4/30/10

What you should know about Antibiotics.




Thanks to medical and drug research, there are thousands of drugs that help people. Antibiotics and vaccines have revolutionized the treatment of infections. Medicines can lower blood pressure, treat diabetes, and reduce the body's rejection of new organs. Medicines can cure, slow, or prevent disease, helping us to lead healthier and happier lives. But there are also lots of illegal, harmful drugs that people take to help them feel good or have a good time.

Antibiotics are one of the most revolutionary discoveries of the 20th century. Since their introduction in 1941, they have relieved and prevented incalculable suffering. In the right setting, antibiotics are a powerful, lifesaving tool.

Antibiotics are used to treat infections caused by bacteria. The very first antibiotic discovered was penicillin, and it's still widely used to treat many common infections. In the UK, antibiotics are only available on prescription from a doctor, a nurse prescriber or a dentist.

Antibiotics (antibacterials) are drugs derived wholly or partially from bacteria or molds and are used to treat bacterial infections.
Antibiotics either kill microorganisms or stop them from reproducing, allowing the body's natural defenses to eliminate them.

Each antibiotic is effective only against certain bacteria. In selecting an antibiotic to treat a person with an infection, doctors estimate which bacteria are likely to be the cause. You can always find antibiotics and buy antibiatics online.

Types of Antibiotics:

Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.

* Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin
* Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)
* Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)
* Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)
* Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)
* Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)
* Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)

Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Combinations of antibiotics are sometimes needed to treat the following:

* Severe infections, particularly during the first days when the bacteria's susceptibility to antibiotics is not known
* Certain infections caused by bacteria that rapidly develop resistance to a single antibiotic
* Infections caused by more than one type of bacteria if each type is susceptible to a different antibiotic

More about Amoxicillin
Amoxicillin is an antibiotic in the penicillin group of drugs. It fights bacteria in your body. Amoxicillin is used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria, such as ear infections, bladder infections, pneumonia, gonorrhea, and E. coli or salmonella infection. Amoxicillin is also sometimes used together with another antibiotic called clarithromycin (Biaxin) to treat stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infection. This combination is sometimes used with a stomach acid reducer called lansoprazole (Prevacid).

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