How long does it take for antibiotics to work?

By Dr. Mutahar Ahmed
Updated 2023-10-31 04:24:12 | Published 2018-08-10 09:01:52
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In the history of mankind there were not many benchmarks that seriously affected the life expectancy of a person. Actually there are only three of them. Those were the introduction of sanitation rules (hygiene), vaccination against severe infections and the use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. These drugs significantly increased the life expectancy of a person. However, most people have a really biased attitude towards them. Meanwhile, antibiotics are a unique class of drugs. They act not on the human body itself but on microorganisms that “host” inside our body.

The main reason for the decrease in the activity of antibiotics is their uncontrolled use (prescription of medicine with no indications), irrational drug choice, non-compliance with the dosage and duration of therapy.

Often, people start to use antibiotics (such as amoxil, zithromax, cipro, flagyl, levofloxacin) with any problems (runny nose, coughing, throat swelling) without being prescribed by a doctor. They start to use the drug, then they decide that they do not need to do this anymore and stop the treatment.

An unfinished course of antibacterial therapy just help reduce the activity of the antibiotic because they enable the microorganism to develop resistance. In order for the treatment to be effective you need to use a certain drug in a suitable dose and withstand a specific duration of therapy. When the course of treatment is interrupted then the microorganism remains non-killed but at the same time this microorganism “remembers” the information about this antibiotic. The competent prescription of antibiotics is a guarantee that we will maximize the possibility of effective treatment.

Modern medicine is unlikely to be able to do without antibacterial drugs in the foreseeable future. Microorganisms live on our planet for billions of years. We live in parallel with them. There are microorganisms without which we can not live. They are necessary and they help us. There are those that cause various diseases. In such cases the antibiotics are the only effective medicines. The search for new antibacterial drugs and their introduction into therapeutic practice are aimed at ensuring the possibility of saving people's lives. If you recall the history of mankind you will see what the mortality from bacterial infections was higher earlier. If you compare this with the current indicators you will see then that figures are simply incommensurable.

Antibiotics should be taken according to instructions and in accordance with medical prescription. There are antibiotics that are taken once; there are those that are taken two to three times a day. The same drug can be produced in different dosages. But how long do antibiotics take to work? As a rule, the antibiotic starts to act on the 2nd day of administration. The patient immediately feels better. If this did not happen the antibiotic was not selected correctly.

As for the toxicity of antibacterial drugs and the opinion that antibiotics reduce immunity it is from the category of myths. The toxicity of antibiotics, including their effect on the function of the liver, kidneys and etc., is monitored during the development of drugs. This applies to any other drugs.

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