The 9 most used antibiotics (and what they are used for)

Let's see which are the most used Antibiotics and how they act against bacterial diseases.

There are numerous diseases that need to be treated by administering antibiotics, being specifically useful for those that are caused by an infection caused by some bacteria, having demonstrated great efficacy. It should also be noted that they are not exempt from causing possible side effects.

However, nowadays there are many people who self-medicate with antibiotics without taking into account that they can be dangerous if they are not prescribed by a doctor. In addition, they are often mistakenly used to treat diseases caused by viruses, when in fact they are not effective against viral diseases.

In this article we will see which are the most commonly used antibiotics and what they are prescribed for by some professionals.

What are antibiotics?

An antibiotic is a medicine that has been developed with the purpose of being able to fight bacterial infections in people as well as in animals.The origin of antibiotics dates back to 1928, when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, being the first antibiotic that is composed of fungi and that proved to be effective against bacteria.

In addition to antibiotics formed by fungi, as is the case of penicillin, there are also other types of antibiotics that have been developed with synthetic compounds in a laboratory, whose usefulness is also to combat bacteria, either by killing them directly or by inhibiting their growth.

Antibiotics make up a group of drugs that can be administered in a variety of ways. can be administered in various ways:

• Oral route: it can be ingested through capsules, pills or liquid.
• Topical drug: being applied through a cream on the skin or also through an ointment or drops on the eyes.
• Intravenous route: through an injection.

On the other hand, the different types of antibiotics have been developed in order to treat different kinds of bacterial infections. Some types of antibiotics are very specific for one kind of bacteria, and others are effective for several species of bacteria. This is why so many types of antibiotics have been developed to cover various "niches" of bacteria.

How do these drugs work?

Antibiotics are used to fight against certain bacteria that have caused an infection in the body (e.g. in the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, skin, bones, etc.). To combat these harmful bacteria, they employ various mechanisms.

One of them is by causing damage to the cell wall that surrounds these bacteria, so that the bacteria are weakened and eventually die.

Other antibiotics act directly on the cell membrane, so that the bacteria are completely unprotected and eventually die.

There are also antibiotics that inhibit the synthesis of proteins, others that attack the genetic material of the bacteria, etc. The common objective is to kill the bacteria directly or to prevent them from developing and reproducing, so that they also end up dying..

The following is a summary explanation of the most commonly used antibiotics in the healthcare system to treat various bacterial diseases.

What are the most commonly used antibiotics?

Let's see how the following antibiotics explained in this section work and for which diseases they are used.

1. Penicillin

As mentioned above, it was the first of all antibiotics to be discovered. It is a bactericide whose objective is to block the synthesis and repair of the bacterial wall, so it is considered a broad antibiotic. it is considered a broad-spectrum antibiotic..

This antibiotic mainly fights against gonocococci, pneumococci, streptococci, spirochetes and staphylococci.

It is used to treat various diseases: meningitis, syphilis, tetanus, gonorrhea, pneumonia, pharyngitis, otitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, osteomyelitis, septicemia, diphtheria, among others.

2. Amoxicillin

Amoxicillin is one of the most widely used antibiotics. It is responsible for killing bacteria, and its way of acting is by inhibiting the synthesis and also the repair of the bacterial wall.It is also a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

Amoxicillin acts in a way that not only inhibits the growth of bacteria, but it is able to kill them directly.

This antibiotic is used with diseases such as the following: throat infections, respiratory tract infections, ear infections, urinary tract infections, mouth infections, skin infections, stomach infections, etc.

3. Ampicillin

Ampicillin is an antibiotic that has a mechanism of action against bacteria similar to that of amoxicillin, by preventing the synthesis in the body of amoxicillin.Ampicillin is an antibiotic that has a similar mechanism of action against bacteria as amoxicillin, preventing the synthesis in the bacterial wall and killing infectious bacteria, being also a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

It is one of the antibiotics used to treat respiratory, ear, skin, neurological system, urinary tract, septicemia and gastrointestinal infections.

