Taking antibiotics without consulting a specialist can be useless, and in some cases can be harmful. This was told to Klops by a general practitioner, clinical pharmacologist Ekaterina Moiseeva.
Antibiotics are a group of drugs that have a targeted effect only on the microbial cell. They are only effective in fighting infection caused by bacteria. Against diseases with a viral nature, these medicines are powerless.
“It should be recalled that the drug belongs to a number of drugs that are dispensed strictly on prescription. If a person starts simply taking them, for example, with symptoms of a cold, then he will not only not achieve the desired result, but, on the contrary, will complicate his condition. Diarrhea and cardiac arrhythmia can be caused, ”the doctor explains.
Antibiotics also have no effect on fungal diseases, worms, and protozoan pathogens, such as giardia and amoeba. One type of medicine will not be able to save from all types of bacteria, as their resistance to a particular drug is formed.
“With a subsequent bacterial infection – cystitis or pneumonia – there is a big risk that a range of antibiotics will be ineffective. Then the doctor appoints the patient to take a culture to determine the bacteria and establish sensitivity to antibiotics in order to choose a treatment, ”adds Moiseeva.
It is very important to follow the doses and frequency of administration prescribed by the doctor. If the patient improves and abandons the course of antibiotics, “the infection can become chronic.”