All About Antibiotics: 22 Answers to Important Questions

All About Antibiotics 22 Answers to Important Questions

WHO is concerned about taking antibiotics to prevent and treat various diseases. How do antibacterial drugs work? Can they be used by children? How often can you take these drugs? Today, we explain how to use antibiotics correctly.

Antibiotic Use Questions and Answers

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

Moderate alcohol consumption does not prevent most antibiotics from fighting off disease-causing bacteria. That is, theoretically, you can drink alcohol… But still, it is not recommended.

2. Why then you can’t drink alcohol?

Because alcohol enhances the side effects of antibiotics: sleepiness, dizziness, mild nausea, indigestion.

That is, you can suffer from:

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

As you know, the body at this time is also weakened by an infection, and alcohol consumption (even if it does almost no harm to health) can slow down recovery.

It is not recommended to drink alcohol not only while taking antibiotics, but also 3 days after treatment cancelation.

3. Can an antibiotic stop working if you take it often?

Yes, it stops working if you take it too often. The 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, there appear superinfections, which cannot be treated yet. It is very dangerous. For example, about 250,000 people die from antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis every year. That is why it is very important to take these drugs correctly.

4. They say antibiotics cannot be taken with orange juice and milk. It this true?

Yes. Orange, grapefruit, apple, pineapple and other juices, as well as milk and dairy products, alter the absorption of the antibiotic and may affect the effectiveness of treatment.

All of the above is not allowed within three hours after taking the pills.

5. And what can I drink with these drugs?

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 of antibiotics.

6. Can antibiotics be taken with meals?

Trusted Tablets online explains that depends on the type of antibiotic. The pharmacy offers various types, such as penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. Some of them can be taken only on an empty stomach: only then will they be effective. Others should only be taken on a full stomach. Consult your doctor or at least look at the instructions for use.

7. Are there foods that cannot be taken with antibiotics?

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

There are only temporary recommendations. We have already mentioned that antibiotics should not be taken with milk. Eating butter, yogurt, cheese, and calcium supplements is also not recommended an hour and a half before taking an antibiotic and three hours after it.

8. And what about medications?

Any alcohol-based drugs should be avoided. By the way, there are many medications that contain alcohol, 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 is indicated in the instructions for a specific antibiotic. Do not miss this moment, otherwise the drugs may intensify each other’s side effects or turn out to be ineffective.

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

Not. Otherwise, you will reduce the harm not only to the body but also to bacteria. The results will be severe. Unkilled microbes quickly mutate and adapt to the antibiotic, that is, they simply stop responding to it. You won’t 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 destroy bacteria and, at the same time, harm you less.

10. Can I crush tablets to make them easier to swallow?

No. This can prevent the antibiotic from working.

11. What is the correct way to take antibiotics 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.

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

Yes. Be sure to tell your doctor how you protect yourself. Your doctor will advise you on what to do to avoid pregnancy.

13. Why do antibiotics cause intestinal problems?

The main task of antibiotics is to kill disease-causing bacteria. But the distribution, especially when it comes to broad-spectrum antibiotics, also includes good ones – those that live in the intestines and are beneficial.

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

One week of taking antibiotics changes the composition of the intestinal microflora for up to one year.

14. What can I do to help the intestines recover faster?

Take probiotics. This is the name of products and dietary supplements with live microorganisms. The latter populate the intestines, which have been emptied by antibiotics, return its microflora to normal and reduce the risk of disorders.

Studies have shown that probiotics that contain lactic acid bacteria and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii give the best results.

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

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

Probiotics are also found in food. Fermented foods will help improve the condition of the intestines 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;
  • sour milk, in particular yogurt and kefir.

16. 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. Besides, against the background of weakened immunity, you could get infected with some new bacterial disease.

In any case, consult your doctor. They will review your treatment plan and prescribe an antibiotic again – most likely a different one.

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

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

Antibiotics are not vitamins. They are taken exclusively on the instructions of a doctor. If you have a bacterial infection, your doctor will give you antibiotics, no matter how many times you have taken them in the past year.

18. Can antibiotics be used for children?

Sure. If a child has a bacterial infection, which, in the opinion of a doctor requires the treatment with antibiotics.

19. Do antibiotics affect blood tests?

Yes. Some antibacterial drugs:

  • reduce the level of leukocytes. In particular, the popular broad-acting antibiotic chloramphenicol gives such a reaction;
  • increase the level of histamine. This is how glycopeptide antibiotics work;
  • 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 blood clotting time, distort the results of the antiglobulin test.

Doctors are aware of such distortions. Therefore, if the doctor sent you for a blood test, do not hesitate: the specialist 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 or her about the medications you are taking.

20. When do antibiotics stop affecting blood tests?

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

21. Can I sunbathe while taking antibiotics?

This is not recommended. Some drugs increase the skin’s photosensitivity. As a result, instead of a chocolate tan, you get a burn or pigmentation. Or, the tan will be uneven on the skin.

As a rule, such a side effect is reported in the instructions. If you have some doubts, consult your doctor.

22. And can I go in for sports?

You should postpone it. Antibiotics have many side effects, including diarrhea and cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, the condition of the ligaments often worsens, which means that the risk of sprains and ruptures increases.

Therefore, you’d better refuse exercise while taking antibiotics. If you want to keep doing fitness, try to keep your workout as low as possible and keep your workouts shorter.

Category: Health-wellness

Tags: antibiotics, disease, infection, infectious diseases, treatment