Antibiotics must be consumed and consumed as directed and prescribed by a doctor in order to work effectively in treating the disease. If the consumption of antibiotics is done incorrectly, violates the rules and dosages, or is not taken, this can be dangerous for your health.
Antibiotics are a group of drugs used to treat and prevent bacterial infections. This drug works by killing and stopping the growth of bacteria in the body. Antibiotics can be in the form of pills, capsules, topical ointments, drops, to injectable drugs.
Generally, doctors will prescribe antibiotics to treat diseases caused by bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections, sinusitis, ear infections, pneumonia, and sepsis.
Antibiotics are not effectively used to treat infectious diseases other than bacterial infections, such as viral and fungal infections.
To find out if the disease you are experiencing can be treated using antibiotics, you should first consult with your doctor. After the doctor confirms that you have a bacterial infection, the doctor can prescribe the right antibiotic according to the type of germ that causes the infection.
Keep in mind that you have to take your antibiotics as directed and finish them. This is important so that the effect of the drug is optimal and the infection is completely cured.
How to Take the Right Antibiotics
In order to provide effective results and not harm your body, follow these guidelines for taking the right antibiotics:
1. Avoid taking antibiotics with alcoholic beverages
You are advised to avoid taking antibiotics with alcoholic beverages. This is because alcohol can cause drug interactions with antibiotics, so the drug doesn't work as well or can cause dangerous side effects.
If taken with alcoholic beverages, antibiotics can cause various side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, chest palpitations, and chest pain. In certain cases, the side effects that appear can be even more severe, such as poisoning and liver damage.
2. Take antibiotics according to schedule
When prescribed antibiotics, you also need to take them on a schedule. This is important so that antibiotics can work effectively in eradicating germs that cause infection in the body.
For example, if you get a dose of antibiotics 3 times a day, you need to take them every 8 hours. Meanwhile, if an antibiotic is prescribed that needs to be taken 2 times a day, this means that the antibiotic must be taken every 12 hours.
If you miss a dose of an antibiotic at a certain hour and remember only 2–3 hours later, take the missed dose immediately and continue with the next dose of antibiotic.
3. Avoid taking antibiotics with supplements
You are not recommended to take antibiotics and supplements at the same time. Some supplements contain minerals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc, which can interfere with the absorption of antibiotics in the gastrointestinal tract. This can make antibiotics ineffective in treating bacterial infections.
In addition, you should not take antibiotics at the same time as other medicines because of the risk of drug interactions. To make sure which drugs are safe to take along with antibiotics, you can consult a doctor.
Why Antibiotics Should Be Used and the Dangers They Cause
In addition to following some of the rules above in taking antibiotics, you are also recommended to finish the antibiotics prescribed by the doctor. Although the symptoms of the disease or complaints that are felt have subsided, the disease-causing bacteria in the body may not necessarily have disappeared completely.
In addition, if consumed inappropriately or not spent, antibiotics can also have a bad impact on the body. The following are conditions that can occur if antibiotics are not used:
- Antibiotic resistance or disease-causing germs become resistant to the antibiotics given
- The infection is not completely cured
- The infection reappears
The main reason why antibiotics should be discontinued is to completely eradicate disease-causing bacteria and prevent the development of dangerous antibiotic resistance. Therefore, follow the rules and how to take the right antibiotics according to the doctor's instructions and prescriptions.