Common Painkillersโฃ May Accelerate Antibiotic Resistance, New Research Finds
Amsterdam, Netherlands -โค Widely used painkillers likeโ ibuprofen โandโ paracetamol may inadvertently contribute โขto the growing global crisis of antibiotic resistance, according to new research published by Scientias. โขThe study โreveals that combining โคthese common medications wiht antibiotics allows โbacteria to develop increased defenses, potentially renderingโ the antibiotics โless effective.
Antibiotic resistance alreadyโข poses a important threat to public health, linked to nearly 5 million deaths in 2019. While excessive antibiotic use in humans and animals has long been identified as aโ primary driver, โขthis research indicates that โขconcurrent painkiller use can exacerbate the problem. Specifically, Escherichia coli bacteria demonstrated a heightenedโฃ ability to develop resistance to ciprofloxacin when exposed to the antibiotic alongside ibuprofen or paracetamol. This finding raises concerns about โthe potential for increased resistance inโค settings where multiple medications are frequently used, such as nursing homes.
Researcher Rietie Venter explains that bacteria exposed to โciprofloxacin in combination with the painkillers developed more genetic โคmutations โคthan those exposed toโข the โantibiotic alone.โ “Consequently, the bacteria grow faster and become โคresistant to โmultiple antibiotics,” Venter stated.
The โฃresearch does โnot suggest avoiding painkillers altogether, but highlights the need for increased awareness regarding their combined use with antibiotics.โค Venter emphasizesโข the importance of further investigation into the interactions between antibiotics and other long-termโข medications,particularly in environments with complex medication regimens.โ The findings underscore โthat addressing antibioticโค resistanceโ requiresโ aโฃ broader โฃoutlook than solely focusing โon antibiotic prescriptions.