What Are Antibiotics? Know Uses And Side-Effects

How often do you fall ill? Quite often right, even if you don’t people around you would also be suffering from some kind of infections of health issues in general. They need not be very serious and complicated diseases but it can be as simple as having a flu. Cough, cold, fever and allergic infections as very common among people and they happen at quick intervals and changing weather conditions. People usually visit a doctor in such cases who prescribes them some kind of medication in case the infection is increasing. However, these are not anti-biotics in most conditions, today we will know about the usage of antibiotics in treatment of health problems. Most of the usual infections are caused by bacteria and thus the medications for such ailments are called anti-biotics. They are powerful drugs and slow down the growth of bacteria and act against the potential side-effects.  

What are Antibiotics? 

Antibiotics are actually range of medications that are given to the patient suffering from some kind of bacterial infection. We spoke to Dr. Sumeet Nigam, General Physician from Sahara Hospital, Lucknow to know about this disease. He said that it is important to know that antibiotics do not work against viral infections and diseases. Also, they are high dose drugs that need to be given in limited quantity as to avoid any major side-effect of consuming overdosage of antibiotics. Viral infections such as cold, flu, and coughs are amongst some viral infections that cannot actually treat the condition but still they can boost your immunity and prevent obstacles from affecting them. 

Before bacteria can actually multiply and cause serious problems, there is an immune response that helps to get rid of the harmful bacteria growth. Immune system can usually come up with the bacterial infection and reduce the infection. Sometimes when the bacterial infection has occurred in abundance, then immune cells cannot fight them alone and that is where role of antibiotic medications come in place. 

Antibiotic Resistance 

There is a very crucial term that most people miss to understand which is antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is caused because of over-usage of bacterial infections that increase over the period of time. Antibacterial medications need to be taken in minimal advised quantity otherwise body gets addicted to it. According to Centers of Disease Control, outpatient antibiotics are overused very often and this can create some major issues with health in upcoming time.  

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Uses of Antibiotics 

Antibiotics are used quite often as a part of routine medication which is actually not healthy. Here are different uses of antibiotic medications that you need to know about.  

1. Doctor prescribes antibiotics in case of treatment for a bacterial infection. Not against viral infections. 
2. Virus mostly causes upper respiratory tract infections such as common cold and flu, antibiotics are not effective against this virus.  
3. People having antibiotics need to take for bacterial infection in desired or prescribed quantity 
4. Antibiotics helps to build natural defenses against the health problems and thus they also improve overall health of the person 
5. Broad spectrum of antibiotics can be used to affect larger variety of infections to improve defenses.  
6. Different types of bacterial infection need different antibiotics for treatment. 
7. Some antibiotics work against aerobic bacterial whereas other are effective against anaerobic bacteria. 
8. Aerobic bacterial needs oxygen but anaerobic bacteria does not need oxygen. 
9. Doctors recommend taking antibiotics before the bowel movements an orthopedic surgeon. 

Side-effects of Antibiotics 

There are also some possible side-effects of antibiotics that may arise if the person has taken overdose or excessive use of antibiotics than prescribed. Here are some health complications that can take place because overdosage of antibiotics. 

• Rashes on the skin 
• Feeling of nausea 
• Diarrhea 
• Having upset stomach 
• Frequent vomiting 
• Fungal infection in mouth, digestive tract or vagina because of prolonged usage of antibacterial tablets. 

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There are also some side-effects that happen less commonly but there is a possibility of having such health problems as well. It includes having problems such as- 

• Kidney stones formation because of antibiotic supplements 
• Abnormal blood clotting 
• Sensitivity to sunlight  
• Blood disorders 
• Deafness while taking too many antibiotics

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