Antiviral antibiotic 3 tablets. Antibiotics for colds - names of effective and inexpensive drugs

Colds and flu are the most common illnesses that occur during the winter. Many are familiar with their symptoms: runny nose, cough, sore throat, etc. Everyone chooses their own treatment methods, trying to avoid doctor’s prescriptions. Some people use antibiotics for colds and flu. How effective are these drugs?

The site website cares about the health of each reader, wanting to provide only useful information. First, you should understand that diseases are provoked various factors. Depending on these factors, doctors prescribe certain medications. To self-treatment If it didn't hurt, we should act like doctors, prescribing antibiotics when they are beneficial.

When are antibiotics used to treat a cold or flu? Only in cases where there are suspicions or diseases are already developing after the penetration of bacteria. Antibiotics are aimed only at killing bacteria. However, ARVI and influenza are often caused by viruses. Antibiotics against viruses are absolutely helpless, so taking them in the first stages of the disease is useless.

However, respiratory diseases often develop, which occurs after joining viral infection bacterial. It is bacteria that antibiotics fight. If a doctor prescribes them, this indicates that there is a possible risk of a bacterial infection or they have already penetrated inside.

Complications of flu and colds after the addition of bacteria are:

• Pyelonephritis.
• Bronchitis.
• Angina.
• Pneumonia.
• Otitis etc.

A common cold or flu begins to get worse, requiring complementary therapy. Antibiotics are often used when initial stages the therapy didn't work.

Medical indications

At what medical indications Are antibiotics prescribed? Everyone knows the symptoms of respiratory illnesses:

1. Temperature above 38°C.
2. Pain.
3. Irritation of mucous membranes.
4. A sore throat.
5. Dry and burning eyes.
6. Dry cough.
7. Aches.

Usually the human body copes with a cold on its own. Things get a little more complicated when the flu occurs. If symptoms do not go away within the first 2 days, then antibiotics should be resorted to. Timely treatment can eliminate the disease in 7 days.

Doctors recommend not to self-medicate, despite the fact that some antibiotics are freely available. A doctor is best versed in all the variety of names and medications. It should be borne in mind that each antibiotic eliminates only a specific strain of bacteria. When treating a disease that occurs after the entry of another bacteria, an antibiotic may be useless.

Incorrect treatment and the introduction of potent drugs that are not necessary can only lead to deterioration of health. Therefore, it is recommended to use the services of doctors, as well as follow their advice on what doses to take medications.

List of antibiotics, depending on the location of inflammation:

• Inflammation of the nasopharynx: Augmentin, Amoxiclav, Amoxicillin.
• Inflammation of the bronchi or lungs: Suprax, Cefuroxime.

Different antibiotics are used for colds and flu. They differ in their composition and pharmacological action.

Main classification

Antibiotics are different, especially when treating various diseases. The main classification of antibiotics for colds and flu is as follows:

• Penicillins: Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Eficillin. These drugs are administered intramuscularly, since the effect is destroyed in gastric juice. Used for infectious diseases, pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis. The main component of the drugs acts on the bacterial membrane, destroying it. They have low toxicity. They can be prescribed to children, but with caution, since they provoke an allergic reaction in people prone to allergic reactions.
• Cephalosporins: Cephalexin, Cefotaxime, Cefazolin, Ceftriaxone. Administered intramuscularly. May cause allergies and affect kidney function.
• Macrolides: Azithromycin, Fromilid, Erythromycin, Vilprafen. The drugs affect the ability of bacteria to reproduce. They affect those bacteria that can penetrate inside a human cell. Used for inflammation of the throat, ears, and in the treatment of atypical pneumonia.
• Tetracyclines. Used for sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia. If an overdose of the drug occurs, then side effects occur: candidal stomatitis, anorexia, anemia.
• Fluoroquinolones: Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Norfloxacin. The drugs penetrate the cellular structure of the bacteria, destroying it. Used for infectious diseases respiratory system, otitis, cystitis.

For colds and flu, first prescribed antiviral drugs, which should fight the initial infection. However, the lack of the desired effect provokes the prescription of antibiotics.

All drugs are available in various forms:

1. Pills.
2. Capsules.
3. Powders.
4. Suspensions.

This should be taken into account when treating a person of a particular age. Each drug is also sold in different doses. You can read the dosage of each medicine on the packaging.

Let's look at the best antibiotics for colds:

• Sumamed – strong drug, which is used for many infectious diseases, including the treatment of colds. Take 1 tablet once a day, depending on the severity and form of the disease.
• Amoxiclav - used for complications of flu or colds. Prescribed only by a doctor at a dosage of 1 tablet 1-2 times a day.
• Suprax is a strong sensitive drug that is effective for many bacterial diseases. Prescribed by a doctor at the discretion of the dosage 1 time per day, 1 tablet.
• Avelox is an effective antibacterial drug that is prescribed by a doctor in a dosage of 1 tablet once a day.

Children are prescribed the following antibiotics for colds:

• Augmentin destroys a wide range of bacteria. The dosage is determined by the doctor.
• Amoxiclav is prescribed for complications of flu or colds. The dosage depends on the age and weight of the child.
• Ampiox destroys a large number of bacteria.
• Azithromycin – strong antibiotic for various bacterial diseases. Prescribed 1 tablet 1-2 times a day.

