A shortage of antibiotics is causing doctors to prescribe incorrect antibiotics for certain infections. That, in turn, is allowing antibiotic resistant organisms to develop defenses and some of those may no longer be treatable with antibiotics.
Kelsey-Seybold doctor Shane Magee says there are lots of drug shortages.
"There's actually a national shortage of a lot of different drugs at varying times; antibiotics being one of the more scary ones because they're a cornerstone at fighting infections at a variety of hospitals and clinics."
Dr. Magee says there's not a lot of money in making antibiotics.
"So, it limits who wants to make them and when one problem happens at one factory it can affect the entire world or at least entire, large regions."
So not only might you get the wrong antibiotic, you may have to pay more for it because of the shortage.
"When we're left with inappropriate antibiotics for a specific infection that can breed resistance in that bacteria to that antibiotic and the more resistant bacteria we have the less effective all antibiotics will be anyway and that is a bigger, coming problem."
Another worry is that rising prices will discourage patients from using the drugs they actually need.