Antibiotics: action, side effects and risks of antibiotic use
Antibiotics (AB) are drugs that kill specific harmful bacterial strains, including in the human body. This property deserves awe because antibiotics can potentially kill deadly bacterial infections - including meningitis, bacterial sepsis (blood poisoning) and pneumonia - effective and targeted. Nevertheless, antibiotics are no risky or harmless miracles. In fact, antibiotics can be dangerous if they are fluttered or misused.
Below are 6 tips for responsible antibiotic use, as well as the necessary explanation about antibiotic resistance ...
Antibiotic abuse ...
If you are in good condition and have sufficient resistance, your bodily immune system will be able to control potentially infectious bacteria. At least, to a certain extent and to a certain extent. Whether your body can fight bacteria on its own, is (apart from your resistance) dependent on the type of bacteria, its properties, the number of bacteria and the location of the bacterial herb. If your body can not cure a bacterium, doctors have the choice of a wide range of antibiotics, each with its specific function. Based on patient complaints (and sometimes using laboratory research), the doctor determines which antibiotic will be the most effective...
The functioning of antibiotics
In order to cure bacterial infection due to an antimicrobial agent, two conditions must in principle be met:
- Sensitivity : The agent should be capable of killing the causative microorganism (bactericidal AB) or inhibiting its growth (bactericidal AB)
- Accessibility : The appropriate remedy must be able to achieve the inflammatory hearth or affected organ adequately.
The sensitivity of certain bacteria to certain antibiotics depends mainly on the type of antibiotic used. ( source ) There are strikingly powerful and relatively weak antibiotics, as well as narrow spectrum and spectral antibiotics . The more powerful the antibiotic, the greater the efficacy and the heavier the side effects.
And the wider the spectrum, the more different bacteria are inhibited or destroyed ...
Antibacterial and bactericidal antibiotics
Any type of antibiotic (regardless of group, class or subclass) can be characterized as bactericidal or bactericidal. Bacteria inhibitors, ie bacteriostatic antibiotics (doxycyline, tetracycline, etc.) cause bacteria to grow temporarily worse and reproduce less rapidly, so that the body gets the chance to fight and fight the bacterial hearth on its own . Bactericidal antibiotics (penicillin, cephalosporin, etc.) damage the cell wall of bacteria so that they actually die.
The advantage of bacterial inhibitors is that they only slow down the growth / growth / proliferation of bacteria, causing them hardly lasting damage to the "good" bacteria in your body.
Narrow spectrum and wide spectrum
The employability of an antibiotic is not solely determined by the mechanism of action, but also by the operating spectrum . An antibacterial agent can be active against one or a few highly specific types of bacteria: 'narrow spectrum' (benzylpenicillin, flucloxacillin, etc.) ... either against a huge variety of different bacteria and bacterial strains: broad spectrum (amoxicillin, piperacillin, etc.).
- Narrow spectrum antibiotics - A narrow spectrum antibiotic is thus used against specific bacterial pathogens, for example streptococci, meningococci and pneumococci. But also many trace-forming bacteria. In addition, Smalspectrum AB is prophylactically / preventively used in operations to prevent an operating infection from being infected with harmful bacteria. The main advantage of narrow spectrum antibiotics is that they do not cause permanent damage to useful and necessary bacteria. In addition, they know less and less severe side effects.
- Broad- spectrum antibiotics - A wide-spectrum antibiotic is often used, or not known in time, which bacterium is the basis of an infection. In the laboratory one investigates the exact pathogen, but in order to prevent serious complications, precaution is given to broadspectrum AB. Broad spectrum antibiotic agents include E-coli, salmonella and shigella. The disadvantage of the wide spectrum is that many good bacteria are lost as well as the considerable variety of side effects.
In addition, it is important that an antibiotic works against prokaryotic cells (such as a particular bacterium) and not against eukaryotic cells (including those of the patient themselves).
Natural, synthetic & semisynthetic antibiotics ...
Natural antibiotics are substances that naturally have antimicrobial / antibacterial activity (and usually also microbiological origin). Usually it is fungi, as is the very first antibiotic penicillin. Semisynthetic or semisynthetic antibiotics were once natural, but man intervened and modified or manipulated at the molecular level . Synthetic antibiotics come 100% artificial / factory to development. And then there is still the subdivision into antibiotic classes and subclasses (distinction based on action and / or chemical structure). Some examples:
- β-lactam : penicillins, including amoxicillin, flucloxacillin and methicillin; cephalospirins, including cefotetan and cefazoline; monobactams, including aztreonam; carbapenems, including meropenem and doripenem
- Aminoglycosides : gentamicin, tobramycin, amicacin and others
- Tetracyclines : tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline and others
- Macrolides : erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and others
- Glycopeptides : vancomycin, teicoplanin et al
- Sulfonamides / Sulphas : sulfadiazine, cotrimoxazole, sulfamethoxazole and others
- (Fluor) quinolones : ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin, pipemidic acid and others
- Chloramphenicol & thiamphenicol
By far most modern antibiotics are semisynthetic or semi-synthetic in nature.