You should be especially careful when choosing antibiotics during pregnancy. Gentle drugs are:

• Ampicillin.
• Oxamp.
• Bioparox.
• Oxacillin.
• Ericcycline.
• Cefazolin.
• Azithromycin.
• Ristomycin.
• Erythromycin.
• Minocycline.

Rules for taking medications

Antibiotics are powerful drugs that must be taken correctly. What are the rules for taking medications?

1. Antibiotics should not be mixed. The intake should be carried out only in the amount of one drug. Antibiotics should not be mixed with antipyretics.

1. Should be excluded from the diet dairy products and milk, since these substances impair the activity of drugs.

1. The course of treatment is 5-7 days. Up to 10 days the course increases by severe cases.

1. Antibiotics are prescribed by a doctor who first diagnoses your health.

1. A severe form of the disease is treated with antibiotics under the supervision of doctors in an inpatient setting.

1. Before using antibiotics, you should read the instructions. It is strictly necessary to follow the recommendations of the doctor who prescribes the dose. He should know about all chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver, if any.

1. The antibiotic is replaced with another if there is no improvement within 3 days of its use.

1. Children under 3 years of age and pregnant women should only be prescribed antibiotics by a doctor. It takes into account the characteristics of the body during these periods. Tetracyclines are strictly prohibited for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

1. Take probiotics to eliminate negative impact antibiotics on the digestive system.

1. To familiarize yourself with the contraindications of the medicine, you should read the instructions.

Antibiotics are not prescribed at the first stage of a cold or flu, since during this period a virus reigns, which is absolutely resistant to the action of antibiotics. IN this period other drugs are prescribed:

• Antiviral drugs.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Expectorant medications.
• Antiseptics.
• Antipyretic drugs.
• Mucolytic drugs.

The patient is provided with plenty of fluids. The room where he stays is periodically ventilated. The patient is also isolated from healthy people.

Forecast

Antibiotic use must be strictly controlled. Since these drugs are potent, they kill not only pathogenic bacteria, but also beneficial ones living in human body. To prevent the treatment prognosis from worsening, you should follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Antibiotics do not affect life expectancy. On the contrary, they are intended to cure diseases. However, uncontrolled use of medications can worsen the condition. You should not be overzealous with taking these medications; it is better to resort to them when necessary.

So many words have been spoken about antibiotics, so many articles have been written, so many television programs have been produced that there is no way to even count them. How many times have they told the world that antibiotics are not used for colds, but things are still the same.

Many worried patients, trying to quickly deal with ARVI without missing a single day of work, storm pharmacies during the flu epidemic. They are tormented by one desire: to find a medicine that, as if by magic, will immediately end their suffering and restore good spirits. And often this drug, according to popular idle opinion, turns out to be antibiotics.

But, admittedly, the obsessive confusion in consumer heads has some logical explanation. The thing is that respiratory viral infections - ARVI - can be complicated by bacterial ones. For such a cold, you can not only take an antibiotic: it is simply necessary. In the memory of a person who has at least once encountered a bacterial co-infection (an associated infection that had to be treated with antibiotics), the scheme cold = antibacterial drug will forever remain. When he gets a cold again, this information will definitely “pop up”.

Before you continue reading: If you are looking effective method to get rid of runny nose, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis or colds, then be sure to check out Book section of the site after reading this article. This information has helped so many people, we hope it will help you too! So, now back to the article.

And now another client of the pharmacy asks to sell him the same effective antibiotic, who had already saved him from ARVI once. Now let’s figure out how a complicated cold differs from an uncomplicated cold, and when it’s time to connect antibacterial agents.

A normal cold: when is an antibiotic not needed?

And first, let's consider the elementary situation, when a cold that does not require the use of antibacterial agents proceeds “according to all the rules.” ARVI, aka acute respiratory infection, aka a cold - respiratory viral disease, the most common infection in the world. “Catching” a respiratory virus, the number of which reaches record levels and numbers in the hundreds, is as easy as shelling pears. Moreover, colds are the norm. Potentially healthy adults can get sick up to six times a year, and children up to ten or even a little more. At the same time complain about poor immunity It’s still early: such morbidity is completely natural.

So, a cold caught on a chilly autumn evening (as well as at any other time of the day and year) should develop approximately according to the same scenario.

The patient sequentially goes through several stages of ARVI, which look something like this: severe fatigue and loss of strength, runny nose, cough, sore throat, gradual normalization of the condition, recovery.

As a rule, 7–10 days pass from the beginning to the end of a cold. Remember folk wisdom about treated and untreated colds? So: she is not deprived common sense. No matter how hard you try, no matter what modern medicines if you don’t swallow, most likely it won’t be possible to fully recover before seven days. But after the time allotted for respiratory viruses, they die, and we recover.

After close acquaintance with respiratory viruses, temporary immunity is formed in the body. Its duration depends on the type of virus and ranges from several months to several years. True, the protection is only valid for the type of virus that caused the disease. And the varieties of each respiratory viruses tens and even hundreds. That’s why we get sick from ARVI often and a lot.

Complicated colds: when is an antibiotic needed?

Now let’s describe the pattern of a cold that is not simple, but complicated by a bacterial infection. This type of acute respiratory viral infection begins as usual: fatigue, low-grade fever(fever is also possible in children), then the same cough, runny nose, sore throat, and so on. That is, at first everything goes according to plan. But after a week, when normally everything should be getting better, nothing is going anywhere. The cough becomes deeper, the throat may hurt as before or more intensely, and the temperature may well creep up. And these are the first calls that are important not to miss.

So, warning signs that may indicate a worsening cold or flu and the need for antibiotics include:

• a sharp deterioration in health against the background of recovery that has already begun;
• the appearance of a deep wet cough on the 4th–5th day of acute respiratory infections;
• a sharp rise in temperature to 38°C and higher on the 4th–5th day of illness.

In general, if you have been feeling relatively normal, having had a cold for 2-3 days, and suddenly your condition begins to worsen, you should strain yourself. When an adult, and especially a child with a cold, shows the signs that we have described, you need to ring the bells and, perhaps, start taking antibiotics. But this situation is non-standard, and it does not always develop. Why does a common cold suddenly turn into a bacterial infection?

A cold turning into...pneumonia

A complicated cold is an exception to the rules established by a healthy immune system. And, as a rule, people from the risk group fall into it, whose immunity does not cope with its main task - protection from harmful microorganisms.

Thus, the greatest chances of developing a complicated cold, for which antibiotics are indicated, are in immunocompetent patients. These include:

• Small children.
  Their the immune system imperfect. In addition, they have never encountered most viruses and bacteria before, which means they also do not have acquired immunity. Add to this the presence of children in closed groups and a completely understandable dislike of hand washing. By the way, what smaller child, the more often he gets sick;
• aged people.
  The immune system in old age is weakened no less than in childhood. There are many reasons for this chronic diseases, accumulated over the years. Therefore, people over 60 often have sudden pneumonia, which is extremely severe;
• patients after organ or bone marrow transplantation.
  This is a special category of patients whose immunity is closely dealt with by doctors;
• people taking immunosuppressants.
  In addition to the well-known immunomodulators that enhance immunity, there are also drugs with the opposite effect. Their purpose is to weaken the immune defense;
• patients with cancer.
  Oncology often leaves the immune system unable to adequately perform its functions. If a person takes chemotherapy, radiation or radiotherapy, one can completely forget about immunity for a while;
• patients taking corticosteroid drugs for a long time;
• patients with HIV (AIDS).
  In other people, the immune system should function relatively normally, and the likelihood of ARVI complications is minimal. This means that they get rid of colds without the use of antibiotics.

Complications of childhood colds

Parents have probably encountered a situation where a pediatrician prescribes antibacterial drugs for colds in children. And the obvious question immediately arises: if antibiotics are ineffective for colds, why does the doctor prescribe them? Moreover, they often help, and this help is noticeable to the naked eye! Let's try to figure out what pediatricians are guided by in such cases.

IN children's body complications can develop very quickly. So quickly that not only the doctor, but also the mother does not have time to notice the deterioration, especially if the mother is inexperienced and has nothing to do with medicine. The picture looks something like this: just yesterday evening the baby had a 100% viral infection, accompanied by viral bronchitis and rhinitis, and in the morning - full-fledged pneumonia. Viral infection, by the way, is also here to stay. Viruses simply heal themselves, but bacteria do not.

Our hypothetical child, already suffering from pneumonia due to ARVI, continues to receive traditional cold treatment. Warm drink and antiviral drugs for bacterial infections, they act like a poultice on the dying. And additional antipyretics only erase the picture of the disease and hide its true face. Pneumonia is playing out in earnest. It can only be noticed by the local doctor at the next appointment or by the mother when the symptoms become so severe that they can no longer hide behind ARVI. And only then, with a great delay, will treatment begin not for a cold, but for pneumonia - a true disease for which antibiotics are primarily needed.

Do children need antibiotics for colds?

It often happens that the interval between the actual onset of a bacterial infection due to a cold and the appointment antibacterial drugs is a week or more. To avoid such developments, the doctor often prefers not to wait for deterioration, but to prevent it.

First of all, pediatricians prescribe antibiotics for colds to weakened, frequently ill children whose immunity cannot cope with its task. The doctor can predict the development of complications in such cases with a fairly high degree of probability.

If the pediatrician cannot control the situation daily, then it is much safer to prescribe antibacterial drugs in advance, until cold cough did not transform into a cough due to pneumonia. In addition, sometimes children whose mothers are too young and inexperienced become victims of early prescription of antibiotics. Doctors who deeply doubt the ability of young parents to promptly notice deterioration in a child do not want to take risks.

It turns out that unnecessary antibiotics for childhood colds are a doctor’s “armor sheet”? Unfortunately, this is true. And if the doctor’s assumptions come true, then antibacterial agents will really help: they will start working and stop developing infection during. What if the doctor is wrong?

You may ask, is it possible to avoid unnecessary prescription of antibiotics? Unfortunately, in domestic system children's medical care This is often not easy to do. During a “harassment” - an epidemic of influenza and ARVI - a local pediatrician can be so busy that he would have time to look at the child at least once every few days. During this time, pneumonia or bacterial tonsillitis will have progressed far. So antibiotics are prescribed for colds left and right, and blaming the doctor for this is not entirely correct. There is a way out - private medicine is free from many of the disadvantages of public medicine. But is it available to everyone? However, this is a topic for a completely different conversation.

We will return to the problem of timely detection of complicated colds and, accordingly, the correct prescription of antibiotics.

Is it possible to detect a bacterial infection using tests?

Theoretically yes. The bacteria culture can be grown and identified using swabs. However, this study has several obvious limitations that limit its application.

Firstly, culture of swabs from the throat and nasopharynx is a fairly expensive test. Therefore, in most cases, doctors leave this analysis as a last resort. Secondly, to grow a crop, it will take 1–2 days, and time in the event of the development of acute infectious diseases is also very expensive. And thirdly, the effectiveness of sowing largely depends on correct fence material and qualifications of the personnel conducting the analysis. Cases where an obvious infection “does not go away” are far from uncommon.

It is much easier to determine a bacterial infection from a blood picture.

It is on the results of simple, cheap and quick to implement general analysis blood is often based on the doctor making a decision on prescribing antibacterial agents for colds with complications.

What indicators indicate a growing colony of bacteria?

1. ESR - the erythrocyte sedimentation rate increases during a bacterial infection.

IN normal ESR 2–20 mm/hour.

2. Leukocytes - their level also increases.

The norm of leukocytes in women is 3.98–10.4*109/l, in men 6–17.5*109/l.

3. Leukocyte formula, which shifts to the left in case of bacterial infection. This means that the number of white blood cells in the blood increases, the indicators of which are located in the old version of the blood test form on the left side of the table. About developing bacterial infection indicates an increase in the level of band and segmented neutrophils. By the way, the more severe the infection, the stronger the shift to the left, that is, the higher the level of immature forms of leukocytes.

Complications of ARVI requiring antibiotics

So, if true, viral cold no antibacterial agents are prescribed. A bacterial infection, which already requires the use of antibiotics regardless of whether there is a cold or not, gives rise to a completely different disease. We list the most common bacterial complications of ARVI:

• bacterial tonsillitis (simply sore throat);
• bacterial acute bronchitis;
• pneumonia;
• acute otitis media

What antibiotics are used for complications of a cold?

If a cold is complicated by a bacterial infection, therapy takes a completely new direction. All efforts are aimed at fighting bacteria, and the virus is left alone: ​​in any case, it dies within 7-10 days, and the insidious microbe has already done its most “dirty” deed. Bacteria will not leave the body of their own free will - they will multiply until the bacchanalia is stopped by antibiotics.

Macrolides, unlike penicillins, do not react to beta-lactamases. They are effective against wide range gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including intracellular microbes - chlamydia, mycoplasma and ureaplasma.

Among the macrolides that are most often prescribed for colds complicated by a bacterial infection, we note two of the best, most effective antibiotics.

Azithromycin

One of the most powerful drugs with a huge half-life, allowing the drug to be taken only once a day. To overcome infections of the upper respiratory tract against the background of a cold, it is enough to be treated for three days, so the standard form of the antibiotic contains only three tablets. The drug is not approved for use in children under six months of age.

Trade names of azithromycin: Azitrox, Azicide, Z-factor, Sumamed ( original drug), Sumamox, Hemomycin and others.

Clarithromycin

Effective and quite safe antibiotic, which has a standard half-life and therefore, unlike Azithromycin, is used according to a standard regimen. The drug is contraindicated in children under 6 months of age. At the pharmacy you can buy clarithromycin under the names Arvicin, Klabax, Klatsid (the original, and therefore the most expensive drug), Clerimed, Kriksan, Fromilid and others.

Cephalosporins: drugs with a secret

Cephalosporin antibiotics are a huge group that includes four generations of drugs. They are effective and quite safe. However, they also have subtleties hidden from prying eyes.

Firstly, cephalosporins, like penicillins, can be destroyed by beta-lactamases, although this happens much less frequently.

Secondly, and most importantly, cephalosporin antibiotics for internal use have very low bioavailability. They are poorly absorbed in the intestine: for example, cefixime is absorbed only by 40–50%, and some drugs are even worse. Injectable cephalosporins do not have this disadvantage, but their administration is extremely painful. What's the point of injecting medications and getting a lot of negative emotions when there is a much less unpleasant alternative that is just as effective? Therefore, cephalosporin antibiotics for complicated colds are considered reserve drugs, which are used only in cases of ineffectiveness or intolerance to penicillins or macrolides.

Tabletted cephalosporins, which are prescribed for acute respiratory viral infections to combat an associated bacterial infection:

• Cefuroxime (Zinnat, Aksetin) is a second-generation antibacterial agent that can be used in children under 3 years of age, including those with complicated colds;
• Cefixime (Ixim, Pancef, Suprax) is a third-generation drug prescribed for adults and children over 6 months.

The most famous injectable cephalosporin is the third-generation drug Ceftriaxone (Madaxone, Tercef). The love that therapists and pediatricians feel for him is easy to explain. The drug works really well against bacteria, causing complications colds (but no better than penicillins). In addition, it evokes respect and awe among patients due to its release form. But of course, the doctor prescribed injections, which means they will definitely help. The doctor is great, but I, of course, will be patient. It’s much sadder when a child has to endure it.

Fans of injections need to remember: according to all safety standards accepted in world medicine, injectable antibiotics are prescribed only in the most severe cases and, as a rule, in a hospital setting.

Can other antibiotics be used for complications of a cold?

This question quite often worries active buyers. And we answer it briefly and succinctly. No, other antibacterial agents are not used for colds, pneumonia and other complications! Neither Gentamicin, nor Ciprofloxacin, nor dozens of other drugs have the slightest relation to bronchitis or otitis media. There is no need to experiment on your own body. It’s better to trust a specialist - let him figure out which antibiotic, when, how and for what cold can be prescribed. The patient’s task is only to consult a doctor in time and follow his instructions. And this is the best thing you can do for your health.

People with medical education It is known for certain that antibiotics are ineffective for colds and flu, but they are not cheap and are harmful.

Moreover, both doctors in clinics and those who have just graduated from medical school know this.

However, antibiotics are prescribed for colds, and some patients are advised to take these medications to prevent infections.

At common cold It's better to do without antibiotics. The patient must be provided with:

1. bed rest;
2. drinking plenty of water;
3. balanced diet with high content in food vitamins and minerals;
4. if necessary, effective antipyretic tablets or injections;
5. gargling;
6. inhalation and nasal rinsing;
7. rubbing and compresses (only in the absence of fever).

Perhaps the treatment of colds can be limited to these procedures. But some patients persistently ask their doctor good antibiotic or a cheaper equivalent.

It happens even worse: a sick person, due to the fact that he has no time to visit the clinic, begins self-medication. Fortunately, pharmacies in big cities today are located every 200 meters. There is no such open access to medicines as in Russia in any civilized state.

But in fairness, it should be noted that many pharmacies have begun to dispense broad-spectrum antibiotics only with a doctor’s prescription. However, if you wish, you can always pity the pharmacy pharmacist by citing severe illness or finding Pharmacy, for which trade turnover is much more important than people's health.

Therefore, antibiotics for colds can be purchased without a prescription.

When should you take antibiotics for acute respiratory infections and flu?

In most cases, colds are of viral etiology, and viral infections are not treated with antibiotics. Broad-spectrum tablets and injections are prescribed only in cases where an infection has arisen in an organism weakened by a cold that cannot be defeated without antibacterial drugs. This infection can develop:

• in the nasal cavity;
• in the mouth;
• in the bronchi and trachea;
• in the lungs.

In such a situation, antibiotics are needed for colds and flu.

Laboratory research methods, the results of which can be used to judge the need to take antibacterial agents, are not always prescribed. Often, clinics save on sputum and urine cultures, explaining their policy by saying that this is too expensive.

Exceptions include swabs taken from the nose and throat for sore throat for Lefler's bacillus (the causative agent of diphtheria), selective urine cultures for diseases urinary tract and selective cultures of tonsil discharge, which are taken for chronic tonsillitis.

Patients treated in a hospital are much more likely to have laboratory confirmation of a microbial infection. Changes clinical analysis blood are indirect signs bacterial inflammation. Having received the results of the analysis, the doctor can proceed from the following indicators:

1. leukocyte count;
2. increase in segmented and band leukocytes (shift leukocyte formula left).

And yet, doctors prescribe antibiotics for colds very often. Here is a clear example of this, taken from the results of testing one child medical institution. 420 were analyzed outpatient cards small patients from 1 to 3 years old. In 80% of cases, doctors diagnosed children with acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections; acute bronchitis – 16%; otitis – 3%; pneumonia and other infections – 1%.

For pneumonia and bronchitis, antibacterial therapy was prescribed in 100% of cases, but in 80% it was prescribed for both acute respiratory infections and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.

And this despite the fact that the vast majority of doctors understand perfectly well that using antibiotics without infectious complications unacceptable.

Why do doctors still prescribe antibiotics for flu and colds? This happens for a number of reasons:

• reinsurance due to early age children;
• administrative settings;
• preventive measures to reduce complications;
• lack of desire to visit assets.

How to determine complications without tests?

The doctor can determine by eye that colds infection has appeared:

1. the color of discharge from the nose, ears, eyes, bronchi and pharynx changes from transparent to dull yellow or poisonous green;
2. when a bacterial infection occurs, a repeated rise in temperature is usually observed, this is typical for pneumonia;
3. the patient's urine becomes cloudy and sediment can be observed in it;
4. pus, mucus or blood appears in the stool.

Complications that may arise after ARVI are determined by the signs given below.

• The situation is this: a person had an acute respiratory viral infection or a cold and was already on the mend, when suddenly the temperature jumped sharply to 39, the cough intensified, chest pain and shortness of breath appeared - all these manifestations signal that there is a high probability of developing pneumonia.
• If a sore throat or diphtheria is suspected, the temperature rises, the sore throat intensifies, plaque appears on the tonsils, and the lymph nodes on the neck become enlarged.
• With otitis media, fluid is released from the ear, and when you press on the tragus in the ear, severe pain appears.
• Signs of sinusitis manifest themselves as follows: the patient’s sense of smell completely disappears; appear in the forehead area severe pain, which intensify when the head is tilted; the voice becomes nasal.

What antibiotics to take for a cold?

Many patients ask their therapists this question. Antibiotics for colds should be chosen based on the following factors:

1. localization of infection;
2. the age of the patient (adults and children have their own list of medications);
3. medical history;
4. individual drug tolerance;
5. state of the immune system.

But in any situation, only a doctor prescribes antibiotics for colds.

Sometimes broad-spectrum antibiotics are recommended for use against uncomplicated acute respiratory infections.

Against some blood diseases: aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis.

With clear signs of weakened immunity:

• low-grade fever;
• colds and viral diseases more than five times a year;
• chronic inflammatory and fungal infections;
• congenital pathologies of the immune system;
• oncological diseases.

Children under 6 months:

1. against infant rickets;
2. against weight loss;
3. against various developmental defects.

• Bacterial tonsillitis requires treatment with macrolides or penicillins.
• Purulent lymphadenitis is treated with broad-spectrum drugs.
• Acute bronchitis, exacerbation of its chronic form, and laryngotracheitis and bronchiectasis will require the prescription of macrolides. But it’s better to take an x-ray first chest which will rule out pneumonia.
• In acute otitis media, after otoscopy, the doctor makes a choice between cephalosporins and macrolides.

Azithromycin – an antibiotic for colds and flu

Azithromycin (other name Azimed) is a broad-spectrum antibacterial drug. Active substance The medicine is directed against the protein synthesis of sensitive microorganisms. Azithromycin is rapidly absorbed into gastrointestinal tract. The peak effect of the drug occurs two to three hours after administration.

Azithromycin is rapidly distributed into biological fluids and fabrics. Before you start taking pills, it is better to test the sensitivity of the microflora that provoked the disease. For adults, Azithromycin should be taken once during the day, one hour before meals or three hours after meals.

1. For infections of the respiratory tract, skin and soft tissues, on the first day of admission it is prescribed single dose 500 mg, then for three days the patient takes Azithromycin 250 mg per day.
2. Against acute infections urinary tract, the patient must take three tablets of the drug Azithromycin once.
3. Against initial stage Lyme disease is also prescribed three tablets once.
4. For stomach infections caused by Helicobacter pylori, for three days the patient should take three to four tablets at a time.

The release form of the drug is tablets (capsules) of 6 pieces in a package (blister).

Other antibacterial drugs

If the patient does not have allergic reaction for penicillin, antibiotics for influenza can be prescribed from semi-synthetic penicillin series(Amoxicillin, Solutab, Flemoxin). In the presence of severe resistant infections, doctors prefer “protected penicillins,” that is, those consisting of Amoxicillin and Clavulanic acid, here is their list:

• Solutab.
• Flemoclav.
• Augmentin.
• Ecoclave.
• Amoxiclav.

For angina, this treatment is best.

Names of cephalosporin drugs:

1. Cefixime.
2. Ixim Lupin.
3. Pantsef.
4. Suprax.
5. Zinatsef.
6. Cefuroxime axetil.
7. Zinnat.
8. Aksetin.
9. Super.

For mycoplasma, chlamydial pneumonia or infectious diseases of the ENT organs, the following medications are prescribed:

• Macropen.
• Azitrox.
• Z factor.
• Chemomycin.
• Zitrolide.
• Zetamax.
• Sumamed.

Should antibiotics be prescribed? It is useless to treat influenza and ARVI with them, so this problem falls entirely on the shoulders of the doctor. Only a physician who has the patient’s medical history and test results in front of him can give a full account of the advisability of prescribing a particular antibacterial drug.

In addition, it can be used in treatment, which indicates integrated approach for influenza therapy.

The problem is that most pharmaceutical companies, in pursuit of profit, continually throw out more and more new antibacterial agents into a wide sales network. But most of these drugs could be in stock for the time being.

Antibiotics, flu, colds - what conclusions can be drawn?

So, from all that has been said above, we can conclude that antibiotics should be prescribed only for bacterial infections. Flu and colds are 90% of viral origin, so for these diseases, taking antibacterial drugs will not only not be beneficial, but can provoke a number of side effects, For example:

1. decline immune reaction body;
2. depression of kidney and liver function;
3. imbalance of intestinal microflora;
4. allergic reactions.

The use of these drugs for the prevention of viral and bacterial infections is unacceptable. Taking aggressive medications, such as antibiotics, is possible only in extreme cases, when all the evidence exists for it.

The main criteria for the effectiveness of treatment with antibacterial drugs include the following changes:

• relief general condition patient;
• decrease in body temperature;
• disappearance of symptoms of the disease.

If this does not happen, then the medicine needs to be replaced with another. To determine the effectiveness of the drug, three days must pass from the start of treatment. Uncontrolled use of antibacterial medications leads to disruption of the resistance of microorganisms.

In other words, the human body begins to get used to antibiotics and each time require more and more aggressive medications. In this case, the patient will have to be prescribed not one drug, but two or even three.

Everything you need to know about antibiotics is in the video in this article.

Many people take antibiotics for a viral infection without a doctor’s prescription out of ignorance. This results in unnecessary expenses and health problems. Pediatrician E. Komarovsky in one of his publications asks: “What should we do?” A well-known doctor suggests remembering the elementary truth: “viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics.”

Viruses are non-cellular bodies of living nature

Among microscopic pathogens, viral infections have a special place. Russian scientists and doctors believe that viruses do not belong to microbes - a group that includes bacteria, fungi and protozoa. English-language publications classify viruses as microorganisms - creatures whose size is measured in micrometers (1 micrometer = 0.001 mm).

Features of viral particles:

• They do not have cells, cell walls, or plasma membranes.
• They consist of proteins and RNA or DNA (genetic material).
• Large viruses may contain fats and carbohydrates.
• Outside the cells they show resistance and do not die in the crater of a volcano or on a glacier.

Viruses are significantly different from bacteria; they can live and reproduce only in foreign cells. This is why antibiotics do not act on viruses, although they cause the death of bacteria.

Antibiotics are used for bacterial, some fungal and protozoal infections. The “targets” of these drugs are microbial cells, more precisely, cell walls, plasma membranes and organelles that reproduce proteins. The use of antibiotics against viruses is like shooting sparrows from a cannon. There is an exception: chloramphenicol and tetracycline can act on large viruses, similar to small cells with a diameter of 0.08–0.1 microns.

Antibiotics: yesterday and today

A large and important group of substances discovered at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is still being replenished with new compounds. These are antibiotics that inhibit the growth, development and reproduction of bacterial cells, and less commonly, fungi and protozoa. At first, such drugs were obtained only from fungi and bacteria. Nowadays, an extensive family of microbial and plant origin complement semi-synthetic and synthetic antibacterial drugs.

Popular medicines are praised by some and criticized by others. Many people take antibiotics for viral infections. This method of treatment finds an army of fans and the same number of opponents. The ambivalent attitude is often associated not with the qualities of the drugs, but with ignorance of the mechanism of action on microorganisms.

Treating diseases for which antibiotics are not originally intended will not speed up recovery.

Antibacterial drugs are vital and are needed to combat bacteria that are sensitive to them. Even in case the right choice drug, the treatment result may differ from the expected effect. The main reason is the immunity to pathogens acquired thanks to natural selection passed on to new generations.

Medicines, like breeders, leave only the most resistant infectious agents alive. Increasingly, antibiotics kill beneficial microflora and have no effect on pathogens. In scientific circles, prospects are being discussed: is this or that antibiotic good, is it necessary to produce it. Restrictions are being introduced on the use of a number of drugs, up to and including a complete ban.

Treatment of sore throat and ARVI with antibiotics

When infected with rhino-, adeno-, reoviruses, parainfluenza pathogens, symptoms appear acute inflammation nose and throat. The cold does not spare infants, ARVI in adults and children develops at any time of the year, but more often from November to April. Symptoms of colds and flu usually intensify in the evening, headaches, fever, runny nose, and sore throat appear.

In the dry language of numbers:

• Adults suffer from viral sore throat 2–4 times a year, small children - 6–10 times a year.
• Bacteria are the cause of throat diseases in 30% of cases, during epidemics - 50%.
• Viruses cause pharyngitis and sore throat in children in 40% of cases.
• In other cases, the causative agent of these diseases in adults and children has not been identified.
• Children are unjustifiably prescribed antibiotics for ARVI in 90–95% of cases.
• Viral infections are treated with antibiotics in 6 out of 10 adult patients.

Drinking plenty of warm fluids and antipyretics help pass the night. The next morning the eternal question arises: “What to do?” Adults most often take medications and go to work. Small children are left at home and a doctor is called, older children are taken to the clinic. After examination, the pediatrician prescribes medications and recommends home treatments. Many parents immediately scan the list to see if there is an antibiotic. They do not take into account the fact of ARVI in the child.

Doctors know that antibiotics do not treat viral respiratory tract infections, but out of habit or fear “that something might happen,” they prescribe drugs from this group.

As pediatrician E. Komarovsky notes, doctors have a standard explanation: “To prevent bacterial complications.” Such caution is justified if small child spicy otitis media, there are signs of a bacterial infection.

What diseases must be treated with antibiotics:

• exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
• streptococcal tonsillitis and pharyngitis;
• acute bacterial sinusitis;
• acute otitis media;
• pneumonia.

Before treating your throat with antibacterial drugs, you must submit a throat swab to the laboratory. Wait 2-3 days, get the result and take the form with the numbers to the doctor. If the smear contains pathogenic bacteria, then the specialist chooses antibiotics taking into account the results of microbiological culture. Strips for express analysis "Streptatest" allow you to determine in 5-10 minutes whether the disease is caused by streptococcal infection - the most common cause of purulent sore throat.

At respiratory diseases Doctors prescribe antibacterial drugs without identifying the pathogen 5 days after symptoms appear. During this time strong immunity begins to fight the viral infection. When treatment is ineffective, immune defense weak, then antibiotics are prescribed.

Viruses + bacteria

Antibiotics are designed to fight pathogenic microbes; they will not help cope with a viral infection. There is no cell wall, membrane or ribosomes for antibacterial drugs to act on. To treat a viral disease, other drugs are required: Amantodine, Acyclovir, Ribavirin, Interferon.

It happens that doctors prescribe antibiotic treatment for ARVI, and this is due to high probability superinfections. This is what we call colony growth pathogenic bacteria for viral or fungal diseases.

Viral attacks weaken the immune system, making it easier for bacterial infections and other pathogens to enter.

Treatment with antibacterial drugs is justified for yellowish-green discharge from the nose and ear, complications of viral sore throat. If a bacterial infection occurs, the temperature rises to 38°C or higher. If microbes have infected organs urinary system, then cloudiness and sediment appear in the urine. Infectious diseases bacterial origin can be determined by the mucous nature of the stool, the presence of blood or pus in it.

How do antibacterial drugs work?

Antibacterial drugs are found weak spots microbial cells and attack. Penicillins and cephalosporins act externally - they destroy the cell wall, blocking the participation of enzymes in its creation. Tetracycline, erythromycin and gentamicin bind to cell ribosomes and disrupt protein synthesis. The targets of quinolones are proteins involved in reading hereditary information from DNA.

The nucleic acids of viruses are contained inside a protein capsule (capsid). DNA or RNA different ways penetrate into the cells of a plant, animal or human, after which the reproduction of new viral particles begins. Penicillins and cephalosporins will not affect the virus, because there is no cell wall and there is nothing to destroy. Tetracycline will not find the bacterial ribosome it is supposed to attack.

The virus and currently existing antibiotics are incompatible. These drugs only affect certain groups of microbes. Amoxicillin and ampicillin are used for streptococcal and pneumococcal infection. Mycoplasmas and chlamydia react to erythromycin and others.

Broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs are effective against large group microbes and large viruses, but there are not many of the latter.

How to properly treat with antibiotics:

• The duration of therapy depends on the disease and the drug, but not less than 5 days.
• For children under 8 years of age, antibacterial drugs are given in the form of syrup or suspension.
• Aerosol "Bioparox" contains an antibiotic local action, helping to cure rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis and sore throat.
• Along with antibacterial drugs, medications or dietary supplements with lacto- and bifidobacteria are given to normalize the intestinal microflora.
• It is necessary to adhere to the dosage, recommendations for the method and duration of taking the antibiotic.
• If the drug is ineffective, the doctor prescribes medicine from another group of antibacterial agents.
• For allergies to penicillins, macrolides are prescribed.

Patients at doctor's appointments are often interested in which antibiotic is better. The most commonly used drugs include macrolides. They have broad antimicrobial activity: they inhibit the growth and development of bacteria, affecting organs breathing, affect chlamydia and mycoplasma.

Of the macrolides for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections, azithromycin and clarithromycin are preferable. It is enough to take Azithromycin for 5 days, 1 or 2 times a day. bacterial sore throat. During this time, the antibacterial substance accumulates at the site of infection and continues to act on bacteria sensitive to it.

Azithromycin additionally has an immunostimulating and anti-inflammatory effect.

It was azithromycin that pediatrician E. Komarovsky named in response to the question: “What antibiotics are recommended to be given to children with sore throat?” The drug is currently considered safe and effective, but this opinion may change in a few years. Doctor Komarovsky also discussed with the parents the problem of whether ARVI could be treated with antibiotics, and explained that much depends on the specific situation.

Problems of antibiotic therapy

Negative attitudes towards drugs are supported by materials from national and international organizations. In one of World Days consumer rights, the slogan was proclaimed: “Take antibiotics off the menu!” Rospotrebnadzor experts examined 20 thousand product samples for content medicines. 1.1% of antibiotics were found in milk on store shelves. The population is forced to take antibacterial substances against their will.

Disadvantages of treatment with antibiotics and consumption of products with them:

• death of opportunistic and beneficial bacteria together with pathogenic microbes;
• acquisition of drug resistance by surviving microorganisms;
• poisoning with decay products of bacterial cells;
• imbalance of microflora, dysbacteriosis;
• allergic reactions to medications;
• proliferation of pathogenic fungi;
• inflammatory diseases.

If any bacterial infection I was treated with one antibiotic, it would have been easier. However, the drug may be ineffective because the microbe is insensitive to it. When treating a viral infection, an antibiotic will not find “targets” that it should strike (cell membranes, ribosomes, plasma membranes).

There are bacteria that destroy antibacterial drugs using the enzyme beta-lactamase. Then the treatment will not lead to the death of pathogens, but will only cause harm beneficial microflora. Beta hemolytic streptococcal infection treated with cephalosporins and amoxicillin with clavulanic acid.

Resistance or tolerance of bacteria to antibiotics

Microorganisms become insensitive to substances intended to destroy them. Resistance takes decades to develop, so antibacterial substances created in the last century are now considered less effective. New drugs appear every year, mostly they have no natural origin, but are semi-synthetic or synthetic substances.

In Russia high level resistance of pneumococcus to doxycycline is 30%, less to macrolides - 4–7%. IN European countries The resistance of pneumococcus to macrolides reaches 12–58%. The frequency of occurrence of Hemophilus influenzae strains resistant to azithromycin is 1.5%.

All over the world, the immunity of group A streptococci to macrolides is increasing, but in Russia this figure is still at the level of 8%.

Reduce Negative consequences Antibiotic treatment will help if you refuse to take these drugs for uncomplicated forms of ARVI, pharyngitis, and sore throat of viral etiology. This is not the whim of doctors or patients, but the conclusions of experts from the World Health Organization. Antibiotics will help when the immune system cannot cope with infections. Thanks to the use of modern antibacterial drugs, recovery occurs faster and the risk of dangerous complications is reduced.