What antibiotics to take for bronchitis? This is a common question. Let's look into it in more detail.
Bronchitis is an inflammatory disease of the bronchi that can be caused by a variety of causes, such as viral infections, atypical pathogens, or chemical exposure. About which antibiotics for bronchitis are used today, as well as which of them are the most effective, we will tell further.
Bronchitis treatment: when should antibiotics be used?
Bronchitis is often a complication of a viral disease, so immediately treating it with antibiotics is not only pointless, but can also be dangerous. I must say that antimicrobial drugs are powerless against viruses and depress the immune system, preventing the body from fighting the threat on its own. The most reasonable tactic of behavior in the development of viral bronchitis is considered to be bed rest along with heavy drinking, warming procedures, taking immunostimulants and symptomatic treatment withusing expectorants. For bronchitis, it is advisable to take antibiotics only in the following two cases:
- When a bacterial pathogen joins a viral pathogen, and the body cannot cope with it for three weeks or longer.
- The disease is chronic, often relapsing or atypical.
Therefore, the diagnosis of "bronchitis" does not automatically mean that a person should quit everything and start being treated with antibiotics. Without examination and establishing the cause of the disease, no medicines can be prescribed, especially on their own. Depending on the type of bronchitis, the doctor himself will choose the most optimal variant of drug treatment.
We'll talk about antibiotics for bronchitis a little later.
Treatment tactics in adults
Depending on the type of bronchitis, the therapy is selected as follows:
- The development of acute viral bronchitis requires bed rest along with plenty of fluids, immunostimulating and symptomatic treatment, and avoidance of antibiotics.
- Uncomplicated form, when the disease occurs less than four times a year, already requires the use of antibiotics from the category of aminopenicillins. Macrolides are also suitable if there is intolerance to penicillins.
- Complicated chronic bronchitis requires the use of aminopenicillins, cephalosporins or macrolides.
- With the development of chronic bronchitis with comorbidities, the patient requires fluoroquinolones.
- In the presence of mycoplasmal bronchitis, macrolides are drunk.
- With developmentchlamydial bronchitis, tetracyclines are used along with fluoroquinolones and macrolides.
So, what are the most effective antibiotics for bronchitis?
What is prescribed
So, modern doctors prescribe antimicrobials from the category of aminopenicillins, macrolides, fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins to their patients suffering from bronchitis. Treatment of bronchitis with simple penicillins and sulfonamides is currently not carried out due to their high toxicity and insufficient effectiveness, which is due to the mutation of pathogenic pathogens.
What antibiotics to take for bronchitis, the doctor will tell.
Aminopenicillin use
Drugs from this category destroy the cell membranes of bacteria and thereby cause their death. Aminopenicillins are considered the most active against pneumococci, streptococci, staphylococci, and most other bacteria that cause bronchitis. This type of antibiotic belongs to the first line of drugs and is recognized as a very effective and safest treatment option. Such confidence is due to the fact that aminopenicillins, as a rule, destroy only the pathogen without damaging he althy tissues of the body. Penicillins are the best antibiotics for bronchitis in humans, but they still have the following two disadvantages:
- Seeing frequent side effects in the form of allergies.
- Low efficiency against mutated pathogens that have an enzyme calledbeta-lactamase.
Nothing can be done about the first drawback, and you have to choose antibiotics from a different category. But scientists have already learned how to deal with the second drawback of aminopenicillins. Beta-lactamase, which some bacteria acquired during evolution, can destroy penicillins. Thus, antibiotics do not defeat bronchitis, but, on the contrary, the disease destroys medicines. In order to neutralize this enzyme, which is inconvenient for treatment, clavulanic acid is added to amoxicillin. It serves as a specific beta-lactamase inhibitor. An additional component enters into synergy with penicillin and helps fight bacteria. Thanks to this, the result of this discovery were antibiotics for bronchitis, such as aminopenicillins from the latest generation:
- "Amoxiclav";
- "Flemoxin Solutab";
- "Augmentin";
- "Ecoclave";
- "Arlette".
The cost of these drugs ranges from fifty to five hundred rubles, depending on the brand. It should be noted that powders with tablets of domestic production are always affordable. At the same time, the package should say: “Amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid.”
What other antibiotics are effective for bronchitis in adults?
Using macrolides
Drugs in this category can inhibit protein synthesis in parasite cells, preventing them from multiplying further. This approach to the treatment of bronchitis inadults is optimal if we are talking about a chronic, protracted, often relapsing form. Macrolides are good because, unlike penicillins, they can penetrate the anaerobic microorganism. This means that antibiotics from the macrolide category can treat atypical bronchitis, which is caused by chlamydia with mycoplasma.
