Sooner or later, everyone is prescribed antibiotic treatment. Some ten years ago, doctors prescribed them with or without cause. And even now such “professionals” often play it safe and prescribe serious medications without special indications for this and in order to relieve themselves of responsibility for treatment. After all, if the antibiotic was not prescribed in time, and the patient became worse, or serious complications arose, the doctor is to blame. And if an antibiotic was prescribed (as you know, any of them works against a large number of bacteria), then it either helped or didn’t help, because it didn’t fit, or maybe it was simply taken incorrectly. And that's another story.
Not everyone knows how to take antibiotics correctly. This is not taught in school, it is not always clearly stated in the instructions for the drug. And even doctors at the reception rarely talk in detail about these simple but important rules.
What is an antibiotic
An antibiotic is a substance of plant, microbial, animal or semi-synthetic origin, whichmedicine is used to fight certain types of microorganisms.
In fact, the discovery of penicillin (a natural antibiotic) in medicine has made a real revolution. Mankind has become capable of treating gangrene, streptococcal sepsis, purulent meningitis, furunculosis, diphtheria, gonorrhea, syphilis, pneumonia, purulent pleurisy, cholera, plague, tuberculosis and many other diseases that previously often led to death.
It was thanks to this invention that it was possible to increase the average life expectancy of people by about 30 years. Further, with the development of medicine, a huge number of new, even more powerful and important drugs were developed, and all these discoveries were based on the invention of penicillin.
Antibiotic groups
To understand how to take antibiotics correctly and whether the doctor prescribed them correctly, you need to determine which group of drugs they belong to:
1. Macrolides. This type of medicine is the least toxic to the human body. Preparations of this group have bacteriostatic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. They are appointed at:
- bronchitis;
- sinusitis;
- pneumonia;
- diphtheria;
- periodonite;
- toxoplasmosis;
- mycobacterial infections.
2. Penicillins. They are distinguished by the ability to resist not only the emergence of bacteria, but also to prevent their growth andreproduction. This group includes antibiotics from Helicobacter pylori (we will discuss how to take them correctly later). Antibiotics of the penicillin group are used to treat the following diseases:
- sinusitis;
- otitis media;
- tonsilitis;
- pneumonia;
- bronchitis;
- gastritis.
3. Cephalosporins. They are able to cope with microbes that are resistant to the penicillin group of antibiotics. Able to handle:
- with intestinal infections;
- genitourinary system infections;
- respiratory diseases.
4. Tetracyclines. Used to fight bacteria and large viruses. With prolonged use, they can cause a number of serious complications (hepatitis, allergies, dental damage). However, they are effective in the treatment of such diseases:
- furunculosis;
- bronchitis;
- angina;
- pneumonia;
- syphilis;
- pleurisy;
- burns;
- sepsis;
- meningitis;
- mastitis;
- endocarditis/myocarditis;
- cholecystitis;
- barley;
- cholera;
- salmonellosis;
- gonorrhea.
5. Fluoroquinols. Broad spectrum antibiotics. Effective in treatment:
- sinusitis;
- otitis media;
- pharyngitis;
- laryngitis;
- pyelonephritis;
- endometritis;
- cystitis;
- urethritis;
- prostatitis;
- colpitis;
- cervicitis.
6. Aminoglycosides. A very toxic type of antibiotic, used only in severe cases when other therapy fails:
- enterococcal infections;
- pseudomonal infection;
- tuberculosis;
- plague;
- brucellosis;
- tularemia.
Infection resistance to antibiotics
It so happened that since the advent of penicillin, antibiotics have been used everywhere (even in animal husbandry) and uncontrollably. This has caused many bacteria to mutate, adapt, become more resilient and stop responding to conventional treatments.
Reasons for persistent infections
Specialists identify the following causes of antibiotic resistance:
- Taking medicines without a doctor's prescription (on the advice of a friend, nurse, pharmacist). How to take antibiotics correctly, only the attending physician should explain.
- Incomplete therapy (interruption of the course, repeated treatments).
- Uncontrolled use of drugs in animal husbandry.
- Change the drug in case of ineffective treatment without the necessary tests.
Harm of antibiotics and adverse reactions
The first generation of the drugs described was unique. They had an amazing ability to act only on bacteria alien to the body. But their time has passed, and in almost all strainsresilience developed.
Today in medicine I use new synthesized preparations, the feature of which is not the selective destruction of the flora harmful to the body, but the total one. Therefore, antibiotics can cause side effects:
- Allergic reactions.
- Violations of the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract (exacerbation of ulcers, dysbacteriosis, problems with stools). It is because of them that the question often arises of how Linex and antibiotics interact. How to take this probiotic correctly, the doctor will tell at the appointment.
- Irritation of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract (glossitis, proctitis, stomatitis).
- Disturbances in the nervous system (visual and auditory hallucinations, disturbances in the vestibular apparatus).
- Irritation of the meninges (convulsions).
- Inhibition of hematopoiesis (anemia, leukopenia).
- General weakening of the immune system and the development against this background of fungal infections (thrush).
- Disorders in the liver and kidneys.
- In the treatment of some diseases, a temporary increase in symptoms (fever, rash, fever) is possible. This is due to the fact that the mass death of bacteria causes toxic poisoning of the body.
Scientists in the US say they have proven a strong increase in the risk of breast cancer in women due to the frequent use of antibiotics.
