This is an automatically translated article.
The development of antibiotics is one of the great discoveries of modern medicine. Antibiotics help fight bacteria and can cure life-threatening infections like pneumonia for which there was no effective treatment before. However, the improper use of antibiotics means that more and more bacteria are becoming resistant to these drugs. So antibiotics should be taken for a few days to limit resistance.
1. Why should antibiotics be used correctly?
In medicine, bacteria are said to be resistant to drugs if they can survive exposure to particular external influences. For example, most bacteria that enter the stomach with food are destroyed by stomach acid (gastric juice), but some bacteria are covered by a mucous membrane to protect them from acids, This bacterium is resistant to gastric acid.Resistance to antibiotics follows the same principle: Bacteria have acquired a new property that helps protect them from antibiotics. For example, some bacteria can produce a substance that makes certain antibiotics ineffective against them. The phenomenon of bacteria being able to defend themselves against many different antibiotics is called "multi-resistance".
Improper use of antibiotics is a favorable condition for bacteria to develop resistance.
Streptococcus and Staphylococcus strains are often resistant to antibiotics. For example “methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus” (MRSA). Staphylococci can be found on the skin and mucous membranes and can cause infection (if they get on an open wound). Resistance strains have now developed in other bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and pseudomonads.
MORE: When should antibiotics be stopped?
2. Antibiotic use in developed countries
In Germany, antibiotics are only used when prescribed by a doctor. This means that doctors are first and foremost responsible for antibiotic use. The doctor must first see if the patient really has a bacterial infection.
If an infection occurs, it is important that antibiotics are prescribed at the right dose and for the right duration, choosing the right antibiotic and taking it for the right length of time will help fight the bacteria most effectively.
Antibiotics are also used in veterinary medicine and agriculture, veterinarians must follow the rules of proper handling of antibiotics.
Sử dụng kháng sinh không đúng cách tạo điều kiện cho vi khuẩn đề kháng thuốc
3. Antibiotics should be taken for how many days?
How many days should antibiotics be taken, is it necessary to take antibiotics for 5 days, is it possible to take antibiotics for 3 days? In fact, antibiotics begin to work as soon as the patient takes them. However, the person may not feel better for the first 2 to 3 days because the effect of the medicine also depends on the type of infection the patient is being treated for.
Most antibiotics should be taken for 7-14 days. In some cases, shorter treatments (eg, 5 days of antibiotics) are also effective. The doctor will be the one to decide the best duration of treatment and the correct antibiotic for the patient.
Although most people can feel better after a few days of treatment, it is best for patients to follow the entire antibiotic regimen to completely resolve the infection, which can contribute to the prevention of antibiotic resistance. Accordingly, the patient must not stop the antibiotic prematurely without the consent of the doctor.
Nên uống đủ liều kháng sinh theo đúng chỉ định của bác sĩ
4. Note when using antibiotics
To ensure effective treatment and avoid antibiotic resistance, patients should note the following:
Antibiotics must be used according to the doctor's prescription. When the symptoms of the disease go away, it does not mean that all the bacteria have been killed, the remaining bacteria can cause the disease to flare up again, so it is extremely important to use antibiotics for a full number of days. important. Antibiotics should not be disposed of by dumping them down the drain or down the toilet, which can harm the environment and contribute to bacterial resistance. Antibiotics are usually taken with water or with juice. Dairy products (including milk as well as butter, yogurt, and cheese) or alcohol can affect how some medications are absorbed, so you may need to wait up to 3 hours before eating them. or drink any dairy products. Grapefruit juice and supplements containing minerals such as calcium can also reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics. Some antibiotics need to be taken at the same time of day, others before, with, or after a meal. For example, if a patient is prescribed medication 3 times a day, the drug should be taken at the scheduled times so that the effects are spread evenly throughout the course of treatment (common time intervals are 6 am, 2 pm). p.m. and 10 p.m. for an antibiotic that needs to be taken every 8 hours). Antibiotics can interact with other medications, such as some blood thinners and antacids. Some antibiotics can make birth control pills less effective. Antibiotics are used to treat infections, but antibiotics are also a "double-edged sword" if the patient is not used correctly. Therefore, to ensure safety, the patient should take the medicine according to the instructions of the doctor or pharmacist, to avoid abuse or indiscriminate use of antibiotics that causes antibiotic resistance.
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References: healthline.com, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, medicinenet.com, cdc.gov