Macrolides have a long half-life, they are sufficiently accumulated in tissues without requiring frequent intake. These antibiotics are easily tolerated by patients without causing side effects even during long-term treatment of bronchitis. In the event that the patient has an individual intolerance to penicillins, then macrolides are the best choice. The most commonly used macrolides for bronchitis include:
- Erythromycin;
- Azithromycin;
- "Hemomycin";
- Midecamycin.
Everyone knows these names of antibiotics for bronchitis in adults.
"Erythromycin" is a first-generation macrolide. It was he who initiated the development of drugs in this category. A more perfect antibiotic is Azithromycin, which is also known under such trade names as Azitral, Azitrus and Sumamed. It is interesting to note that the cost of a package with three capsules of the Russian "Azithromycin" is only one hundred and twenty rubles, while the imported advertised "Sumamed" will cost six hundred rubles.
Antibiotics for bronchitis in adults should not be prescribed alone. This isfraught with adverse consequences.
Use of fluoroquinolones
Treatment of bronchitis with medicines of this group is allowed only in adults and only in cases of intolerance to antibiotics from the first and second row. Fluoroquinolones have a wide spectrum of action, effectively destroying bacterial cells. Unfortunately, they can often cause allergies with side effects. Thus, long-term treatment with fluoroquinolones cannot occur without maintenance therapy, which should be aimed at preserving the microflora of organs, otherwise dysbacteriosis or mycosis may develop. Thus, fluoroquinolones are used to treat bronchitis in adult patients:
- Ofloxacin;
- Pefloxacin;
- Ciprofoloxacin;
- Levofloxacin;
- Moxifloxacin.
The cost of "Ofloxacin" is only thirty rubles. The most popular drug is Ciprofloxacin, which costs one hundred and twenty rubles. "Levofloxacin" with "Moxifloxacin" are quite expensive antibiotics and will cost patients one thousand two hundred rubles.
Which antibiotics are good for an adult with bronchitis?
Cephalosporins in the treatment of bronchitis
Drugs from this category in the treatment of bronchitis are considered reserve antibiotics. They are useful if the patient is allergic to the above groups of drugs, or when complex antibacterial treatment is required for prolonged bronchitis. Cephalosporinsact exclusively on multiplying bacteria, they paralyze cell membranes and interfere with division. These antibiotics can cause an allergic reaction with dysbacteriosis like conventional penicillins, and therefore they also require maintenance treatment against the background of long-term use. Thus, the treatment of bronchitis is carried out through the use of cephalosporins:
- Cefazolin;
- "Cephalexin";
- Cefixime;
- Ceftriaxone.
The cost of ampoules is fifty rubles apiece. Medicines in capsules, for example, Suprax, along with Ixim and Pancef, cost up to one and a half thousand rubles.
Let's take a look at the list of the most effective antibiotics for bronchitis.
Which antibiotic is most effective for bronchitis?
With a similar question, patients often turn to doctors and pharmacy pharmacists. It should be said that the antibiotic to which one or another causative agent of the disease will be sensitive will help best of all from bronchitis. In order to determine the parasite that caused the disease, it is required to pass an analysis of bronchial mucus. For some reason, sputum analysis against the background of bronchitis is very rare, because:
- Sowing usually matures from five to seven days. Therefore, in the event that a patient who is in serious condition is deprived of antibiotic treatment at this time, then this will most likely end badly.
- Bacterial laboratories, along with qualified personnel in the conditions of free medicine, are becoming less and less these days, and thereforethe patient is unlikely to undergo such an analysis.
- Aminopenicillins are active against almost all pathogens of bronchitis, so they will help regardless of the bacterium that caused the disease.
Treatment of bronchitis with antibiotics in adults we reviewed.
Do I need antibiotics for childhood bronchitis?
When a child gets sick, parents donate any money for medicines to help him. Seeing the suffering of their own child, mothers often demand antibiotics from the pediatrician, and if he refuses, they can go for pills on their own. Of course, this approach is fundamentally wrong. Treating bronchitis in children with antibiotics is often inappropriate:
- In 99% of cases in children, bronchitis has a viral nature and is not complicated by bacterial infections. Young immunity copes with the disease on its own in two weeks. The exceptions are premature babies and those who are often sick before the age of three.
- Even in the case of a bacterial infection, it is better to support the child's immunity, and not try to poison him with antibiotics, thereby instantly reducing his protective power.
