Administering Antibiotics

I have a nasty cold. I thought it would just be a minor head cold but it has struck my whole body. I have troubles walking for more than a few meters without sitting down. My legs feel like mush. I have lost my appetite. I have a nasty cough and stuffed up head. Extra strength sinutab isn't doing anything. I am stuck in bed. It's a bit lonely and rather boring especially without a TV or someone to talk to. But I need to slow down and allow my body to fight the yuckies that are making me feel this way.

Yesterday I asked my roommate to pick me up some throat lozenges when she went to the shopping centre. She came back a few hours later with a package full of antibiotics. She told me that she told the pharmacist the symptoms I was having and the pharmacist suggested I take these antibiotics. I am very cautious when it comes to antibiotics. I was taught at an early age about the abuse of antibiotics that results in the resistance of them. I know that they only fight bacterial infections so what if my infection is a viral one? Back home, you can only get antibiotics if they are prescribed by a doctor. In Kenya, it's a different story. Antibiotics are cheap and easily accessible. Often it is the pharmacists (or chemists as they call them here) who will suggest them for you. I am not convinced they have the proper education to do that.

So now I have a package of antibiotics sitting in my room. I stare at it wondering if I should take it. Considering how I feel, I am tempted but being this unsure, I think I will stay away from them until I get permission from a doctor.