NEW DELHI: Antibiotic use is the top reason for side effects among people, a latest national survey has said.
However, the survey conducted on over 17,000 people in 303 Indian districts found that it is not just antibiotics, followed by syrups or other medicines, that cause side effects in people who consume them, but Ayush medicines, too, especially Ayurveda medicines.
The survey by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, found that one in two people have experienced side effects from allopathy and Ayush medicines.
It said that antibiotics were the top reason amongst allopathy medicines for causing significant side effects, as 42% of the surveyed experienced them.
While 37% who took Ayurveda treatment experienced side effects, only 24% who took Homoeopathy reported harmful effects.
Speaking with this paper, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Cochin, said that in Western nations, antibiotics -medicines that kill bacteria or stop their growth - are available only with a medical prescription.
“Unfortunately, in many parts of India, they are sold over the counter, and many people use them without a doctor's input. Side effects are common with these products, but they are rarely serious,” he told this paper.
“Overuse leads to widespread antimicrobial resistance, which is a dangerous situation where even common bacterial infections cannot be treated with the existing antibiotics,” Dr Jayadevan said, adding that the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have repeatedly warned against the unauthorised use of antibiotics.
The survey said 51% of those who used allopathic (antibiotics, syrups, other medicines) in the last 10 years experienced significant side effects due to its use, with antibiotics topping the list.
49% cited Ayush (Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, etc.) remedies for causing significant side effects in the last 10 years.
“In the last 10 years, 37% of those surveyed who took Ayurveda treatment experienced side effects, while 24% of those who took Homoeopathy faced side effects; and 11% of those who took other (Siddha, Unani, etc.) medicines had side effects,” the survey said.
According to Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles, antibiotic usage was the main reason amongst allopathy medicines that caused significant side effects, with 42% of those surveyed experiencing them in the last 10 years.
“About 32% of those surveyed experienced side effects after taking other medicines (not antibiotics), and 10% experienced side effects after oral syrups.”