4. Streptomycin

The objective of this bactericidal antibiotic is to damage the ribosomesribosomes, structures found inside the cells that help in the process of elaboration of proteins in the organism.

So when this antibiotic enters the organism, the proteins that are essential for the bacteria to be fought are not synthesized, therefore, the proteins are not synthesized, it is possible to kill the bacteria..

The diseases for which this antibiotic is prescribed are the following: gonorrhea, gastrointestinal infections, tuberculosis, brucellosis, etc.; it is also used to reduce the intestinal flora in patients who are going to undergo surgery.

5. Tetracycline

It is a bacteriostatic antibiotic, so it does not kill bacteria as bactericides do. it does not kill bacteria as bactericides do, but only inhibits their growth.. Its way of acting in the organism is by interfering in the synthesis of proteins, so that bacteria cannot reproduce or grow, until they eventually die.

This type of antibiotics are used to combat bacteria such as the following: "Listeria", "Streptococcus", "Bacillus", "Staphylococcus", among others.

The diseases for which they are used are respiratory, dental, skin, gastrointestinal infections, otitis, typhoid, etc.

6. Ticarcillin

It is also a bactericidal antibiotic that inhibits the synthesis inhibits the synthesis and also the repair of the cell wall.The bacteria are killed as a result.

This antibiotic acts against bacteria such as the following: "Proteus", "Pseudomonas", "Salmonella", "Klebsiella", etc.

The diseases treated with ticarcillin are gastrointestinal, urinary and respiratory diseases caused by bacterial infections.

7. Piperacillin

It is a bactericidal antibiotic whose purpose is to achieve the inhibition of the synthesis of the components of the bacterial cell wall, so that the bacteria are killed.

This antibiotic is used to fight infections suffered by neutropenic people, which means that they have a small amount of neutropenic bacteria.This antibiotic is used to fight infections suffered by neutropenic people, which means that they have a lower amount of immune cells than usual. It is also frequently administered to elderly people.

This antibiotic is used for the following diseases: kidney infections, skin infections, reproductive system infections, urinary tract infections, septicemia, pneumonia, among others.

8. Oxacillin

Of bactericidal type, oxacillin is one of the most widely used antibiotics to inhibit the synthesis of the cell wall in order to kill infectious bacteria. The infections it usually treats are those caused by streptococci and staphylococci..

This antibiotic is also widely used after a surgical operation because it is used to prevent infections during the postoperative period.

Other diseases for which oxacillin is used are ear infections, bone infections, skin infections, urinary tract infections, respiratory diseases, etc.

9. Azithromycin

This is another of the most widely used antibiotics, bactericidal type; it also aims to damage ribosomes and inhibit It also aims to damage ribosomes and inhibit protein synthesis in order to weaken the bacteria to kill it. and inhibit protein synthesis in order to weaken the bacterium to kill it.

This type of antibiotics are used to treat streptococcus, staphylococcus, chlamydia, "Listeria", "Treponema" infections, among others.

In addition, they are also used to treat diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, otitis, sinusitis, chlamydia, urethritis and more.

Precautions when taking them

It should be noted that there are numerous cases of people who self-medicate with antibiotics, which can cause serious problems for their health.

It is also common to misuse antibiotics when using them in an attempt to fight against a virus from which they have been infected, even though These drugs have been developed for the purpose of combating bacterial diseases, such as the examples mentioned above.such as the examples mentioned above. It should be emphasized that an antibiotic is not useful for viral diseases (e.g. COVID-19, common cold, flu, viral gastroenteritis, herpes zoster, etc.).

In addition, it is important to know that antibiotics are not exempt from having side effects, such as dizziness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.side effects, such as dizziness, headache, sickness, nausea, general malaise, among others.

Therefore, it is imperative that antibiotics are prescribed by a qualified professional. prescribed by a qualified professionala physician. In addition, this type of medication is not over-the-counter in pharmacies as it requires a prescription after being examined by a professional, being the antibiotics what he/she has considered most appropriate to treat the diagnosis made.