Methods of administration of antibiotics
Antibiotics can be administered / taken in a variety of ways, namely: topically via local / local ointment, cream, gel or drop on the skin (cutaneous); nasal, so sniffing with nebulizer / nebulizer through the nose; bronchial, inhalation / inhaler inhaler by mouth; swallow orally as a pill, tablet or capsule; gastric enteral; transmucosal, thus diffusion through a mucosa; via a single parent (subcutaneous, intracutaneous, intramuscular or intravenous) injection or prolonged infusion; anal / rectal via suppository or anal ointment; or vaginal through vaginal cream ... Some examples of known antibiotics are as follows:
The recommended form of administration of an AB is dependent on condition, medication and patient condition. Oral antibiotics (pills, tablets, capsules and drinks) are still prescribed the most, but since they usually do not have low pH levels (in acidity), they are not always optimal.
Preventive or incorrectly prescribed antibiotics
Antibiotics are not called antibiotics for nothing. Anti = against; biotics = bacteria. The term 'antibiotic' thus means literally translated 'against bacteria'. All in all, antibacterial or antibiotic agents are only active against bacteria ...
Antibiotics are thus not effective in other types of infections and inflammatory reactions such as those caused by viruses, fungi, yeasts, protozoa, microalgae, prions, allergens, autoantibodies, single-cell parasites (worms, mites, foods, etc.).
Yet, still a lot of antibiotics are prescribed without bacterial or bacterial infection . The fact that there is an inflammatory reaction seems to be a good reason for many doctors to prescribe preventive antibiotics, under the heading 'trial & error'. But it does not work, it may possibly harm!
Antibiotic use has a number of major disadvantages and risks, with potentially significant complaints and complications ...
Risks and side effects of antibiotic use
In general, antibiotics are relatively safe drugs. Additionally, antibiotics can be extremely useful and even much needed . Indeed, AB may lives saved! On the downside, antibiotics are remarkably often prescribed while there is no or hardly any medical need or foundation . In short: preventive and unjustified AB use, while there is hardly any reason for suspicion of a bacterium ... Evidently sorry, because the disadvantages and dangers of antibiotics are serious and diverse:
Keep untreated from a pathogen : As long as there is no bacterium, an antibiotic is not useful. The patient may have benefited from a drug that is also really effective against the actual pathogen but is NOT prescribed. Unfortunately, antibiotics are often the first choice, even if there is no flagrant reason.
Side effects : Antibiotics know (depending on the type and type) countless side effects. The following symptoms and symptoms may occur: stomach ache , stomach cramps , nausea, vomiting, low abdominal pain , intestinal cramps , diarrhea , chronic disturbed intestinal flora ( PDS ), sunburn , itch , eczematous skin rash , tightness , fever , headache , fainting, sprouts, candida / candidosis / candidiasis, Achilles tendonitis, excessive hair loss and allergic / anaphylactic shock ...
Bacterial imbalance : antibiotics usually also kill good bacteria, including skin flora , mouth flora , stomach flora and especially intestinal flora . This causes a imbalance or imbalance between good and bad bacteria. This disturbed equilibrium increases the risk of yeast infections, fungal infections and bacterial overgrowth of resistant bacterial strains. As a result of these dysbiosis / dysbacteriosis / dysbacteriosis, bowel complaints and skin complaints can also occur. In addition, bowel flora that survive broad spectrum antibiotics can develop into pathogenic pathogens.
Resistance formation : the more antibiotics are prescribed, the greater the chance of bacterial resistance formation and the smaller the effect of antibiotics in the future. Bacteria are therefore becoming more powerful and existing antibiotics lose their strength. Thus, new (and more powerful) 'Next Gen' / 'next generation' antibacterial agents must be created again to resist bacterial strains resistant to current / existing antibiotic agents = antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics allergy : allergies are not necessarily due to antibiotics, but something to keep in mind ... People can be very allergic to certain antibiotics (even anaphylactic reactions), with all the risks of these and potentially life-threatening situations result. Allergies to penicillins, sulfonamides, beta-lactam , tetracycline, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, nitrofurantoin and ciprofloxacin are relatively common.
