The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, has warned Nigerians against using antibiotics without a prescription from a pharmacist.
The association maintained that taking antibiotics without a prescription from a pharmacist is dangerous.
ACPN National Chairman, Pharmacist Aderemi Ladigbolu, made these declarations while speaking during a one-day workshop organised by the Commonwealth Partnership for Antimicrobial Stewardship Scheme in collaboration with the ACPN Oyo State chapter.
The event, themed “Community Antimicrobial Stewardship in an LMIC: The Role of Community Pharmacists,” was attended by over 120 participants, including pharmacists, doctors, other health professionals and academics.
Aderemi, while speaking with DAILY POST on the sidelines of the event on Thursday, explained that the major aim of the event was to prevent abuse and misuse of antibiotics among Nigerians.
He advised the citizens to always get a prescription from a pharmacist before taking any antibiotics.
According to Aderemi: “We are here to look at the problem of antimicrobials in our society. Antibiotics are very important in the healthcare system. It is one of the most commonly prescribed medicines. It saves lives.
“When there is resistance to those antibacterials, lives will be lost, the drugs will be ineffective, more people will be in the hospital and it stretches our healthcare system to its limit not only economically but also to the human resources.
“When there is antimicrobial resistance, people spend money on ineffective treatment and that is why we are here. We have community pharmacists here, and we have medical doctors here. We have people from the Oyo state government here to look at policies that can enhance the good use of antimicrobials. That is why we are here.
“We want to prevent misuse of antibiotics, we want to ensure that they are used rationally. We want to ensure that antibiotics are not used when they are not needed.
“You see, in our society, some people, after doing one thing or another, want to swallow Ampiclox. That is not right. Ampiclox is a drug that is taken four times a day. When you just swallow and do not finish the dose, you kill some of the bacteria and weaken the others. Those other ones that you are weakening, by the time you need the antibiotics against them, it will not be effective because they have learned to live with the antibiotics.
“What we are saying is to give antibiotics when it is necessary. Give antibiotics when there is evidence that the antibiotics will kill the bacteria. Don’t misuse antibiotics. Use it as directed by the pharmacist. When it comes to antibiotics, don’t self-medicate.”
The chairman of the ACPN in the state, Adebayo Gbadamosi, explained in his remarks that the workshop will go a long way towards helping to reduce the misuse of antibiotics among the citizens.
Do not take antibiotics without prescription – ACPN warns Nigerians