You might have to make several visits to your doctor's office. You might have to take different medicines or go to a hospital for antibiotics given in your veins. At the same time, your family members or other people you come in contact with may catch the resistant germs that you have. Then these people might also get infections that are hard to cure. Every time you take antibiotics when you don't really need them, you increase the chance that you will get an illness someday that is caused by germs that are resistant to antibiotics.
Antibiotics are OK for illnesses that are caused by germs.
These illnesses include infections such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and ear infections. You should not ask your doctor to give you or your children antibiotics for a viral illness. Instead, ask your doctor what you can do to feel better. Follow your doctor's directions carefully. Your doctor will tell you to take all the antibiotic.