Antibiotics
Antibiotics represent a group of drugs that include over a hundred kinds and used to treat bacterial infections

Antibiotics

Antibiotics represent a group of drugs that include over a hundred kinds and used to treat infections cause by the presence and multiplication of specific bacteria in the body. Depending on which kind of antibiotic you have been prescribed the medicine will work by either slowing down the growth of bacteria or just killing them. An infection can be caused by just one kind of bacteria or the may be several ones - establishing this is the main goal of you health care provider who will later have to prescribe a certain dose based on this information. There are some infections that can be caused by just one type of bacteria - in that case no testing is required and the patient may just be prescribed the medicine needed. However, there are some infections that may be caused by either kind of bacteria, or by several kinds - in that case the patient will require a lab test and will be probably prescribed a combination of drugs to treat the condition effectively.
These days most antibiotics are semi-synthetic - that is chemically modified from the compounds found in the nature (the penicillins), and some of them are purely synthetic (the sulfonamides, the quinolones and the oxazolidinones). There are certain serious concerns related to taking antibiotics - some of them, such as ketoconazole, latamoxef, metronidazole, tinidazole, cephamandole, cefoperazone, cefmenoxime, and furazolidone can interact with alcohol chemically, causing such serious side effects as nausea, shortness of breath and vomiting. There are many antibiotics that are commonly prescribed, and you may be recommended to use one or several (if you need a combination) of the following ones: Trimox, Zithromax, Cipro, Myambutol, Cleocin gel, Noroxin, Levaquin, Ethionamide, Omnicef, Flagyl ER, Erythromycin, Chloromycetin, Prograf, Stromectol, Keftab, Vantin, Zyvox, Isoniazid, Septilin, Ampicillin, Cleocin, Cefixime, Chloramphenicol, Brand Amoxil, Sumycin, Floxin, Bactrim, Cefadroxil, Ceftin, Amoxil, Augmentin, Cephalexin, Terramycin, Biaxin, Minocin, Roxithromycin, Lincocin, Tetracycline, Minocycline, and Doxycycline.

When using doxycycline it's important to keep in mind that this is a serious drug that needs to be taken only when really needed. For instance, doxycycline is not efficient against viral infections and taking it to treat these conditions can result in developing resistance to antibiotics. Make sure that when you are taking doxycycline you are using it the right way - for instance, certain antibiotics should be taken on an empty stomach, while others require you to have a glass of milk or some food to prevent stomach upset. Knowing all these facts in advance can help you to treat the condition you have more effectively. Although side effects of different antibiotics may vary, the following ones are reported by people taking doxycycline: mild stomach upset, diarrhea, soft stools, and some other ones. More severe side effects that require an immediate attention of your doctor are: abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea (severe), vomiting, vaginal itching, vaginal discharge or an allergic reaction (swelling of the lips, face or tongue). If you are allergic to some antibiotic (penicillin, in most cases) you are not expected to start taking doxycycline before some tests are done to establish the safety of this kind of treatment. The following symptoms of allergic reactions are reported in many cases when people take doxycycline in spite of the risk: itching, hives, fainting, shortness of breath and swelling of your face, lips and tongue.

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