Antibiotics certainly not something alien. However, how antibiotics should be used, not everyone knows.
1. What is actually the benefit of antibiotics?
Antibiotics are chemical compounds designed to fight germs, especially bacteria. There are various types of germs, there are germs that are big, some are small, with diverse properties as well.
Germs tend to nest in certain organs in the body of the host. Some like in the brain, lung, intestine, nerve, kidney, stomach, skin, or throat, and more. In the breeding place organs that certain bacteria cause infection. Typhoid germs in the intestines causing typhoid, tuberculosis bacteria in the lungs, but can also in bone, kidney, brain, and skin. Germs leprosy in the nerves and skin, the bacteria in the throat diphtheria, tetanus on the nerves, and more.
Initially, it was discovered antibiotics penicillin and sulfa, which is used to treat all infectious diseases. Now, they have dozens of antibiotics discovered, either of the same family, as well as from the newer types. Each antibiotic has its own merits in the fight against germs. That's because, every clump of germs have antidotes specific individual. However, most antibiotics are completely impervious or broadspectrum. That is, all the germs can dibasminya.
In addition, there is also a type of antibiotic usage narrow, specific only to certain germs. For example, antibiotics for TB germs (mycobacterium tuberculosis), to leprosy or leprosy (mycobaterium leprae), or for typhoid (Salmonella tyhphi).
2. When antibiotics are used?
Antibiotics are used if there is an infection by germs. Infection occurs when bacteria enter the body. Germs enter the body through its own entrance. There is a mouth with food and beverages, through breathing air into the lungs, through microscopic cuts in the skin, through sexual intercourse, or pass through the bloodstream, and the germs into his preferred organ for nesting.
Common symptoms are usually accompanied by infected body temperature rises, fever, headache, and pain. Infections cause a reaction in the skin of red inflamed, swollen, hot and painful. Examples ulcers. In the intestine,
symptomatic heartburn, diarrhea. In the airways, coughing, sore throat, or shortness of breath. In the brain, headache. In the kidney, many of urination, urinary red or like milk.
However, symptoms of elevated body temperature, fever, headache, and pain, may also not caused by bacteria, but infection by viruses or parasites. Of complaints, signs and symptoms, the doctor can tell if the infection is caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
The disease is caused not by bacteria treated with antibiotics did not work. For given virus antivirus, and to be antinya parasites, such as antimalarial, antifungal, and anticacing. If infection by specific types of bacteria, doctors usually give antibiotics immediately in accordance with the germs cause. Eg boils on the skin, tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid, or pink eye infection.
For the dubious infection, required special inspections to ensure the types of germs cause. How to make culture (culture) bacteria. Biakannya material taken from blood or saliva, sputum, urine, stool, cerebrospinal fluid, pus genitals, or skin scrapings.
With a bacteria culture, in addition to find the type of bacteria, can be directly examined antibiotics also suitable to put it down (resistance test). Thus, treatment of the infection is more appropriate. If no test resistance, it could be considered capable of antibiotics have no effect, because the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics is considered powerful.
3. Why are a growing number of antibiotic resistant bacteria?
Use of antibiotics in developing countries often tend to be haphazard and uncontrolled. Antibiotics that can be bought freely, knowing the use, and not used to the bitter end, lead to the generation of germs that become resistant (resistant) to antibiotics are used inappropriately and haphazard. Use of antibiotics that are not spent, or make up half the recipe, for example.
The more frequent and much abused an antibiotic, the more quickly bacteria commonly cause immune ditumpasnya. Use of antibiotics group erythromycine the most numerous and widely used in the decade of the 80s, gave birth to generations of germs more resistant to it. Then, created a new generation of the same family. Every few years, the birth of new types of generation antibiotics to eradicate the type of bacteria that have developed resistance. Sure, the price is more expensive.
4. What are the side effects of antibiotics?
Such as general medicine, antibiotics also have the side effects of each. There's a bad effect on the kidneys, liver, some are disturbing the balance of the body. The doctor knows what the side effects of antibiotics, so it is not given to any patient. Patients with liver disorders, for example, should not be given antibiotics side effects liver damage, even powerful
disinfect idap being patient. Doctors need to choose other antibiotics, may be less potent, but no effect on the liver.
However, if an antibiotic is not a replacement, antibiotics still used, the notes, the danger of side effects in a patient require monitoring by a physician, if used for long periods of time. Antibiotics for tuberculosis, for example, taken at least 6 months, have liver function tests periodically, so if it damages the liver, the drug considered to be replaced.
5. What is the danger to overuse of antibiotics?
Use of antibiotics are too often not recommended. In our country, people are free to buy and use antibiotics when necessary. A little cough and cold, taking antibiotics immediately. New diarrhea once, immediate antibiotics. Though not necessarily need. Why?
Not necessarily cold cough is caused by bacteria. Initially the virus. If the condition is strong bodies, generally self-limiting viral illness. That needs to be done on the diseases caused by viruses are
strengthen the immune system with enough to eat, rest, and good food. Giving antibiotics in cold cough caused by a virus just wasteful and detrimental to the body, because the side effects of taking antibiotics which did not have to happen.
