consumer-of-antibiotics/articleshow/38251650.cms

 

[NickJ]

Yeah....but to most westerners, just being able to buy without a prescription no matter where you are is concerning. And Thais and many others turn to anti biotic in a moments notice. Never or almost never sticking to the protocol.  Regardless if what they are taking even is the correct medication.  

[JHolmesJr]

I think the US leads the world in coming up with these antibiotics…the ads on telly actually have announcers warning of side effects like suicidal tendencies and all sorts of bodily harm….

[Witblitz]

7 minutes ago, NickJ said:

Yeah....but to most westerners, just being able to buy without a prescription no matter where you are is concerning. And Thais and many others turn to anti biotic in a moments notice. Never or almost never sticking to the protocol.  Regardless if what they are taking even is the correct medication.  

 

Per the link I provided Thailand doesn't even figure in these stats so not sure why your citing "Thai's" as proof of anything, unless purposely trying to turn this into a Thai bash ?....further do you have a study which indicates which nations do or don't stick to "protocols"...please cite it then
 

 

[Rob13]

29 minutes ago, Witblitz said:

"...please cite it then

 

 

It's been my experience that they dole them out like M&Ms. 

[Witblitz]

1 hour ago, Rob13 said:

 

 

It's been my experience that they dole them out like M&Ms. 

 

And ? I asked the poster concerned to cite a study which indicates which nations do and don't stick to the "protocols" he was referring to and one suspects you "experience" is hardly definitive given your very very  limited data set, unless you sit in a hospital everyday at the pharmacy counter  while stealing their free wifi and coffee and checking each script and counting the number of patients who are given antibiotics on a daily basis 

   

[Scotwight]

1 hour ago, JHolmesJr said:

I think the US leads the world in coming up with these antibiotics…the ads on telly actually have announcers warning of side effects like suicidal tendencies and all sorts of bodily harm….

No not the USA it's Australia.  

[Scott]

This link puts Turkey at number 1, followed by Greece, France and Belgium.

 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/which-countries-use-the-most-antibiotics/

 

Thailand doesn't seem to rank on this, so if the intent is to have a Thai bashing thread, I suggest you stop now.  

 

 

[Rob13]

Appears that they're being produced in Australia. Maybe a good Aussie bashing thread would be in order.

[JJGreen]

5 minutes ago, Scott said:

This link puts Turkey at number 1, followed by Greece, France and Belgium.

 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/which-countries-use-the-most-antibiotics/

 

Thailand doesn't seem to rank on this, so if the intent is to have a Thai bashing thread, I suggest you stop now.  

 

 

That link is only OECD countries so Thailand is not going to be on there.

 

I haven't started any Thai bashing and i can hardly help what other posters say. 

 

Its a legitimate question but I haven't travelled to every country in the world so I cant personally compare.

[JJGreen]

3 hours ago, Witblitz said:

If the OP had simply done a simple google search he would find 

that India has the highest rate of use in the world and Thailand doesn't even factor in the stats

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-becomes-worlds-largest-consumer-of-antibiotics/articleshow/38251650.cms

 

I saw that article and it tells me not much at all. I dont see any per person antibiotics use list or ranking of country it how the data was collected.

 

What is the point of a forum if people answer by saying check Google?

[craigt3365]

15 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

I think the US leads the world in coming up with these antibiotics…the ads on telly actually have announcers warning of side effects like suicidal tendencies and all sorts of bodily harm….

I've never seen an ad on TV for antibiotics.  But yes, I've seen the warnings for other drugs.  It's due to crazy lawsuits.  But many drugs do have serious side effects.

[gandalf12]

The Thai's love antibiotics. My wife some years back wasn't feeling good so we went to the doctor and he gave her antibiotics. I questioned and eventually told him to keep them as her problem was a virus.

Of course the nanufacturers pay a small fee to doctors for every product sold to the patient which could explain it.

[craigt3365]

15 hours ago, Witblitz said:

If the OP had simply done a simple google search he would find 

that India has the highest rate of use in the world and Thailand doesn't even factor in the stats

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-becomes-worlds-largest-consumer-of-antibiotics/articleshow/38251650.cms

 

Quote

The study "Global Trends in Antibiotic Consumption, 2000-2010," by scientists from Princeton University has found that worldwide antibiotic use has risen a staggering 36% over those 10 years, with five countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) — responsible for more than three-quarters of that surge.

 

I'm sure Thailand is also up there, but certainly not at the top.  Good link!

[derator01]

Sadly, no links to the Bangkok Post are allowed.  Not our rule, but theirs.

[eddie61]

17 hours ago, lostinisaan said:

 

   It's truly amazing how often you'll get Amoxicillin 500 mg capsules for all sorts of illnesses.

 

          The big problem is that you'll need an experienced Micro Biologist to find the right antibiotics for you if you really caught something serious.

 

       But if you think that you only take antibiotics when you go to see a doctor, you're wrong. It';s in milk and many other meat products. Scary shitt.

 

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4092948/

my wife got prescribed amoxycillin for stage 3 cervical cancer by the local witchdoctor

[AlQaholic]

Meanwhile studies has shown repeatedly that taking antibiotics compared to not taking antibiotics does not shorten the length of the convalescence.

