Mistakes To Avoid When Taking Antibiotic
Not everyone treats the matter with the seriousness it deserves. Any headache is enough to run to the pharmacy and ask for a box of that medicine that someone in the family has taken – but this can be a shot in the foot when it comes to using antibiotics since they need a strict medical prescription. There are several formulas to combat the same disease, and only a doctor knows the most appropriate. Check out the most common mistakes in antibiotics[ยาแก้อักเสบ, which is the term in Thai]
treatment, related hazards, and how to proceed in situations of surprise, such as forgetting a dose or the onset of allergies:
- Take The Recommended Dose
All medication is prescribed according to a basic principle: to what extent are its benefits superior to its side effects? This means that decreasing or increasing the dose can have serious consequences, from the worsening of the disease to poisoning by the excess medication. When choosing the treatment, the professional takes into account not only the disease but also weight, age, and related diseases of the patient. If the attending physician is not the same as the previous time, be sure to take the prescribed prescription.
- Do Not Forget The Time To Take Medicine
The interval between doses is calculated according to the so-called half-life of the drug (the time when its concentration falls by half in the bloodstream). The schedules should fit the routine of the patient, their work schedules, and sleep. A dose is taken before the time can cause intoxication or cannot be absorbed by the body. Even when you forget to take medicine, you may suffer from the return of the symptoms.
- Taking Antibiotics Without A Prescription
The mistake is grave with any medicine – but with antibiotics, in particular, the danger is doubled. There are several risks involved: allergy, intoxication, and, finally, non-treatment of the disease. Besides, taking the drugs for nothing ends up affecting the natural bacteria of our body and, often, they become harmful and begin to cause illness.
- Combining Medicines
It is of utmost importance to tell the doctor the medicines you already have before you prescribe the antibiotic you should take. This is because there are several classes of drugs that interact with each other – in the case of antibiotics, we can highlight analgesics and contraceptives. It is an interaction that is not serious, but it does exist, and many people end up taking the antibiotic without knowing it.
- Food Interaction
The best way to monitor your intake of antibiotics – as with all other medicines – is water. This is because they can trigger chemical reactions when ingested with juices, milk, soft drinks, teas, or coffee, which can compromise their effectiveness. A good example is antibiotics with tetracycline in the composition – this substance reacts in the presence of calcium and therefore has its efficacy compromised if ingested with milk.
- Alcohol Interaction
Another dangerous and well-known combination is antibiotic and alcoholic beverages. Alcohol can either potentiate or neutralize the effects of a drug, in some cases by activating enzymes that turn the drug into toxic substances for the body. This is because both the antibiotic and the alcohol are metabolized in the liver, and this combined digestion can lead to interaction and decrease the effectiveness of the drug or make it toxic.
