There are features of use antibiotics. Antibiotics are far from harmless, as do most other drugs. Should take antibiotics only when they are prescribed by a doctor (in the annotation to almost all antibiotics, you will find a warning: «dispensed by prescription»). Why?

Firs, nobody can independently establish the exact diagnosis of his illness, especially when it comes to infectious diseases. Even if the diagnosis is established, only a doctor can determine what kind of antibiotic, in what dosages, and for what duration should use it. And one not unimportant point: before you will be assigned one or another antibiotic, the physician should refer you to a laboratory to determine the sensitivity of your organism to a number of medicines used for treatment. Depending on the reaction to the drugs, he writes a suitable antibiotic for you, namely the one to which your organism has issued the maximum response.

Secondly, self-medication with antibiotics leads to the result, counter-productive: you are still sick, but to the doctor becomes more difficult to determine what it is, because the background of antibiotics the disease can be «wiped off» symptoms.

In a number of diseases antibiotics contraindicated, for example, in severe hepatic and renal failure, asthma, hay fever, diabetes and diseases of the hematopoietic system. Moreover, few people know that not only useless but also harmful to use them for colds, flu, high temperature or intestinal disorders. Antibiotics are effective only for those diseases which are caused by bacteria. In viruses, these drugs do not work. Also, antibiotics do not possess anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic properties. Many antibiotics are contraindicated for children under 15 years, as well as women during pregnancy and lactation. Antibiotic’s side effects may include: suppression of the flora of the gastrointestinal tract and the weakening of immunity. To avoid this, while taking antibiotics prescribed vitamins and medications to increase the immunity.

It is important not to interrupt the course of antibiotics: if the doctor has ordered you to take on the tablet 3 times daily after meals for 5 days, and you’d like, even if you feel considerable improvement on the third day. Only a full course of treatment may lead to recovery. If the course has been interrupted or taken smaller doses, may develop resistance of the microorganism to the drug and the disease enters the chronic form, and then the treatment will have to begin anew.

Do not take antibiotics with expired! Such products do not possess the necessary efficiency to combat the disease, and in addition, can cause enormous harm to your body. Also – great risk of side effects.

Attention! Antibiotics are very effective in treating many serious diseases. But I would like to reiterate the most important truths:

1. We must not forget that every antibiotic effect on certain microorganisms. And only a doctor can determine which medication needed for a particular disease.

2. Self-medication with antibiotics does not lead to anything good. It contributes to the spread of infections and erases «signs of the disease. As a result, the doctor will be incredibly difficult to establish the diagnosis. But this depends on our health and often life. At the wrong antibiotic treatment of the disease can move from acute to chronic.

3. Although each package with the drug and be accompanied by a detailed description – instructions for its use, only a doctor can show you determine the dose and duration of treatment.

4. Remember that «harmless» drugs do not almost exist. Consequently, the choice of antibiotic should take into account the possible side effects (allergy, idiosyncrasy, toxic effects on the kidneys, liver, blood, etc.). Therefore, antibiotics should be under constant medical supervision. Notify your doctor of any changes being in the background of treatment – a necessity!

Recently, antibiotics have been considered to be harmful and non-medical methods of treatment have been preferred instead. This and self-treatment often lead to adverse reactions. For example, improper treatment of severe tonsillitis may lead to development of rheumatic heart disease with serious adverse complications. Without antibiotics an inflammation of the middle ear (otitis) may lead to deafness, and of pneumonia to hospitalization or even fatal outcome.

Therefore, it is very important to follow the doctor’s recommendations and not to refuse from the prescribed drug as any infectious disease is always more serious than possible adverse side-effects of antibiotics used in the treatment. Drugs mentioned in this section can be used only under the doctor’s recommendation, even if they are available as over-the-counters. The provided information cannot be considered as the recommendation for diagnostic and self-treatment. If you had any questions, please, visit your doctor.

There are different forms of antibiotics: pills, suspensions, or injections for parenteral administration (intramuscular, intravenous). There are antibiotics working topically. Mupirocin is an antibiotic for external application, one of the best remedies for treatment of skin infections, such as furunculosis, folliculitis, infectious complications in atopy dermatitis, infected wounds, and insignificant burns.

Mupirocin is characterized by significant action against gram-positive microorganisms comparing to other antibiotics and it is used under prescription of the doctor.

