By Andrea Pettes
 
November 17, 2008
 
MEDFORD, Ore. -- A new study has doctors recommending people attempt to go antibiotic free this cold and flu season.
 
A report released by the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases shows an increase in the number of people who are having bad reactions to antibiotics.
 
"This is a typical peak for antibiotic use, because as we hit the winter season, we are certainly seeing more respiratory illnesses, which is a common reason people take antibiotics," says Rogue Valley Medical Center Director Dr. Ken Buccino.
 
"It's very rare that an antibiotic will help you get rid of something like a cold, or the flu, or even bronchitis, people sort of think of it (bronchitis) as a bacterial infection, but really, it's also a virus," says Dr. Ann Thomas, medical director of Oregon AWARE .
 
Every year thousands of people make hospital visits because of an adverse reaction to an antibiotic.
 
"140,000 ER visits every year due to bad side effects associated with these antibiotics. Basically about a fifth of ER visits due to adverse effects of taking medication are due to antibiotics," says Thomas.
 
Experts say antibiotics should only be used when the patient is suffering from a bacterial infection, and not a virus.
 
"Sometimes we have a tendency to want to do something actively, and when you go and see your physician, you want to leave with something tangible in hand that says, 'this is gonna fix the problem', when in really, most of the time, time is the solution," says Buccino.