Are antibiotics better in pills or injections?
| Effect on the gastrointestinal tract | Antibiotic tablets | Antibiotic injections |
| May disrupt gastrointestinal microflora | Contrary to popular belief, can disrupt the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract | |
| Effects on the liver and kidneys | May cause liver and kidney problems | May cause liver and kidney problems |
| Irritation of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract | May cause irritation to mucous membranes | Does not affect the mucous membranes of the digestive tract |
| Introduction method | If there are no problems with swallowing, there are no difficulties | Abscesses and infiltrates often remain after painful management |
| Allergic reactions | Risks present (rash, itching) | Risks are greater than when taking the drug in the form of tablets, the risks of anaphylactic shock increase |
| Bioavailability | When the drug is administered intravenously, 100% of the dose enters the systemic circulation. Orally administered drugs often have lower bioavailability due to differences in the rate and extent of dissolution of the drug in the digestive tract and in the amount of drug that reaches the systemic circulation after absorption. The bioavailability of oral dosage forms of some modern antibiotics is almost 100% (Ofloxacin) orequal to 100% ("Levofloxacin"). | |
| Effectiveness in the treatment of chronic diseases | High efficiency (acts gradually) | Low efficiency (output too fast) |
Thus, we understood how to take antibiotics correctly, because the drug in the form of injections has no special advantages. It can also be concluded that it is desirable to use this method of administering an antibiotic only in a hospital setting and for acute indications (a serious condition of the patient, inability to swallow).
Antibiotics and candidiasis
Very often, doctors have to prescribe other drugs along with antibiotics. The main reason for their use is the accelerated development of opportunistic microorganisms - fungi.
We already know that the described medicine does not selectively kill only harmful microbes, it practically destroys all the good microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. In this situation, the accelerated reproduction of the fungus often begins (for example, the Candida genus).
Antifungals
There are several groups of drugs to control the reproduction of fungi:
- Polyelenes - which are used to treat primarily candidiasis of the mucous membranes, gastrointestinal tract and skin. This group includes: Nystatin, Levorin, Amphotericin B, Nitamycin.
- Azoles - effective in the treatmentvarious types of lichen, nail fungus, scalp, mucosal candidiasis. This group includes: Ketoconazole, Introconazole, Fluconazole.
- Allylamines - effective for the treatment of dermatomycosis (fungal diseases of hair, nails, skin, lichen). Terbinafine belongs to this group.
Very often, a doctor prescribes antifungal drugs along with antibiotics. This is especially true for those patients who are prone to developing fungal infections. And also such a neighborhood is quite justified if you have to prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic, because it is always better to prevent the development of new diseases than to treat later.
Most often you can find such a combination as "Fluconazole" and antibiotics. How to take it right? During the entire course of taking the drug, one capsule inside after meals (preferably at night).
But today doctors try not to use nystatins as a preventive measure, and no one will answer the question of how to take "Nystatin" with antibiotics correctly. Firstly, it is also an antibiotic, and secondly, this drug is simply outdated.
How to take Acipol with antibiotics
There is an opinion that it is impossible to do without maintenance therapy with drugs to normalize the intestinal microflora when taking antibiotics. For example, doctors often prescribe Linex and antibiotics. How to take this combination of drugs correctly and for what, however, no one usually explains.
Advertising slogans say that without beneficial bifidobacteria, the body will never be able to recover from taking such serious drugs. But doctors around the world have long known that most of these drugs are dummy and placebo. Unfortunately, no matter how much you ask how to properly take probiotics with antibiotics, the effect will no longer be.
The fact is that most of these dietary supplements do not even contain the necessary amount of beneficial bacteria to colonize the intestinal environment. But the most important thing is that even if these magic capsules contained the required number of bifidobacteria, they still would not be able to pass through the acidic environment of the stomach and normalize the microflora.
Therefore, the correct answer to the question, for example, how to take "Bifiform" with antibiotics, simply does not exist. These are non-working drugs that manufacturers diligently impose on us.
Doctor's recommendations and rules for taking antibiotics
Antibiotics should only be taken as directed by your doctor. The doctor must, based on blood and urine tests, find out what caused the disease (virus or bacterium) and prescribe the appropriate treatment. At the same time:
- Strictly adhere to the dosage.
- Take the drug at the same time. This principle is the main answer to the question of how to take antibiotic tablets correctly.
- Carefully study the instructions. Most drugs are taken after meals, but there are exceptions.
- Drink it downmedicine only with clean water. Tea, coffee, juices, fruit drinks, milk can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the drug.
- Under no circumstances stop taking before the end of treatment.
- Record for a lifetime all the information about each antibiotic (cause, timing, dosage, allergic and other adverse reactions). This is especially true for babies, because the doctor, before explaining how to take antibiotics to children correctly, needs to find out what the patient has already been treated with. This approach helps to choose the right therapy as much as possible.
- Ask your doctor for a referral for a culture. This method of research allows you to determine the drug, which with the maximum probability will destroy all pathogens.
- Don't talk your doctor into prescribing an antibiotic for no reason. Many people think that taking strong drugs will speed up recovery, but this is not at all true.
- Instead of thinking about how to take Linex correctly when taking antibiotics, support your body yourself. Kefir and yogurt are your body's true friends.
- Follow your diet. Antibiotics greatly undermine the body's defenses. Therefore, to enable him to recover quickly, give up s alty, fatty, sweet, smoked, fried, canned foods. Eat often and in small portions, add extra servings of vegetables and fruits, dairy products to your diet.
Do not change the drug on the advice of a pharmacist orgirlfriends!
