All About Antibiotics: 22 Answers to Important Questions

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Find out if you can crush pills, drink them with beer or milk, and hope for contraceptives.

1. Is it true that alcohol reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics?

Moderate drinking does not interfere What are the effects of drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics? most antibiotics fight off disease-causing bacteria. That is, theoretically, you can drink … But still it is not necessary.

2. Why is alcohol not allowed then?

Because it enhances Combining Antibiotics and Alcohol: Is It Safe? side effects of antibiotics: drowsiness, dizziness, mild nausea, indigestion …

That is, you can earn:

• severe headache;
• stomach cramps and vomiting;
• excessive sweating;
• cardiopalmus;
• a sharp rise in blood pressure;
• liver damage;
• death…

Considering that the body at this time is also weakened by an infection, alcohol consumption (even if it almost does not harm health) can slow down recovery.

Drinking is not recommended not only while taking antibiotics, but also 3 days after.

3. They say that antibiotics should not be taken with orange juice and milk. This is true?

Yes. Orange, grapefruit, apple, pineapple, and other juices, as well as milk and dairy products, alter Using medication: Using antibiotics correctly and avoiding resistance the absorption of the antibiotic and can affect the effectiveness of treatment.

And yes, all of the above is not allowed within three hours after taking the pills.

4. And what to drink them with?

The most correct option is water at room temperature. Try to drink a full glass (200 ml). This will reduce the risk of nausea and other stomach-related side effects.

5. Can antibiotics be taken with meals?

Depends on the type of antibiotic. Some are important to drink exclusively on an empty stomach: only then will they be effective. Some - only full. Consult your doctor or at least look at the instructions for the drug on this matter.

6. Are there foods that cannot be combined with antibiotics?

There are no strict dietary restrictions, it is not necessary to change the diet.

There are only temporary recommendations. It was already mentioned above that antibiotics should not be taken with milk. Eating butter, yogurt, cheese, as well as calcium supplements is also not worth an hour and a half before taking an antibiotic and three hours after.

7. And what about medications?

Any alcohol-based preparations are highly undesirable. By the way, keep in mind that alcohol may contain even seemingly harmless means, for example, a mouthwash (alcohol is perfectly absorbed through the mucous membranes). Therefore, carefully read the labels.

As for other drugs, the list of undesirable combinations must be indicated in the instructions for a specific antibiotic. Do not miss this moment, otherwise the drugs may intensify each other's side effects or be ineffective.

8. Should I reduce the antibiotic dose to reduce side effects?

No. Otherwise, you will reduce the harm not only to the body, but also to bacteria. The results will be disastrous. Unkilled microbes quickly mutate and adapt to the antibiotic, that is, they simply stop responding to it. You will not get well, and the doctor will have to find new drugs.

Remember: the dose of the antibiotic is initially calculated so that the drug can effectively kill bacteria and at the same time harm you less.

9. Can tablets be crushed to make swallowing easier?

No. This may prevent the Using medication: Using antibiotics correctly and avoiding resistance antibiotic from working.

10. What is the correct way to take an antibiotic several times a day?

The antibiotic effect should be evenly distributed throughout the day. Therefore, the phrase "take twice a day" means every 12 hours. If we are talking about three times a day, the intervals are reduced to 8 hours.

11. Is it true that antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives?

Yes. Be sure to tell your doctor how you are protecting yourself. Your doctor will advise you on what to do to avoid getting pregnant.

12. Why do antibiotics cause bowel problems?

The main purpose of antibiotics is to kill bacteria that cause disease. But the distribution, especially when it comes to broad-spectrum antibiotics, includes The effects of antibiotics on the microbiome throughout development and alternative approaches for therapeutic modulation and good ones - those that live in the intestines and bring benefits.

As a result, the balance of microorganisms is disturbed and diarrhea, bloating, flatulence may occur.

One week of taking antibiotics changes the composition of the intestinal microflora for up to one year. Same Exposure but Two Radically Different Responses to Antibiotics: Resilience of the Salivary Microbiome versus Long-Term Microbial Shifts in Feces. …

13. What can be done to help the intestines recover faster?

Take probiotics. This is the name of products and dietary supplements with live microorganisms. The latter colonize the intestines, which have been emptied by antibiotics, return its microflora to its normal state and reduce Probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea: Do we have a verdict? risk of disorders.

