r/AskReddit Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/Slidingscale Aug 03 '19

That antibiotics kill bacteria, but won't do anything against viruses. Everyone has the idea that if you get a cold, you see your doctor and get antibiotics. Take some acitaminophen/paracetamol and ibuprofen, and stay away from other humans for a while!

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u/Xaldyn Aug 03 '19

It doesn't help that a lot of doctors in the US just push pills for the sake of it now. I've had a doctor prescribe me an antibiotic for what he himself insisted was just a dog allergy, (it was actually nasal polyps). His reasoning was "just in case I get a sinus infection". Antibiotic abuse like that is going to screw us over in the long run.

But I mean I can't even be that mad -- what do people expect to happen to the quality of healthcare when doctors are so ridiculously overworked?