The 9 Most Used Antibiotics (and What They Are For)
There are numerous diseases that need to be treated through the administration of antibiotics, being specifically useful for those caused by an infection caused by some bacteria, having demonstrated great effectiveness. It must also be taken into account that they are not exempt from causing possible side effects.
However, there are currently many people who self-medicate with antibiotics without taking into account that they can be dangerous if not prescribed by a doctor. Furthermore, they are often used incorrectly to treat diseases caused by a virus, when in reality they are not effective against viral diseases.
In this article We will see which are the most used antibiotics and what they are prescribed for by some professionals.
An antibiotic is a medicine that has been developed in order to combat bacterial infections in both people and animals whose origin dates back to 1928, when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, being the first antibiotic that is composed of fungi and that proved to be effective in fighting bacteria.
In addition to there being antibiotics formed by fungi, such as penicillin, there are also other classes of antibiotics that have been developed with synthetic compounds in a laboratory, whose usefulness is to also combat bacteria, either by killing them directly or by inhibiting them. its growth.
Antibiotics are a group of medications that can be administered in various ways:
On the other hand, the different types of antibiotics that exist have been developed in order to treat different types of bacterial infections. Some types of antibiotics are very specific for one type of bacteria, and others are effective for multiple species of bacteria. This is why so many types of antibiotics have been developed to cover various “niches” of bacteria.
How do these medications work?
The antibiotics They are used to combat certain bacteria that have caused an infection in the body (e.g., in the gastrointestinal system, in the urinary system, in the skin, in the bones, etc.). To combat these harmful bacteria, they use various mechanisms.
One of them is causing damage to the cell wall that surrounds these bacteria, so that the bacteria end up weakening and, finally, die.
Other antibiotics act directly on the cell membrane, so that the bacteria are completely unprotected and end up dying.
There are also antibiotics that are responsible for inhibiting protein synthesis, others that attack the genetic material of the bacteria, etc. The common goal is to directly kill the bacteria or prevent them from developing and reproducing, so that they also end up dying
The most commonly used antibiotics within the healthcare system to treat various bacterial diseases will be briefly explained below.
What are the most used antibiotics?
Let’s see how the following antibiotics explained in this section work and for what diseases they are used.
1. Penicillin
As mentioned before, it was the first of all antibiotics to be discovered. It is a bactericide whose objective is to block the synthesis and repair of the bacterial wall, so that It is considered a broad spectrum antibiotic
This antibiotic mainly fights against gonococci, pneumococci, streptococci, spirochetes and staphylococci.
It is used to treat various diseases: meningitis, syphilis, tetanus, gonorrhea, pneumonia, pharyngitis, otitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, osteomyelitis, septicemia, diphtheria, among others.
2. Amoxicillin
Amoxicillin is one of the most used antibiotics. It is responsible for killing bacteria, and Its way of acting is by inhibiting the synthesis and also the repair of the bacterial wall also being a broad spectrum antibiotic.
Amoxicillin acts in a way that not only inhibits the growth of bacteria, but is also capable of killing them directly.
This antibiotic is used with diseases such as the following: infections in the throat, respiratory system, ear, urinary system, mouth, skin, stomach, etc.
3. Ampicillin
ampicillin It is an antibiotic that has a mechanism of action against bacteria similar to that of amoxicillin preventing synthesis in the bacterial wall and killing infectious bacteria, also being a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
It is one of the antibiotics that is used to treat respiratory, ear, skin, neurological system, urinary tract, septicemia and gastrointestinal infections.
The objective of this bactericidal antibiotic is to damage the ribosomes structures that are found inside cells and that help in the process of making proteins in the body.
So when this antibiotic penetrates the body, the proteins that are essential for the bacteria that you want to combat are not synthesized, therefore, By not synthesizing the proteins, the bacteria are killed
The diseases for which this antibiotic is prescribed are the following: gonorrhea, gastrointestinal infections, tuberculosis, brucellosis, etc.; It is also used to reduce the intestinal flora in patients who are going to undergo surgery.
5. Tetracycline
It is a bacteriostatic antibiotic, so It is not responsible for killing bacteria like bactericides do, but is only responsible for inhibiting their growth Its way of acting in the body is by interfering with protein synthesis, so that the bacteria cannot reproduce or grow, until there comes a time when they end up dying.
This type of antibiotics are used to combat bacteria such as the following: “Listeria”, “Streptococcus”, “Bacillus”, “Staphylococcus”, among others.
The diseases they are used for are respiratory, dental, skin, gastrointestinal infections, otitis, typhus, etc.
6. Ticarcillin
It is also a bactericidal antibiotic that It is responsible for inhibiting the synthesis and also for the repair of the cell wall so that the bacteria end up dying.
This antibiotic acts against bacteria such as the following: “Proteus”, “Pseudomonas”, “Salmonella”, “Klebsiella”, etc.
The diseases treated with ticarcillin are gastrointestinal, urinary and respiratory diseases caused by bacterial infections.
Related article: “The 25 main organs of the human body”
7. Piperacillin
It is a bactericidal antibiotic whose purpose is to achieve the inhibition of the synthesis of the components of the bacterial cell wall, so that the bacteria die.
This antibiotic is used to combat infections suffered by neutropenic people, which means that they have a smaller number of immune cells than usual. Likewise, it is frequently administered to elderly people.
This antibiotic is used for the following diseases: kidney, skin, reproductive system, urinary infections, septicemia, pneumonia, among others.
Bactericidal type, oxacillin is one of the most used antibiotics to inhibit cell wall synthesis with the aim of killing infectious bacteria. The infections it usually treats are those caused by streptococcus and staphylococcus
This antibiotic is also widely used after a surgical operation because it serves to prevent infections during the postoperative period.
Other diseases for which oxacillin is useful are ear infections, bone infections, skin infections, urinary tract infections, respiratory diseases, etc.
You may be interested: “Epidemiology: what it is and how it studies diseases”
9. Azithromycin
This is another of the most used antibiotics, bactericidal type; also aims to damage ribosomes and inhibit protein synthesis with the aim of weakening the bacteria to kill it.
This type of antibiotics are used to treat infections of streptococcus, staphylococcus, chlamydia, “Listeria”, “Treponema”, among others.
In addition, they are also used to try to combat diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, otitis, sinusitis, chlamydiasis, urethritis and more.
Precautions when taking them
It should be noted that there are numerous cases of people who self-medicate with antibiotics, which can cause serious health problems.
It is also common for antibiotics to be misused when they are used to try to combat a virus from which they have been infected, although These medications have been developed in order to combat bacterial diseases, like the examples mentioned above. It should be noted that an antibiotic is not useful for viral diseases (for example, COVID-19, the common cold, flu, viral gastroenteritis, shingles, etc.).
Furthermore, it is important to know that Antibiotics are not exempt from side effects such as dizziness, headache, decomposition, nausea, general malaise, among others.
Therefore, it is essential that antibiotics are prescribed by a qualified professional, a doctor. Furthermore, these types of medications are not available for free sale in pharmacies as they require a prescription after being examined by a professional, with antibiotics being what has been considered most appropriate to treat the diagnosis made.