Studies have shown Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. that the best result is given by probiotics that contain lactic acid bacteria and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii.

Such supplements are recommended to be taken both after a course of antibiotics and during. Just make sure that at least 3 hours pass between taking the antibiotic and the probiotic. Otherwise, useful aliens will not live long.

14. And if you drink yogurt and kefir, will it help restore the intestinal microflora?

Probiotics are also found in food. Fermented foods can help improve gut health during and after antibiotic therapy:

• sauerkraut;
• kimchi vegetables;
• pickles that were not prepared with vinegar;
• Japanese miso soup;
• tempeh (an Asian dish made from soybeans);
• fermented soy milk;
• fermented milk, in particular yogurt Composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbiota in consumers and non-consumers of yogurt. and kefir.

15. I took a course of antibiotics, but I am still sick. What to do?

If the infection has returned, this is not a good sign. The bacteria may have adapted to the drug you were trying to kill them with. Although coincidences are not excluded: against the background of a weakened immunity, you could well have picked up some new bacterial disease.

In any case, consult your doctor. He will review your treatment protocol and prescribe an antibiotic again - most likely a different one.

There is no need to maintain any gaps between courses. Your task is to overcome the disease as quickly as possible.

16. Can an antibiotic stop working if you drink it often?

Not only can, but it stops. Antibiotic resistance Antibiotic resistance (resistance) of microbes to antibiotics is considered one of the most serious threats to human health. Microorganisms mutate and adapt to drugs.

As a result, superbugs are born that modern science has not yet learned to defeat.

It is very dangerous. For example, about 250 thousand die annually from antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis. The WHO report confirms that not enough people are being developed in the world of antibiotics.

Unfortunately, we often add the prefix "super" to bacteria ourselves - using antibiotics incorrectly, not drinking the course to the end, or, for example, prescribing drugs to ourselves at the first sneeze.

To keep antibiotics working, there are important guidelines for taking them.

17. How many times a year can you drink antibiotics so as not to harm the body?

Antibiotics are not vitamins. They are drunk exclusively as directed by a doctor. If you have a bacterial infection, your GP will prescribe antibiotics for you no matter how many times you have taken them in the past year.

18. Can antibiotics be used for children?

Of course. If a child has a bacterial infection that, according to a doctor (and only a doctor!), Requires antibiotics.

19. Does taking antibiotics affect blood tests?

Yes. Some antibacterial drugs:

• Reduce Effect of Antibiotics on Chemotaxis of Human Leukocytes leukocyte count. In particular, the popular broad-spectrum antibiotic chloramphenicol (chloramphenicol) gives such a reaction.
• Increase Glycopeptide antibiotic histamine levels. This is how glycopeptide antibiotics work.
• The effects of penicillin-streptomycin on liver aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase and total serum protein in rabbits (Orcytolagus coniculus) distort the results of liver tests. Penicillin and streptomycin give a noticeable effect in this regard.

In addition, antibiotics can underestimate the level of hemoglobin, platelets, increase the time of blood clotting, distort the results of the antiglobulin test …

Doctors are aware of such distortions. Therefore, if the attending physician sent you for a blood test - the one who prescribed antibiotics for you, do not hesitate: he will take into account the effect of the drug and read the results correctly.

If another specialist directs you for research, be sure to tell him about the medications you are taking.

20. When do antibiotics stop affecting blood tests?

To get undistorted results, donate blood no earlier than 14 days after the course of antibiotics.

21. Can I sunbathe while taking antibiotics?

Very undesirable. Some antibiotics increase antibacterial photosensitization through activation of coproporphyrinogen oxidase photosensitivity of the skin. As a result, instead of a chocolate tan, you will acquire a burn or pigmentation. Or in the best case, the tan will not evenly fall on the skin.

As a rule, such a side effect is reported in the instructions. If in doubt, consult your doctor.

22. And go in for sports?

Better not. Antibiotics have many side effects. Is training while on Antibiotics good? - from diarrhea to cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, the condition of the ligaments often deteriorates, which means that the risk of sprains and ruptures increases.

Therefore, if possible, you should refuse to exercise while taking antibiotics. If you want to keep doing fitness, try to reduce the load as much as possible and make your workouts shorter.