Bacteria differ from viruses very much. First of all, they are bigger, second of all, they represent quite self-sufficient live organisms capable of self-reproducing if corresponding feeding is available. Penetrating to a human body, certain bacteria find food and suitable conditions for reproduction, and diseases are appeared this way.

Before the XX century, the doctors’ fight against bacterial infections has not differed from fighting against infection virus: all their efforts were directed at help to an organism to cope with a disease. Fortunately, the possibilities of modern medicine are significantly increased. It was due to creation of several groups of medications able to kill microbes without any significant harm to an individual. You, for sure, heard about these medications: antibiotics (Penicillin, Tetracycline, Gentamycin), sulfanilamides (Streptocide, Aethazolum, Biseptol) and etc.

Reading these words, the readers may think that bacterial infections are treated much easier, comparing to infection virus. But unfortunately, this is not like this. First of all, because bacteria show incredible adaptability and as the doctors discover new medications, new species of known bacteria refractory to these antibiotics are appeared (or probably the drugs affect bacteria for a short period of time or not very effectively.) Second of all, the same bacterial diseases, for example, pneumonia or meningitis, may be caused by hundreds different microbes and the doctors, sometimes, are not able to answer a question: «What is the reason?» and, accordingly, prescribe the correct antibiotic.

The world of bacteria is diverse, as well as the diseases caused by bacteria are various and numerous. Bacteria differ from each other in the sizes, structure, reproductive abilities. The conditions suitable for their normal existing are various. Some bacteria are round, they are named cocci (staphylococcus, pneumococcus, streptococcus, meningococcus, gonococcus,) others are oblong, they are named rods (dysenteric bacillus, pertussis and colon bacillus). Bacteria have outgrowth, flagellum, and cilium. In contrast to viruses, bacteria are not characterized by selective lesion of certain human body parts.

However, each microbe has own «preferences.» So, dysenteric bacillus is developed in the large intestine, pertussis agent is developed in the epithelium cells of the respiratory tracts, meningococcus agent is developed in the arachnoid membrane. Staphylococcus may cause an inflammatory process anywhere on the skin, in bones, in lungs, and in intestines, and etc.

English microbiologist Alexander Fleming in 1929 discovered the first antibiotic – penicillin. This was one of the most significant discoveries of the XX century. The new era has begun in biology and medicine – the era of antibiotics. They were treated as a panacea, as they coped with the treatment of diseases previously considered hopeless.

The term «antibiotic» is derived from two Greek words: «anti» – «against» and «bios» – life. It was first proposed by Professor Waxman in 1942. (Although the mold used in Greece and ancient Rome, only then they were not called antibiotics.) Antibiotics – drugs of microbial, animal or vegetable origin selectively inhibit the vital activity of certain genera and species of microorganisms. This is the most numerous group of drugs. Thus, in Russia today is used more than 200 drugs (not counting analogs). They are grouped according to certain qualities, despite the differences in chemical structure and mechanism of action. There are antibiotics with antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antitumor activity.

Specificity of antibiotics is that, unlike most other drugs, they operate at the cellular level. However, their activity is not constant: it decreases with time. This is caused by the formation of drug – the inevitable biological phenomenon). The fact that bacteria are somehow «similar» to rats, which had already become accustomed to the poison known to them and then eat these poisons like a harmless powder. And another trouble: microorganisms that become resistant to certain antibiotics go on to infect other people, so to deal with them need is a new antibiotic.

The first antibiotics were very simple and had too many shortcomings, namely: serious side effects, many contraindications, and the need for frequent and prolonged use of drugs, fast habituation. For decades, many countries carried out intensive work to create new generations of antibiotics. In recent years the pharmaceutical market out products of the XXI century, which cause far fewer side effects and, more importantly, «do not give the addiction. Allow them enough to only 2 times a day, as their effect lasts for 12 hours (intravenously – 8 hours). Those are antibiotics such as Maxipim, Meron, Rocephin and others.

Antibiotics help us get rid of many diseases, and often we ourselves «prescribe» a treatment. But they are far from harmless, as do most other drugs. The information provided on our site, help you understand when antibiotics – medication, and when – the poison, and avoid mistakes in their application. By its chemical structure of antibiotics are divided into 12 main groups. Therefore, we will consider antibiotics for groups to get a clearer picture of their action.