Choosing Right Antibiotics

In selecting a concrete antibiotic treatment it is necessary to rely on a disease which supposes this or that antibiotic, its level, patient's individual tolerance, and other peculiarities of a person who is going to take antibiotics. 

Each antibiotic has its own peculiarities which must be taken into account in each case. Generally speaking antibiotics are widely applied for the treatment or prevention of bacterial infections. Some antibiotics may have secondary uses, such as the use of demeclocycline (Declomycin, a tetracycline derivative) to treat the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. Other antibiotics may be useful in treating protozoal infections. 

There are various ways to classify antibiotics. However, the most spread one is concerning their chemical structure, as it is the most important factor which determines the process of treatment. Antibiotics within a structural class will generally show similar patterns of effectiveness, toxicity, and allergic potential. 

CEPHALOSPORINS Cephalosporins and the closely related cephamycins and carbapenems, contain a beta-lactam chemical structure. This group of antibiotics belongs to the most diverse class of antibiotics and is subdivided into first, second, and third generations. Each generation has a wider spectrum of activity than the one before. Besides, cefoxitin, a cephamycin, is highly active against anaerobic bacteria, which offers utility in treatment of abdominal infections. The third generation drugs (cefotaxime, ceftizoxime, ceftriaxone) cross the blood-brain barrier and may be used to treat such diseases as meningitis and encephalitis. 

FLUOROQUINOLONES This group of antibiotics is based on the older group and refers to the broad-spectrum drugs that are chemically unrelated to the penicillins or the cephalosporins. They are well distributed into bone tissue and so well absorbed that in general they are as effective by the oral route as by intravenous infusion.

TETRACYCLINES This is one of the most spread antibiotics group which is widely prescribed worldwide. The tetracyclines may be effective against a wide variety of microorganisms, including rickettsia and amoebic parasites.

MACROLIDES To this class of antibiotics refer Erythromycin, which has a spectrum and use similar to penicillin. Newer members of the group, Azithromycin and Clarithromycin, are particularly useful for their high level of lung penetration. Clarithromycin has been widely used to treat Helicobacter pylori infections, the cause of stomach ulcers.

OTHERS Other classes of antibiotics include the aminoglycosides, which are particularly useful for their effectiveness in treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, and the lincosamide drugs clindamycin and lincomycin, which are highly active against anaerobic pathogens. There are other, individual drugs which may have utility in specific infections.