Antibiotics

Almost everyone has had an antibiotic in their life for some reason or other. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to treat and kill bacteria which infect humans to cause diseases. The very first antibiotic which was discovered was penicillin. And that was entirely by accident. At present, there are over 100 different varieties of antibiotics which are used to treat infections and they are still being invented by the dozens. Minor and major infections are commonly treated with antibiotics and they are the most trusted medications in the modern medical stable.

The main misunderstanding regarding antibiotics is that they can treat anything. Common infections like bacterial infections are treatable but the common cold which is viral in origin cannot be treated by antibiotics. Suffice to say, antibiotics work only to kill bacteria. They do not work with viruses and fungi. And it’s not a good idea to keep popping antibiotics for simple aches and pains. Consult your doctor for infections to find the best antibiotic for the job.

There are several hundred varieties of antibiotics in the market but specific antibiotics work on specific families of bacteria. The main types of antibiotics are-

1. Penicillins- eg penicillin and amoxicillin
2. Cephalosporins- e.g. cephalexin also called as Keflex
3. Macrolides- e.g. clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E-Mycin) and azithromycin (Zithromax)
4. Fluoroquinolones- e.g. ciprofloxacin (Cipro), ofloxacin (Floxin) and levofloxacin (Levaquin)
5. Sulfonamides- e.g. trimethoprim (Proloprim) and co-trimoxazole (Bactrim)
6. Tetracyclines- e.g. doxycycline (Vibramycin)and tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin)
7. Aminoglycosides- e.g. tobramycin (Tobrex)and gentamicin (Garamycin)

Most antibiotics have two names which are used to indicate the same drug. The trade name or brand name is placed by the company to indicate its own formulation but the drug is usually the same. That means each drug has a generic name like amoxicillin which is also named in brand names as Mox, Amox, Pressmox etc. Chemical laboratories also use chemical names to name the formulations and those are called as chemical names. Trade names are capitalized and generic and chemical names are not.

Individual antibiotics are specifically targeted towards specific groups of bacteria. The best way to find out which antibiotic is the perfect one is through your doctor. They can recognize the infection and find out the exact bacteria and the antibiotic to treat it. Different antibiotics are formulated in different methods and some people may be allergic to it. There are patients who are allergic to the entire penicillin group of drugs or have cross allergies to several groups of antibiotics. You can recognize such antibiotics through simple blood tests . If you have allergies, do check with your doctor and make sure you have the test done to confirm it.

Doctors are trained to recognize infections and the bacteria which cause common infections. For example, there are several bacteria which cause ear infections. But each bacterium produces different symptoms. Some may produce watery boils, other produce peeling and itching. The symptoms vary and this makes the infection easy to recognize. The doctor chooses the best antibiotic for a specific infection and that treats the infection.

Several other factors are also considered while choosing antibiotics like costs, manufacturing, dosing schedule and side effects. Common infections which are predominant in different seasons also determine the antibiotic which will be prescribed.

Sometimes it becomes really difficult for the doctor to prescribe the medication from just looking at symptoms. As a result, further tests are carried out by the laboratory to culture bacteria. Techniques like Gram-staining after bacterial cultures are the commonest method of finding the exact bacterial infection. Bacteria are collected from the infected person and sent to the laboratory and are grown in specific culture media. The bacteria grow on the culture media and then they are tested against several antibiotics to find out which one they are sensitive too. If they are sensitive to the antibiotic, then that antibiotic is prescribed to the patient to treat them. Only the doctor can treat you to the ideal antibiotic for your infection.

You have to know how to take antibiotics for them to work effectively. Follow your doctor’s instructions properly to derive the best effects. Clear doubts with your chemist if you are not sure or don’t remember.

Some medications have to be eaten after food. A few have to be eaten before food and on an empty stomach. Some are inactivated by the presence of milk or other foods. Take your antibiotics exactly how you have been instructed or they do not work.

Make sure that the antibiotics are stored in a right way. Pediatric medications are to be stored in the fridge to maintain the stability of the medication.

You should stick to the medication routine as guided by the physician. Even if you start feeling better which you will, you have to finish the course of medication or the bacteria develop resistance to the antibiotic and they do not get killed completely. The resistant-bacteria can cause a re-infection of the patient with a much worse infection which cannot be treated with the same antibiotics.