Without expensive and thorough research, it may be difficult to detect or exclude a bacterial infection. Whether or not there is a bacterium, it is not always possible to estimate 1-2-3. The point is rather that a doctor should be kept quiet about the possible effects of the antibiotic that he / she is about to prescribe...
Tips for safe antibiotic use ...
There are some practical rules and guidelines that can be used if you use antibiotics or follow an antibiotic cure. Here's a list of advice and handles to use antibiotics in as safe a way as possible:
1. Do not deviate from prescribed antibiotic use
Never refrain from the antibiotic use prescribed by your doctor. Use exactly the prescribed dose; no more, but no less. Never skip intake. And always make your antibiotic cure even if your complaints have disappeared earlier than expected ...
Bactericidal (bactericidal) antibiotics and bacteriostatic (antibacterial) antibiotics have extremely complicated action; Always follow the instructions of your doctor exactly.
2. Always complete the antibiotic cure
Antibiotics are often prescribed as a cure, which means that the antimicrobial medication must be taken several times . In addition, it is crucial that the prescribed antibiotic cure is complete, even if the symptoms / symptoms have already disappeared. Because:
A missing disease does not necessarily mean that all pathogenic / pathogenic bacteria have disappeared . To stop an antibiotic cure prematurely can therefore cause backward bacteria to regain their chance of multiplying, thus manifesting the infectious disease.
Too early an antibiotic cure increases the risk of antibiotic resistance. The bacteria that survive an antibiotic cure are after all bacteria that already have significant antibiotic resistance. If these bacteria remain alive, chances are that they are really resistant to the antibiotic used, thus making future follow-up with this same antibiotic useless.
So make an antibiotic cure at all times! If you do not, then there may be sickening bacteria in the body. The chance that these hinders will become antibiotic resistant will increase significantly! Incidentally, the rhythm (in dosage intervals) and the frequency (total number of intakes) taking your prescribed antibiotics are quite close.
Resistance is remarkably high in third world countries. Many people do not have enough money to cure and / or save or save half of the capsules / tablets for a second time, while not yet completely cured. In short: make antibiotic cures up and down! Even though it's tempting to stop once your complaints have disappeared.
3. Assess antibiotics hypersensitivity
If you suffer from allergies or intolerances , please advise your doctors. Based on your medical record, it is sometimes possible to estimate the risk of antibiotic allergy. The better a doctor is aware of your medical history and drug use, the better he / she can treat you. In short: try to minimize the risk of severe allergic reactions due to the use of antibiotics!
4. Combine antibiotics & alcohol
Any type of antibiotic may cause certain side effects that may differ from person to person. Therefore, if an antibiotic does not occur, it is not possible to predict 1-2-3 in advance. However, you can take steps to minimize the risk of side effects, contraindications and complications, including no alcohol .
The combination "antibiotics + alcohol" is not a success. Thus, one single alcoholic consumption already results in significantly worse antibiotic activity. Alcohol thus kills bacteria, but also some antibiotics. So: "Can I drink alcohol if I started with an antibiotic cure?" That's what you read in the leaflet of the particular antibiotic ...
5. Understand that antibiotic use is meaningless in many situations
Antibiotics kill only bacteria (so no viruses and other microbes). However, the difference between a bacterial infection and a viral infection is usually not visible to the naked eye. Determining the exact harassment, requires research, and thus time, money and effort. To save time, money and effort, antibiotics are still too often prescribed preventively ... While it is sometimes more effective to just get sick. Most light infections are cure for themselves, often before an antibiotic comes into effect.
In short: never handle too lightly or lightly with antibiotics!
6. Recognize a bacterial infection ...
Many infections can be caused by both bacteria and viruses. Yet there are infections in far due most cases to either. For example, bacteria are responsible for the vast majority of ear infections, pneumonia, meningitis and abscesses. Viruses are always responsible for, for example, colds, flu, measles, red dogs and bumps.
Therefore, do not use antibiotics in a "normal" (uncomplicated) flu or cold . In any case, viruses are completely insensitive to antibiotics, because a virus uses the metabolism and host cells. If you have the virus with an antibiotic-like medication, you would probably also shift the host's metabolism.
Sources:
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Link 4
Thanks for your time,
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Very informative and comprehensive. The only issue not addressed is taking AB is a short term solution. If the problem recurs than taking AB is not the solution, you must correct the source of the problem because the source is what is causing the bacterial problem.