 

[little mary sunshine]

Given like M&M's... MRSA. On the rise, make sure your

doctor is conservative with your antibiotics!!

[Speedo1968]

18 hours ago, lostinisaan said:

 

   It's truly amazing how often you'll get Amoxicillin 500 mg capsules for all sorts of illnesses.

 

          The big problem is that you'll need an experienced Micro Biologist to find the right antibiotics for you if you really caught something serious.

 

       But if you think that you only take antibiotics when you go to see a doctor, you're wrong. It';s in milk and many other meat products. Scary shitt.

 

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4092948/

 

Lucky I am a vegan for many many years ( 100% no animal products ).   

I read the info on a product on the label AND on line, why online ? example Lactosoy Blue HAS cowsmilk - Lactosoy Red NO cowsmilk.   Note: I am not lactose intolerant etc just a simple vegan.

 

For some reason I became allergic to all antibiotics before or during July 2012.    I only found out whilst seriously ill in hospital.   Previously I had rarely taken any form of antibiotics.    I have worked in farming since 1960 !     

 

Since 2012, whenever antibiotics should / might have been called for e.g. removal of bone from a toe, bad inner ear infection, removal of growth from eyelid I have had to manage without any form of antibiotics.

 

I do carry a piece of paper with me at all times making very clear my allergic response to any form of antibiotics.

[silent]

19 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

I think the US leads the world in coming up with these antibiotics…the ads on telly actually have announcers warning of side effects like suicidal tendencies and all sorts of bodily harm….

 

You might be confusing antibiotics with anti-depressants, anti-this, anti-that and everything else pharmaceutical companies can make more of a profit from as long as they warn people the cure might be worse than dealing with the ailment naturally.   

[PaulusE]

1 hour ago, Speedo1968 said:

 

Lucky I am a vegan for many many years ( 100% no animal products ).   

I read the info on a product on the label AND on line, why online ? example Lactosoy Blue HAS cowsmilk - Lactosoy Red NO cowsmilk.   Note: I am not lactose intolerant etc just a simple vegan.

 

For some reason I became allergic to all antibiotics before or during July 2012.    I only found out whilst seriously ill in hospital.   Previously I had rarely taken any form of antibiotics.    I have worked in farming since 1960 !     

 

Since 2012, whenever antibiotics should / might have been called for e.g. removal of bone from a toe, bad inner ear infection, removal of growth from eyelid I have had to manage without any form of antibiotics.

 

I do carry a piece of paper with me at all times making very clear my allergic response to any form of antibiotics.

 

Interesting, may I ask how you were treated?

[JHolmesJr]

25 minutes ago, silent said:

 

You might be confusing antibiotics with anti-depressants, anti-this, anti-that and everything else pharmaceutical companies can make more of a profit from as long as they warn people the cure might be worse than dealing with the ailment naturally.   

 

possibly….most of them seem to be for arthritis, psoriasis, diabetes etc...

[bazza40]

Thai doctors do seem to be quite prolific with antibiotics. What concerns me is they don't seem to consider side effects.I was prescribed an antibiotic here. When I googled the side effects, the stuff had a high risk factor for snapped tendons.

[SOTIRIOS]

...duhh....

[Sheryl]

I suspect you are referring to a quinolone (ciprofloxacin, levoflaxacin etc). There is a  risk of tendon damage or even rupture with these drugs, for which the US FDA has issued a "black box" warning, but it is not a high risk, on the contrary it is very small -  only   about 0.02% , or  1 in 5,000 patients overall, and less if those with pre-existing risk factors for tendon injury ( the very elderly, people with a past  history of tendon rupture, people taking corticosteroids and people with kidney disease. )are excluded from the calculation.    In other words: 99.98% that it will not occur.

 

I mention this because I have come a cross a lot of people scared off using these drug,s even when it is strongly indicated for their condition, by what they read on the internet.  For people to be afraid to take a drug when  it is 99.98% likely that they would not experience the problem that has them scared off, is unfortunate, especially as it often leads them to make treatment decisions that are in fact much riskier for them.  This comes about because web content -- especially  that from mass media or blogs i.e. anything not from the original scientific literature - tends not to clearly portray (if at all) the magnitude of risk. That is a more than small omission, since most drugs have potentially serious side effects if  all known side effects are taken into account. What one has to look at is the likelihood or magnitude of risk.  It is good that people take the time to look up the side effects of meds they are prescribed (especially in Thailand where doctors seldom advise on this) but lacking an understanding of the incidence of a particular adverse effect not infrequently leaves people worrying about things that are highly unlikely to happen...and sometimes, to incur much greater risks as a result.

 

Which is not to say that Thai doctors do not over-prescribe antibiotics. They most definitely do.

 

 

[tomyumchai]

On Sunday, August 21, 2016 at 0:46 PM, Witblitz said:

 

And ? I asked the poster concerned to cite a study which indicates which nations do and don't stick to the "protocols" he was referring to and one suspects you "experience" is hardly definitive given your very very  limited data set, unless you sit in a hospital everyday at the pharmacy counter  while stealing their free wifi and coffee and checking each script and counting the number of patients who are given antibiotics on a daily basis 

   

Oh look, we have a new forum apologist, excuse me for yawning..... while 'stealing' the free pub wifi.

How do you *steal* something that is provided for free?