Antibiotics

What are antibiotics?

Antibiotics are antimicrobial substances which are active against bacteria and are meant for fighting against bacterial infections. They act by either killing the bacteria or by inhibiting the growth of bacteria. In short, they save lives. One who often go for having antibiotics (when not needed) or not using them properly can lead to a condition called ''ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE". Resistance is the power of not getting affected by anything like humans get resistance to a particular disease by taking a particular antibiotic against that disease and bacteria gets resistant to a particular antibiotic by often exposing to it. Resistance mechanism adopted by humans is beneficial but on the other hand if once bacteria acquires this, it can be harmful too.

                   
                                  Figure 1: Occurance of antibiotic resistance
Different forms of antibiotics are

• Tablets
• Capsules
• Ointments
• Creams
• Liquids

Are antibiotics recommended during viral infections?

Antibiotics donot fight against viral infections flu, common cold, sore throats. More you take antibiotics during viral fever more it would cause harm. Viruses just insert their genetic material into the human cell's DNA so that they can reproduce. Bacteria and virus have different mechanisms of infecting an individual so antibiotic has no target to attack against viruses.

Figure 2: Virus inserting its genetic material into host

Whenever you take antibiotics, one have to follow the instructions carefully. Some people stop taking medicine whenever they feel better. But is it recommended? No, not at all. One have to finish the medicine for whatever span they have been recommended. If you stop the treatment soon, some bacteria may survive and can re-infect you soon.

How antibiotics work?

• They attack the cell wall or coating surrounding the bacteria and thus killing it.
• By just interfering with the reproductive cycle of bacteria
• By blocking the synthesis of proteins in bacteria

The span of taking antibiotics depends upon the type of infection. If the infection is severe then antibiotics are recommended for weeks to months but if the infection is not that severe then it can be cured within days. Here's an animated video that tells how antibiotics work↓↓

                                    

What are antibiotics made up of?

In earlier times, antibiotics were produced by bacteria found in ground soil but now-a-days all medicines or antibiotic medications are produced in lab. Some antibiotics are produced through a series of chemical reactions. 

Popular Bacterial Infection Drugs

Popularity	Drug Name	Drug Class
1	amoxicillin	Penicillin Antibiotics
2	Augmentin (amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate)	Penicillin Antibiotic / Beta Lactamase Inhibitor Combinations
3	Keflex (cephalexin)	Cephalosporin Antibiotics

Respiratory viruses usually just go away in 2-3 weeks without treatment. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) warns health professionals to only prescribe fluoroquinolones when another treatment option is unavailable. 

Several important steps can be taken to decrease inappropriate antibiotic use:

• Take antibiotics only for bacterial infections
• Take antibiotics as directed by your healthcare provider
• Take the right antibiotic

What are the common side effects of antibiotics?

• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Cramps

Sometimes the side effects can be reduced by taking the antibiotic with food or sometimes on an empty stomach. The purpose of this article was to give a layman basic idea about what are antibiotics and what can happen to them if they take antibiotics without prescription.