Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria (which cause infections). However, it is not always possible to stop bacteria from multiplying or kill them all. The strongest can survive and carry on spread. The person may get sick again. In this case, it becomes more difficult to kill the infectious agents.
The more often you take an antibiotic, the more likely it is that it will stop working on the bacteria. Because of this, some diseases become difficult to control. The treatment takes longer, and you have to go to the doctor more often. And you may need to take stronger medications.
The two main infectious agents are bacteria and viruses. Because of them, we get sick most often.
Antibiotics kill bacteria but do not work on viruses. Viruses cause:
- colds;
- cough;
- sore throat;
- influenza;
- runny nose;
- Inusita;
- bronchitis;
- ear infections.
These diseases often go away on their own. Ask your doctor what can be done to improve your well-being.
- If you have a viral illness, then taking Antibiotics are not the best idea.
- Antibiotics do not work on viruses.
- Taking antibiotics unnecessarily can backfire: they won't work when needed.
What diseases are treated with antibiotics?
One of the main uses of antibiotics is to treat common diseases such as pneumonia (most commonly caused by bacteria in the staphylococcaceae family), syphilis (treponema pallidum), and tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis, known as Koch's bacillus). At the same time, antibiotics are completely useless for viral infections: for example, these drugs will not help with influenza, SARS, or hepatitis A, B, and C. However, if the flu leads to complications, including pneumonia, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic.
How many antibiotics are there in the world?
In total, several thousand various natural and synthetic substances are known that are used as antibiotics, but they are all combined into 16 large classes. For example, penicillin, the first antibiotic discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, belongs to the class of beta-lactam antibiotics. Of the known antibiotics, only a small part is used, no more than 5%, since most of the previously discovered antibiotics have become useless due to antibiotic resistance, i.e. resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics.
What is the problem with resistance?
Microorganisms evolve and sooner or later, as a result of mutations, adapt to the action of an antibiotic, and for them it becomes harmless. Currently, scientists and doctors are more and more concerned about the fact that pathogenic bacteria begin to adapt to antibiotics faster than new types of drugs are invented.
If this continues, any inflammation of the lungs or contracted tuberculosis and sepsis will again become a disease with a mortality close to 100%, as it was before the invention of penicillin.
This can lead to the emergence of epidemics that will claim millions of human lives.
Why does resistance occur?
The main fault in this lies with the doctors and patients themselves. If a person took an antibiotic according to the correct prescription of a doctor until complete recovery, there would be no pathogens left in his body, and there would be no problem. Unfortunately, patients often take antibiotics without a doctor's instructions, do not complete the course, drink them in insufficient concentrations, so some of the pathogens survive after such treatment, and their carrier remains contagious to others, even if it temporarily does not feel unwell. Doctors are also to blame, sometimes prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily, for prevention. All this leads to an increase in the number of microorganisms that simple antibiotics cannot take.
What are generics?
The invention of a new drug, the process of its testing, clinical trials and registration take a long time. Sometimes it can take 10-15 years from the moment the molecule of the active substance is obtained until the first package goes on sale. This process is economically expensive, so the original drug is often expensive. But later, analogues appear on sale, which are often much cheaper. If they use the same active ingredient, the drug is called a generic.
What are generic drugs
Generic drug, which means a generic, is a drug that basically has the same quantity and quality of the active substance as in the original drug. It should be produced in the same dosage form as the standard. A prerequisite is the effectiveness of the generic.
After the invention of the drug, the company receives a patent for the original molecule of the active substance. The exclusive rights to manufacture and sell are retained by the company for 20 years. After that, other pharmaceutical companies can produce generic drugs.
Why are generics cheaper than original drugs?
When choosing between a generic and an original when buying, many prefer a cheaper copy medicine. The low price of the analogue is explained by the fact that the company did not spend money on its invention, safety and efficacy testing - one of the most expensive stages of drug production. After all, the creation of a molecule of the active substance is accompanied by unsuccessful options.
List of the most famous and widely used antibiotics:
Antibiotics for colds. Antibiotics of the penicillin group
Flemoxin Solutab (amoxicillin) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat mild and uncomplicated cases of bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, peptic ulcer, cystitis, etc.
Antibiotics of the group of inhibitor-protected aminopenicillins Flemoclav Solutab, Augmentin (amoxicillin and clavulanic acid). This antibiotic is used to treat mild and uncomplicated cases of bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, peptic ulcers and cystitis.
Antibiotics of the cephalosporin group
The antibiotic Ceftriaxone treats diseases such as sepsis, meningitis, disseminated Lyme borreliosis (early and late stages of the disease), abdominal infections, etc.
Antibiotic Cefuroxime treats urinary tract infections - cystitis, pyelonephritis, urethritis; skin and soft tissues - furunculosis, pyoderma, impetigo, etc.
The antibiotic Cefepime treats respiratory diseases (pneumonia and bronchitis), urinary tract infections, and skin and soft tissue infections.
The antibiotic Ceftazidime is prescribed for the treatment of meningitis, sepsis and other diseases.
The antibiotic Cefixime treats diseases such as pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, acute and chronic bronchitis, otitis media, and urinary tract infections.
Macrolide antibiotics
The antibiotic Azithromycin is used to treat pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media, as well as acute bronchitis, pneumonia.
The antibiotic Clarithromycin treats diseases such as infections of the upper respiratory tract and ENT organs: tonsillopharyngitis, otitis media, acute sinusitis, as well as infections of the lower respiratory tract: acute bronchitis, exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and others.
Antibiotics of the tetracycline group
The antibiotic Doxycycline is used to treat pharyngitis, bronchitis, tracheitis, bronchopneumonia, as well as otitis media, tonsillitis, sinusitis and others.
Antibacterial drugs of the fluoroquinolone group
The antibiotic Ofloxin treats infectious and inflammatory diseases of the bones and joints, abdominal cavity, diseases of the kidneys (pyelonephritis) and urinary tract (cystitis, urethritis.
The antibiotic Levofloxacin is used to treat acute sinusitis, exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, community-acquired pneumonia, and complicated urinary tract infections.
The antibiotic Moxifloxacin is used to treat acute sinusitis, exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and community-acquired pneumonia.
The antibiotic Ciprofloxacin is used to treat sepsis and peritonitis, as well as to prevent and treat infections in immunocompromised patients.
Antibacterial drugs of the nitroimidazole group
Antibiotics Metronidazole treats protozoal infections: extraintestinal amoebiasis, including amoebic liver abscess, intestinal amoebiasis (amebic dysentery), trichomoniasis, giardiasis, balantidiasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, trichomonas vaginitis, trichomonas urethritis and others.
Antibiotic Ornidazole is used to treat trichomoniasis, amoebiasis, giardiasis, and a mild antibiotic is used to prevent postoperative complications.