Beware! Don't take this common medicine carelessly! Improper use may harm your body, tell your family immediately

Sore throat, runny nose

Cold, fever, headache

Many people's first reaction is to take some "anti-inflammatory drugs"

What is amoxicillin, cefuroxime...

No problem, just two pills

Suppress the symptoms immediately

But in this process

Many people cannot distinguish between antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs

I often get confused when taking medicine.

If you are not careful, you will get yourself into trouble.

Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs are two completely different types of drugs, which have significant differences in their mechanism of action, scope of use and safety.

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Anti-inflammatory drugs

"Anti-inflammatory drugs" is not a formal medical term. In daily life, "anti-inflammatory drugs" usually refer to "anti-inflammatory drugs", which, as the name suggests, are drugs that can inhibit inflammation and relieve the pain caused by inflammation.

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Anti-inflammatory drugs include steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as dexamethasone, a glucocorticoid) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen and aspirin).

antibiotic

In a broad sense, "antibiotic" refers to drugs that can treat infections caused by pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and mycoplasma.

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Most of the drugs with names containing words such as "mycin", "cillin", "cephalosporin", "cycline", "floxacin", "sulfonamide", etc. are antibiotics. For example:

Penicillins: such as amoxicillin

Cephalosporins: such as cefdinir, cefixime, cefaclor

Aminoglycosides: such as gentamicin

Macrolides: such as azithromycin and erythromycin

Quinolones: levofloxacin, moxifloxacin

Tetracyclines: such as tetracycline

…

You can also read the instructions directly. If it says "suitable for infections caused by XXX bacteria", then it is an antibiotic.

Speaking of anti-inflammation, let’s take a look at what inflammation is?

Inflammation is a natural defense mechanism of the body . When our body is damaged, irritated or infected by bacteria, the immune system will initiate an inflammatory response, which usually manifests as symptoms such as " redness, swelling, heat, and pain ."

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Anti-inflammatory drugs can solve the inflammatory symptoms of "redness, swelling, heat and pain". For example, if you have a cold, fever or headache, anti-inflammatory drugs can make you feel more comfortable.

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However! Only a small portion of inflammation in the human body is related to bacterial infection .

The main function of antibiotics is to kill bacteria and control infection, so they are only effective against inflammation caused by bacterial infection .

In addition, even if it is a bacterial infection, it is not necessary to use antibiotics. Our body has a strong self-defense ability, and for some minor bacterial infections, the body can clear them on its own.

1

Increased drug resistance

The misuse of antibiotics can lead to bacterial resistance, rendering previously effective drugs ineffective . Studies have shown that the number of drug-resistant bacteria is increasing, making antibiotics that were previously effective against bacterial infections ineffective.

This means that even a mild bacterial infection can have fatal consequences.

2

Dysbacteriosis

Antibiotics not only kill harmful bacteria, but may also destroy beneficial intestinal flora. The misuse of antibiotics can disrupt the normal microbial flora in our body and lead to an imbalance of flora.

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An imbalance in the bacterial flora may lead to health problems such as digestive problems and decreased immunity .

3

Other health issues

Excessive use of antibiotics can also induce anemia and cause liver and kidney damage . Improper use may also cause severe allergic reactions or even death.

"How do you tell if you have a bacterial infection?"

Never judge based on symptoms . Viral infection and bacterial infection may have similar symptoms in the early stages, such as fever, cough, abdominal pain, headache, etc. It is difficult to make an accurate judgment based on clinical symptoms alone.

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The easiest way is to go to the hospital and let the doctor conduct a detailed examination and diagnosis. Note! Do not use antibiotics without a clear diagnosis of bacterial infection .

If a bacterial infection is confirmed, how should antibiotics be used correctly?

1

Correct dosage of antibiotics

Antibiotics should be used according to the doctor's instructions and within the recommended therapeutic dosage range.

All we have to do is follow the doctor's orders and make sure the drug dosage is neither too low to be ineffective nor too high to cause unnecessary side effects.

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2

Take antibiotics regularly

To ensure that the drug continues to work in the body and effectively kill pathogens at the site of infection, some antibiotics (such as penicillins and cephalosporins) need to be taken multiple times a day, and the medication must be taken strictly at prescribed intervals (such as once every 8 hours) to maintain drug concentrations within the effective range.

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3

Strictly follow the course of antibiotics

The duration of antibiotic treatment varies depending on the type of infection, but is usually 3-7 days.

However, for some infectious diseases (such as invasive fungal diseases, tuberculosis, etc.), a longer course of treatment may be required to completely cure them. If antibiotics are stopped too early, even if the previous treatment has achieved a certain effect, the remaining bacteria may re-breed, return, or develop drug resistance .

Once a pathogen becomes resistant to an antibiotic, future infections may require more expensive, advanced antibiotics, and longer treatment courses.

01 Are antibiotics better the more advanced and expensive they are?

Each antibiotic has its own antibacterial spectrum, which means it is effective against certain pathogens but ineffective against others.

Therefore, it is impossible to judge the quality of antibiotics simply by grade and price. The selection of antibiotics should be tailored to the individual and the disease.

02 Is intravenous infusion more advanced than oral administration?

The principle of antibiotic use is: take orally, not intravenously .

For most patients with mild to moderate infections, treatment should be given orally rather than by intravenous or intramuscular injection.

Generally, intravenous infusion is only needed when there is a serious infection or when oral administration is impossible. The doctor needs to make a comprehensive judgment rather than just looking at symptoms such as fever or cough.

Finally, let’s test everyone

Ibuprofen, amoxicillin

Which is an antibiotic? Which is an anti-inflammatory drug?

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Author

Experts who reviewed this article

References

[1] National Health and Family Planning Commission. Guiding principles for the clinical application of antimicrobial drugs [EB/OL]. (2024-11-18) [2024-11-18]. http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s3593/201508/c18e1014de6c45ed9f6f9d592b43db42.shtml

[2] Measures for the Administration of Clinical Application of Antimicrobial Drugs [EB/OL]. (2024-11-18) [2024-11-18]. http://www.nhc.gov.cn/wjw/bmgz/201205/347e8d20a6d442ddab626312378311b4.shtml

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Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty