Antibiotics And Bacteria Infections

Many things have been said about antibiotics during past years and still nowadays there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about them. However, when it comes to bad bacterial infections, antibiotics are by far some of the most commonly prescribed medications and some of the most effective too.

Bacterial infections and bacteria - what are they?

The bacteria are microorganisms that live in our bodies all the time and most of them are considered harmless as our immune systems take care of them, some can be even beneficial. However, there are certain types of bacteria that can be harmful to our health and can cause infections. In some cases the symptoms of the infections can be mild, but very serious diseases like syphilis, anthrax or cholera are caused by bacteria as well.

The most prescribed anti-bacterial therapy is the antibiotics treatment; the antibiotics work in two ways, which depends on the bacteriatype: antibiotics either kill the bacteria or prevent their growth. Most of the today's antibiotics are semi-synthetic. Like most of the pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics can cause side effects, with the most common ones being fever or diarrhea, however, severe side effects are also possible. Certain antibiotics interact with other drugs or alcohol and such interaction also provokes serious reactions.

For the time being one of the most-selling antibiotics is Azithromycin, it is sold under the name Zithromax in the United States and under various other trade names in Europe and other parts of the World. Azithromycin is also sold as what most people know as generic Zithromax – capsules which have almost the same active ingredients as branded Zithromax, but cannot be sold under that trade-name due to the fact that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer owns it. The generic pills are cheaper and in some cases they cost only a fraction of what the brand-name drugs are sold.

The Azithromycin 250mg and 500mg are the two available doses and the drug is taken once daily for as long as needed; it is used for treating various infections like middle ear infection, pneumonia, throat infection, tonsillitis, and others. As with other antibiotics, it is very important that the full treatment course is completed, even if the symptoms of the infection disappeared before the end of the treatment.

Azithromycin can not be used for treating viral infections, but neither can any other antibiotic, and the drug should not be taken in the cases of common flu or under any other circumstances, without doctor's prescription. Azithromycin can cause adverse effects, which are usually upset stomach and diarrhea, but in some cases this can be overcome with taking the pills after a meal, instead of taking them on an empty stomach. Azithromycin is overall extremely safe and very effective medication, which is prescribed to patients with weakened immune systems.

By: Blake K. Pitts

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