Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Macrolide antibiotics are a dream come true to swallow a pill and recover quickly. Macrolides are used in bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinus and pharyngitis and other bacterial infections. What are the benefits of macrolide antibiotics? When are they used and are they always so effective?
Macrolide antibiotichas a broad spectrum of activity, is easy to dose - it is enough to take three doses and has few side effects. These antibiotics, commonly referred to asmacrolides , have been known for 40 years (their oldest representative is erythromycin, which is still popular today), but only after modifying their chemical structure was it possible to create a drug that better penetrates into diseased tissues.
Macrolide antibiotic - a new generation drug
Macrolide antibiotics include erythromycin and its derivatives, including clarithromycin. However, the real hit was an antibiotic in which the active substance is azithromycin (Sumamed by Pliva), and its generics, i.e. substitutes for the original drug containing the same active substance. Macrolides are used in inflammation of the respiratory tract, especially in inflammation of the throat, tonsils, paranasal sinuses, bronchi, lungs, if they are caused by staphylococci and streptococci, and in the so-called atypical infections, i.e. caused by bacteria atypical for the respiratory system, such as chlamydia or mycoplasmas. Macrolides are among the least toxic and safest antibiotics.
Long list of macrolide antibiotic benefits
First of all, the drug is very convenient to use. The patient takes it once a day and only for 3 days. From a medical point of view, there are more benefits. After three doses, the body will have enough active substance to build up that it is enough for another four. So, in fact, treatment takes one week, as it does with traditional antibiotics. The active substance accumulates mainly in infected tissues (there is much more of it than in blood serum) and has a long half-life. Accumulated in diseased tissues, the drug attacks not only the bacteria already present there, but also attacks those that are trying to get there. When the concentration of the antibiotic in individual tissues is low, it has a bacteriostatic effect, i.e. it inhibits the reproductionbacteria. If the treatment is not interrupted, at a higher concentration (in a higher dose), the drug has a bactericidal effect, i.e. it destroys pathogenic bacteria. The structure of the active substance of macrolides and a short therapy may protect against antibiotic resistance. Many of us stop the treatment when we feel better. Then the bacteria that caused the disease are not destroyed, and what is worse, they become resistant to the antibiotic. The next time you become infected, you will need to use a different medicine from this group, as the drug you stop taking will not be effective. In the case of macrolides, such a danger does not exist - before the treatment wears us down, we stop taking the drug.
How to take macrolides
Drugs from this group are taken one hour before or two hours after a meal. Do not take a double dose if you have forgotten about the previous one. We will simply use the drug not for 3, but 4 days. People suffering from kidney and liver disease should inform their doctor about it so that he can assess whether the administration of macrolide will not worsen he alth. Macrolides are not used in pregnant women. But it is an excellent (and sometimes the only) antibiotic for people who are allergic to penicillin and its derivatives. Although the drug is safe, it can cause rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even jaundice. Symptoms disappear within a few days after stopping the preparation.
What about the risk of ringworm?
Most antibiotics, apart from pathogenic microorganisms, also destroy the natural bacterial flora in the digestive tract, genital tract and oral cavity. Unfortunately, macrolides also work like this, contributing to the development of mycosis. That is why you need to take probiotics that allow you to rebuild the bacterial flora. Women are recommended to use oral tablets or pessaries (e.g. with nystatin) at the same time to regenerate the vaginal flora. Probiotics are live microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on he alth. They also include yogurt with live lactic acid bacteria cultures. An effective dose of a probiotic should contain at least a billion lactic acid bacteria cells. To achieve this, you would have to drink about a liter of yogurt every day, which is not easy. Therefore, you must use probiotics in capsules during treatment.
"Zdrowie" monthly