antibiotic drug are a group of prescription drug drug used to treat a full form of infection triggered by bacteria .

They are n’t effective against fungal or viral infections , such as a cold or grippe , notes MedlinePlus . There are other drug classes contrive to treat those infections .

There aremany dissimilar classes and subclassesof antibiotics , some of which include :

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Not all antibiotics cultivate the same way to fight infection .

Some antibiotics are bactericidal , meaning that they bolt down bacterium , while others are bacteriostatic , mean that they prevent bacteria from multiply , as noted byCompound Interest .

For example , penicillins , cephalosporin , and aminoglycosides are bactericidal , while macrolides , tetracycline , and sulfonamides are bacteriostatic .

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Warnings and Precautions

Since allergies to sure antibiotic like penicillins and sulpha drugs are common , it ’s always a well idea to find out what class or subclass your prescribed antibiotic is in .

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise , be sure to finish consider all of the antibiotic you were dictate — even if you start to feel better .

This is extremely authoritative to make certain the infection go away all . If you go to polish off the entire course of therapy , the infection may still be present , and symptoms may render .

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Then , if the contagion fall back , it may be more unmanageable to treat .

It ’s also possible that the antibiotic your MD primitively prescribed may not work as well — or at all — because the bacterium may have become resistive to the original drug .

Antibiotic Resistance

Bacterial resistance to antibiotic drug is a far-flung problem , as theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC ) has mark .

In fact , some antibiotic that were effective against certain infections just a few years ago are no longer utilitarian .

abuse and overuse of antibiotics lend to bacterial resistance . underground come when bacterium develop the ability to keep growing , despite the comportment of a particular antibiotic .

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TheCDC estimatesthat at least 30 percent of antibiotic prescriptions are not call for — in most eccentric , the patient ’s issues are due to viral , and not bacterial , infections ; and overall misuse of antibiotics , such as improper prescriptions or not following the full course of intervention , is as high as 50 percent .

Further , as theUniversity of Minnesota notes , most of the antibiotics used in the United States ( as many as 70 pct ) are not provided to sick the great unwashed , but are given to farm brute to prevent disease and boost growing .

Resistance may occur when antibiotic are taken for a condition that is n’t induce by bacteria , such as :

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There ’s no benefit from assume antibiotics for viral or fungous infections , and doing so may put you and others at risk for antibiotic - resistant infections down the argumentation .

General Side Effects

Although most hoi polloi can take antibiotics successfully , possible side effects let in :

However , in more stark case , some antibiotics may cause a very severe form of diarrhea that is qualify by frequent sequence of escaped , watery stools with a unattackable olfactory property that is much more unpleasant than normal .

If this happens , discontinue taking the antibiotic immediately and get through your MD decent away . You may have to take a unlike antibiotic drug .

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Certain antibiotics may cause such side effect as tooth discoloration in child teeth , hearing loss , or kidney problems .

Drug Interactions

Antibiotics , like most drugs , can interact with other drugs . Some , like azithromycin ( Zithromax ) , broadly do n’t have many drug interactions .

But other antibiotics , like fluoroquinolones and Achromycin , do n’t work as well if you take them at the same metre as calcium , iron , antacids like Tums or Maalox , or foods such as milk , cheese , or testis .

Be certain to order your Dr. if you ’re adopt medications or add-on that contain calcium or smoothing iron or eat dairy farm foods or nut .

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Laura J. Martin , MD , MPH , is a table - attest internal medicine and palliative care physician practicing atCity of Hopein Atlanta .

She receive a unmarried man ’s degree in biological science and a master ’s of public health in nutrition from Tulane University . She received her aesculapian level from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Emory University School of Medicine .

Dr. Martin antecedently worked as a medical editor in chief for WebMD and received a Sigma Delta Chi award for on-line reporting in 2010 and 2011 . She is a cobalt - editor in chief of theAmbulatory Medicine Case Book . She is a member of the American College of Physicians , American Medical Association , American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine , and American Society of Clinical Oncology .

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She is married with two adult girl , a dog , and two cats . She enjoys hiking and playing classical and malarky piano .

Frieda Wiley , PharmD , is a bestselling generator , awarding - win mercenary medical writer , and pharmaceutical adviser who has save forO , The Oprah Magazine , WebMD , AARP , Costco Connection , and the National Institutes of Health , as well as for a innkeeper of pharmaceutical companies , universities , and association .

Her first Good Book , Telecommuting Psychosis : From exist to Thriving While Working in Your Pajama Pants , became an Amazon bestseller in two categories and the No . 1 unexampled sack in educational research on Amazon .

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Trained as a scientist , Dr. Wiley holds unmarried man degrees in biochemistry and Spanish from the University of Texas and enjoy a brief career as a chemist in the aerospace industry , working for a company that specialise in turbine jet locomotive overhaul and repair . She earned her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy .

A passionate healthcare professional , she expand on educating the great unwashed about their body and medications in a fashion that is easy to understand . When Wiley is not writing , she enjoys go , jazz , great conversation — with or without a refreshing loving cup of herbal tea — and walk barefooted in the woods .

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