Antibiotics save he alth and life, but they don't cure everything. You have to be able to use them, because careless antibiotic treatment is harmful. How to avoid the side effects of antibiotic therapy?
Antibioticsdestroy the bacteria that cause the disease, but also the natural bacterial flora, which has many important functions in the body. Someantibioticswork against many types of bacteria, others only fight certain types of germs. But bacteria learn to defend themselves against the antibiotic by altering DNA; those who are resistant to a given antibiotic pass this skill on to their successors. As a result, the effective drug stops working. Therefore,antibioticshould only be taken when needed. It should be recommended by a doctor when he or she is sure that the disease is bacterial.
You have to follow rules that reduce the risk of side effects.
- Don't take an antibiotic without consulting your doctor. Reaching for a medicine that is left over from a seemingly similar disease can be harmful. You will not heal yourself, but you will only weaken the immune system and expose you to further infections.
- Choose medications to finish. To overcome disease, all germs must be destroyed. Otherwise, the bacteria will start multiplying again, causing the infection to come back. In addition, they will already be able to recognize an antibiotic and defend themselves against it. Antibiotic called a three-day period is assumed to be only 3 days. It is an "intelligent" drug - it locates in places attacked by bacteria and, due to the fact that it is slowly absorbed, it works for 7 days after the end of the treatment. Unfortunately, due to the abuse of three-day drugs, many people have already developed resistance to them.
- Take the drug within the prescribed intervals. The point is to keep blood levels constant. When there is not enough antibiotic, the bacteria will multiply. If you are up to an hour late take your medicine and take your next dose as scheduled. If the break is longer, skip one dose. Do not take a double dose, because accumulating the drug increases the risk of side effects.
- Do not take the medicine with citrus juices, milk or milk drinks. It is best to take the antibiotic with low-mineralized water. Compounds contained in juices also make it difficult for the drug to be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, reducing its concentration in the blood.Milk and milk products contain a lot of calcium, which reacts with the drug to form water-insoluble s alts and the antibiotic is much less absorbed. You can eat dairy products for several hours before or after taking the medicine. Remember that most antibiotics are taken one hour before or two hours after eating. Each meal, especially with carbohydrates, makes it difficult to absorb the drug.
- Do not chew the tablets or pour out the capsule contents. As a result of the fragmentation of the drug, a smaller dose will reach the stomach. Preparations that end up in the stomach without a cover may be destroyed by hydrochloric acid.
- Do not drink alcohol while taking antibiotics. Alcoholic beverages interact with some antibiotics to make them less effective. This combination can cause heart palpitations, headache, and disturb blood pressure.
- For the duration of antibiotic treatment, stop taking iron, calcium, vitamins, drugs used in gastric hyperacidity - they bind with the antibiotic and reduce its absorption. Vitamins are also a good breeding ground for bacteria. You will reach for multivitamins after completing the treatment to strengthen the body.
- Take care to rebuild the natural bacterial flora by consuming products with probiotics. They are found in some yoghurts and milk drinks, so it is worth reaching for them duringantibiotic therapy . Also, drink regular kefirs and yoghurts that provide lactic acid (remember to leave a gap of time after taking the medicine). To cover the body's need for good bacteria, yogurt alone is not enough, so take a probiotic preparation while taking antibiotics. Women who are prone to vaginal infections should additionally use such a measure vaginally (you can buy probiotics at a pharmacy without a prescription).
- After treatment, drink at least a glass of yogurt a day and eat products containing lactobacilli (pickled cucumbers and cabbage) to replenish the deficiencies of good bacteria.
- during treatment and for several days after treatment, do not sunbathe. Some antibiotics are photosensitive and can cause discoloration of the skin.
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