Antibiotics play a very foremost role of modern medicine. These medications are used to fight many infections caused by bacteria. The following facts about antibiotics will help you understand how these drugs work, their inherent side effects and the point of taking antibiotics as directed by your doctor.
Antibiotics belong to a class of drugs called Antimicrobials. Other drugs in this group include antifungals, antiprotozoals and antivirals. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria. These drugs do not work on viruses. A bacterium is a living, reproducing lifeform. A virus is just a piece of Dna (or Rna). A virus injects its Dna into a living cell and has that cell reproduce more of the viral Dna. With a virus there is nothing to "kill," so antibiotics don't work on it. There are many types of antibiotics. Each works a slight differently and acts on distinct types of bacteria. Some antibiotics are efficient against only clear types of bacteria; others can effectively fight a wide range of bacteria. While the use of antibiotics did not begin in the 20th century, early folk treatment included the use of mouldy foods or soil for infections. In old Egypt, for example, infections were treated with mouldy bread. Originally noticed by a French curative student, Ernest Duchesne, in 1896, penicillin was re-discovered by bacteriologist Alexander Fleming working at St. Mary's Hospital in London in 1928. He observed that a plate culture of Staphylococcus had been contaminated by a blue-green mold and that colonies of bacteria adjacent to the mold were being dissolved. A broad spectrum antibiotic is one that can kill many distinct types of bacteria. A broad spectrum antibiotic is beneficial for treating infections that might be caused by many distinct types of bacteria such as ear infections. A narrow spectrum antibiotic is one that kills only a small collection of germs. Antibiotics must be taken for the full number of time prescribed by your doctor. Many times, patients will stop the use of an antibiotic when they begin to feel best and it seems that the illness has gone. However, even after the symptoms are gone, the bacteria may still be gift in small amounts and an infection can return if use of the antibiotic is stopped. Not completing the prescribed dose also may promote resistance. There are two major drawbacks of antibiotics: Bacterial resistance Harmful side effects Bacteria may be naturally resistant to distinct classes of antibiotics or may regain resistance from other bacteria straight through exchange of resistant genes. Antibiotics commonly are safe. The most coarse side effects of antibiotics include stomach upset, nausea, and diarrhea. An increased sensitivity to sunlight is coarse with tetracyclines (e.g. doxycycline, minocycline) and fluoroquinolones (e.g. Ciprofloxacin , ofloxacin, levofloxacin). Although most side-effects may be mild in appearance, some may be severe like allergic reactions and it may even be life-threatening allergic reactions. Should you perceive any unexpected reaction to an antibiotic you use for the first time, immediately consult with your health professional. Antibiotics can kill most of the bacteria in your body that are sensitive to them, along with "good" bacteria. By destroying the bacterial balance, they may cause stomach upsets, diarrhea, yeast infections or other problems. Any antibiotic can suppress the healthy bacteria in your colon. Regularly this qoute surfaces when the newer, more suited antibiotics are prescribed, or when multiple antibiotics are used for serious infections. Approximately any antibiotic can cause antibiotic-associated colitis (also called pseudomembranous colitis, or Clostridium difficile colitis)., but the following have been involved in most cases: clindamycin, lincomycin, ampicillin, cephalosporins. The aminoglycosides (amikacin, gentamicin), erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin , levofloxacin) seem less likely to be the cause. Antibiotic associated diarrhea can occur within two days of completing a course of antibiotics or even up to six weeks later. The risk of antibiotic associated diarrhea rises with how often and how long the antibiotics are taken. Even the most gentle antibiotics, given for a short period of time, can occasionally lead to this problem. Therefore, if you have new symptoms of diarrhea, it is foremost that you make your doctor aware of any antibiotics you may have taken in the last any months. Yeast Overgrowth. One of the most coarse side effects of antibiotics is yeast overgrowth. Women who use antibiotics often produce bowel and vaginal yeast infections. Children treated repeatedly with antibiotics for ear infections often produce yeast and fungal infections of the middle ear. Antibiotics can, in some cases, hinder the immune response. For example, children given amoxicillin for continuing earaches suffer two to six times the rate of recurrent middle ear effusion than children who took a placebo. Agreeing to Carol Jessop, Md, Clinical Professor at the University of California at San Francisco, 80% of her patients who suffer from continuing fatigue syndrome (or continuing fatigue immunodeficiency syndrome) had a history of recurrent antibiotics treatment as a child, youthful or adult. Antibiotics will not cure viral illnesses, such as: Colds or flu Most coughs and bronchitis Sore throats not caused by strep Runny noses Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis) Some ear infections When are antibiotics necessary? Here are a few examples: Ear infections - there are any types; many need antibiotics, but some do not. Sinus infections - most children with thick or green mucus do not have sinus infections. Antibiotics are needed for some long-lasting or severe cases. Strep throat - this health must be diagnosed by a laboratory test. Urinary tract infections Many wound and skin infections Sometimes it is very hard to tell when an illness is caused by a viral or bacterial infection. A test called a culture should be done to rule which bacteria, if any, are responsible for your illness. Without a culture, your health care supplier must pick an antibiotic based on an educated guess of what bacteria are most likely to be causing your illness. Sometimes, those educated guesses are wrong. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria convert in a way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of antibiotics. These resistant bacteria survive and multiply - causing more harm, such as a longer illness, more doctor visits, and a need for more costly and toxic antibiotics. Some antibiotics become less efficient if they are taken with food. For example, azithromycin (zithromax) capsules should not be mixed with or taken with food, any way tablets may be taken without regard to food.