Cases of cough and cold virus that had long, which is usually ridden by germs, new antibiotics need to eradicate the bacteria, not for its flu virus. Signs cold cough antibiotics need is to look at his nose. That had been turned into a watery clear thick yellow-green. During his nose was thin nodes, antibiotics are not needed.
Taking antibiotics too often also disrupt the balance of intestinal flora. We know, in the normal intestinal bacteria growing that aid digestion and the formation of vitamin K. In addition, in certain parts of our bodies are also living germs benign peaceful coexistence with our bodies. In the female genitalia, in the skin, in the mouth, and everywhere there are body parts that do not interfere with germs but beneficial (symbiotic).
Too often take antibiotics meant to kill all the germs that are beneficial to the body tame. If the population of a benign germ eradicated worthwhile for the body, the body's balance of microorganisms can be disrupted, so the mushrooms that had been frightened by the germs in our body the opportunity to more easily attacked.
It was then, a lot of people who after taking antibiotics too long, then attacked by fungal diseases. Can fungus on the skin, intestines, ulcers in the mouth, or on the go. Whitish fungus causes in women, among others, due to vaginal antisepsis too clean by killing beneficial bacteria in the vagina (Döderlein).
6. How long should the consumption of antibiotics?
Long use of antibiotics varies, depending on the type of infection and germs cause. At least 4-5 days. However, if the infection is still not finished, antibiotics should be continued until the complaints and symptoms disappear. In typhus, take a few weeks. Similarly, the diphtheria, tetanus. Pling time on TB that takes many months. Included in leprosy.
In certain infections, after a kir use of antibiotics, the bacteria culture examination needs to be done to ascertain whether the bacteria is eradicated completely. Urinary tract infections, for example, after a kir antibiotics and complaint symptoms are gone, the bacteria culture done to see what was left in the kidney germs. If the remaining germs and antibiotikanya discontinued, infection disease will recur again.
Including tooth infection. Toothache is usually caused by a germ that enters the gums and jaw bone with teeth perforated or porous. In such circumstances, swollen gums and tooth pain. Antibiotics are given to the missing tooth pain. If antibiotics are taken only a day or two, the bacteria in the gums is not dead all, so the gum infection and tooth pain will recur again.
7. Why can not antibiotics work?
Antibiotics do not work for two reasons. Most often, the bacteria causing the disease is resistant to these antibiotics. For it is necessary to find other types of antibiotics are more sensitive. Usually necessary to resistance tests look for the right kind of antibiotic.
The second because it is not performed resistance tests before and immediately given antibiotics at random, so it is likely not the right choice for this kind antibiotikanya germs that cause illness. Antibiotikanya is impervious to germs cause.
We know there are types of gram-negative bacteria. For that we need an antibiotic for the bacteria types. If given antibiotics for gram-positive bacteria types, would not be effective, because antibiotikanya misplaced. Or it could be because the infection is not caused by bacteria but by viruses or parasites. Skin fungus were not immune to antibiotic ointment or cream, for example.
8. What does it mean antibiotics are hard?
That is not necessary that a new generation of antibiotics, if the classical antibiotics (penicillin groups) still works. However, for mild infections (flu), the latest generation is often given antibiotics. In addition to much more expensive, the body also carry side effects are usually more severe. The more powerful antibiotics, usually the harder side effects too. Killing flies no need to use arrows, just tapped. Similarly to infection lightly. If possible, do not hastily put on antibiotics. Our body has the antibodies. Each seedling diseases of any kind, which enters the body, shall be destroyed by the immune system itself. New body surrendered if the seeds are very malignant disease, polynomial, and the immune system is weak.
Not every time the germs enter our bodies will fall ill. If the immune system primed, the pests that have entered the body will fail to infect, and we are off sick. Infection generally only occurs if the body is weak. For that, it needs the help of anti sent from outside. Anti shipment from outside that is played by antibiotics.
9. Why do people pass out after drinking or injected antibiotics?
Sometimes, after a drink or injected antibiotics may faint. Certain people are gifted allergies, are generally not resistant to penicillin group of antibiotics, either drunk or injected. A few minutes to a few hours after appearing allergic reaction. Bold flavors and itching on the lips, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and fainting. If only mild itching like urticaria. Severe reactions can cause blistering skin reactions, ulcerous-ulcer (Steven-Johnson syndrome).
For the talented allergies, need to be tested first before getting a shot of penicillin group of antibiotics. If positive, do not be. Or if ever there was a history of itching after drinking or injected antibiotics, make a note, so that next time can alert doctors if antibitioka not stand it. Now an allergic reaction to antibiotics is rare, because there are many choices that are superior to antibiotic penicillin allergy without risk.
10. Are all antibiotics just to drink?
No. In addition in the form of oral medication (oral), there is also in the form of injection (parenteral), ointments, creams, suppositories (inserted into the rectum or vagina), lotions, and drops. Skin infections using antibiotic ointment or cream, red eye infection wearing eye drops or ointment, middle ear infections using antibiotic ear drops, antibiotics used white bullet-shaped bacteria that is inserted into the vagina (for those who are married, do not make that as a girl).
By: Dr. Handrawan Nadesul