- When a child is treated with antibiotics, the risk of allergies increases, and the pathogenic microflora of the body gets acquainted with the drugs, adapting to them. In the long term, this may deprive the body of the opportunity to receive treatment when it is in fact life-saving.
Therefore, with regard to children, it is better to managetaking immunostimulants, for example, Imudon is suitable. Symptomatic therapy in the form of inhalations, rubbing, and so on will not be superfluous. It is extremely important to ensure that the baby rest with the right diet during the illness. However, there is a list of reasons why a pediatrician may prescribe antibiotics for bronchitis to a child:
- The appearance of a cough that does not stop for three weeks or more.
- The appearance of sputum with an abnormal color and smell.
- High leukocytosis in blood test.
- Presence of wheezing, shortness of breath, intercostal depression and chest pain.
- The appearance of a life-threatening fever when the temperature is above thirty-nine degrees.
- Presence of signs of large-scale intoxication.
- When a baby is premature and debilitated before the age of three.
Many parents do not want their child to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. However, in situations where a small patient is very ill, it is better to trust specialists.
Bronchitis in children: a list of antibiotics
Antimicrobial treatment does not cancel additional therapeutic measures, but only complements them. In any case, it is required to observe bed rest and take expectorant drugs. Antibiotics for bronchitis in children are prescribed from the groups of aminopenicillins, cephalosporins and macrolides. Only a doctor can tell which drug and at what dosage a child should take.
The most effective are such antibiotics for bronchitis intablets:
- "Amoxiclav";
- Augmentin.
In case of intolerance to penicillins, cephalosporins can help out:
- "Cephalexin";
- Ceforuxime;
- Cefaclor.
The treatment of children's bronchitis should be accompanied by the use of live bacterial cultures in the form of Acipol, Bifidumbacterin, Linex and Bifiform. In addition, vitamin C and B vitamins are required.
Macrolides help with protracted, chronic and atypical bronchitis, suitable for this:
- "Macrolide";
- "Sumamed";
- Rulidom.
These antibiotics are good because they can penetrate well into all body fluids (including bronchial secretions), where they are able to act on pathogens as efficiently as possible. Modern antibiotics intended for children are available in the form of syrups, in the form of chewable tablets with a fruity taste, which greatly facilitates the treatment of bronchitis in babies.
The following are the names of antibiotics for bronchitis in pregnant women.
Bronchitis and its treatment with antibiotics during pregnancy
In the event that a pregnant woman is diagnosed with bronchitis, measures must be taken to activate the immune system and help cope with the disease on their own. But, when bronchitis cannot be stopped with gentle treatment, it is wiser to resort to the use of antibiotics to prevent intoxication with high leukocytosis.
In the first trimester, antibiotic treatment is undesirable, but when it is not possible without themto get by, usually prescribed "Amoxicillin" or "Flemoxin" may also be suitable. In subsequent trimesters, antibiotics from the cephalosporin series are prescribed. Under no circumstances should pregnant women treat bronchitis with tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones.
Are antibiotic tablets always safe for bronchitis in adults and children?
Reviews on the use of antibiotics in the treatment of bronchitis
People have different attitudes towards the use of antibiotics for a disease such as bronchitis. Of course, many do not like their negative impact on the intestinal microflora and immunity in general. But it is noted that thanks to their use it is always possible to quickly get rid of the disease. People write that it often happens that antibiotics that worked great a year ago, as part of their use in the next course, may not work at all. This is due to the rapid adaptation of pathogenic microorganisms to the active substances of medicines.
People complain that good antibiotics tend to be expensive. On top of that, not all doctors follow the news, prescribing outdated drugs to patients.
Some parents complain that modern doctors, due to lack of proper qualifications or due to indifference, immediately prescribe antibiotics to children when bronchitis appears, which, of course, is not right, and scares moms and dads.
Many people suffer from bronchitis, and every cold can gradually turn into a cough, causing inflammation of the bronchi. As people write, under such conditions theyat first they try to endure and not poison the body, being treated with herbs and cough pills. And only when complications come, it becomes difficult to do without antibiotics.
Some have noted that the use of a drug such as "Erythromycin" is not addictive in the treatment of bronchitis. Others, on the contrary, report that they constantly have to change the drug, since the previous one no longer helps during the next complicated bronchitis.
In the comments, people confirm that against the background of bronchitis, sputum analysis for bacteriological culture is never performed in free clinics, and most often a broad-spectrum antibiotic is simply prescribed. People write that only when the prescribed drug does not help, patients are still sent for sputum analysis.
We looked at which antibiotics are best for bronchitis.
