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Friday Fun Thread for August 8, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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antibiotics save far more lives directly than they take.

How antibiotics take lives, except allergic reactions and antibiotics overuse/misuse reducing their effectiveness?

Overuse or misuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic-resistant infections, which can spread to people who weren't even on said antibiotic. They can ruin the natural balance of the gut microbiome, causing Clostridium difficile infections. As you've mentioned, some unfortunate souls get nasty allergic reactions which can kill them from the anaphylactic shock. I'm talking about all the ways they can cause harm, with no carve outs.

Edit: They can also be hepatic enzyme induces or inhibitors. If not planned for, this can cause overdoses or underdoses of seemingly unrelated drugs.

My mom found out she was allergic to penicillin as a little girl, when she had anaphylaxis. Fortunately she was ok and it hasn’t affected her life much.

But also yeah, antibiotic side effects can be real. It beats pneumonia, but uncontrollable diarrhea and stomach upset isn’t fun. Took me a while before I was back to normal.

They can ruin the natural balance of the gut microbiome

oh, I forgot that one, thanks!

hepatic enzyme induces or inhibitors

and was not aware at all of that, double thanks!

Overuse or misuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic-resistant infections

I tried to cover this with "overuse/misuse reducing their effectiveness"