Just eight percent of antibiotic prescriptions in 2016 were clearly justified, according to a new study of privately-insured Americans.
The rest were dubious - 23 percent were unnecessary, 36 percent were possibly necessary, and 28 percent were made without a documented diagnosis.
In fact, according to the latest data in 2016, one in six adults and one in 10 children received an unnecessary prescription at least once.
Lead author Kao-Ping Chua of the University of Michigan warns this is likely a staggering underestimate of the true rate of over-prescribing which is driving us towards a future where antibiotics do not work against even the most minor of currently treatable pathogens.
Over-prescription of antibiotics is fueling superbugs, like untreatable gonorrhea (pictured)
WHAT THEY CAN BE USED FOR: Bacterial infections
Antibiotics kill bacteria, or stop them from replicating.
These are some examples of bacterial infections:
Skin infections Meningitis Strep throat Urinary tract / bladder / kidney infections Some sinus and ear infections Bacterial pneumonia Whooping coughWHAT THEY CANNOT BE USE FOR: Viral infections
Antibiotics cannot kill viruses.
That means you should not take antibiotics for the flu, a cold, laryngitis, bronchitis, a runny nose, coughing up phlegm.
HOW TO TELL IF IT'S BACTERIAL OR VIRAL
It's not always obvious.
Your doctor should do tests to determine which is which.
WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS FINISH THE ENTIRE COURSE OF DRUGS
Even when you're feeling better, there may still be some bacteria in your body, which could then replicate and adapt to get around the antibiotics.
If you quickly relapse, it may be harder to treat.
'Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to public health in the world, and the large number of antibiotics that providers prescribe to patients are a major driver of resistance,' Dr Chua, a researcher and pediatrician at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, said.
'Providers urgently need to eliminate prescribing that isn't needed, both for the sake of their patients and society.'
Concerns about over-prescribing stoked up in recent years - but specifically pertaining to opioids, as the highly addictive painkillers started claiming lives (72,000 of them in 2017).
Opioids like Percocet, hydrocodone, oxycodone - or even heroin and fentanyl - are extremely addictive, and even small doses can be lethal.
To summarize a decades-long, complex saga: drug companies went unchecked as they pushed their products on medical providers, with lucrative incentives to prescribe more. What's more, doctors knew that this powerful medication could provide instant relief for patients. By prescribing more, they could cut the risk of a patient being left helpless in excruciating pain out of hours.
Now, in the US, states are bringing lawsuits against drug companies, attempting to impose stricter restrictions on how doctors dish out drugs, and running public health campaigns to warn people about the dangers of opioids.
Antibiotics are not as immediately threatening - a high dose won't kill you (unless you're extremely allergic to penicillin and don't get seen in time) and they're not addictive (though some may include side effects of diarrhea, headaches and the like).
However, world health leaders have been warning for years that the over-prescription of antibiotics will be even more deadly than any addiction epidemic.
The more antibiotics are present in human bodies, the more pathogens become familiar with them.
Every time they confront antibiotics, they notice more things about the
