Find out if you can crush tablets, drink them with beer or milk, and hope for contraceptives.

1. Is it true that alcohol reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics?

Moderate drinking does not interfere What are the effects of drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics? most antibiotics fight off pathogenic bacteria. That is, theoretically, you can drink … But still it is not necessary.

2. Why then can not alcohol?

Because it enhances Combining Antibiotics and Alcohol: Is It Safe? side effects of antibiotics: drowsiness, dizziness, mild nausea, upset stomach …

That is, you can earn:

• severe headache;
• stomach cramps and vomiting;
• cardiopalmus;
• a sharp increase in blood pressure;

Given that the body is also weakened by the infection at this time, drinking alcohol (even if it almost does not harm health) can slow recovery.

Drinking is not recommended not only while taking antibiotics, but also 3 days after.

3. They say that antibiotics should not be washed down with orange juice and milk. This is true?

Yes. Orange, grapefruit, apple, pineapple and other juices, as well as milk and dairy products, change the use of antibiotic absorption by using medication: Using antibiotics correctly and avoiding resistance and can affect the effectiveness of treatment.

And yes, all of the above can not be for three hours after taking the pills.

4. And how to drink them?

The most correct option is water at room temperature. Try to drink a full glass (200 ml). This will reduce the risk of nausea and other stomach-related side effects.

5. Is it possible to take antibiotics with meals?

Depends on the type of antibiotic. Some are important to drink exclusively on an empty stomach: only then will they be effective. Some are only full. Consult your doctor about this, or at least look at the instructions for the drug.

6. Are there products that cannot be combined with antibiotics?

There are no strict food restrictions; changing the diet is not necessary.

There are only temporary recommendations. It was already mentioned above that antibiotics should not be washed down with milk. There is butter, yogurt, cheese, as well as nutritional supplements with calcium, too, is not worth an hour and a half before taking the antibiotic and three hours after.

7. What about the medicine?

Any alcohol-based drugs are highly undesirable. By the way, keep in mind that alcohol can even contain seemingly harmless means, for example, mouthwash (alcohol is perfectly absorbed through the mucous membranes). Therefore, carefully read the labels.

As for other drugs, the list of undesirable combinations must be indicated in the instructions for a specific antibiotic. Do not miss this moment, otherwise the drugs may enhance each other’s side effects or may be ineffective.

8. Should I reduce the dose of the antibiotic to reduce side effects?

Not. Otherwise, you will reduce the harm not only to the body, but also to bacteria. The results will be disastrous. Unfinished microbes quickly mutate and adapt to the antibiotic, that is, they simply stop responding to it. You will not recover, and the doctor will have to pick up new drugs.

Remember: the dose of the antibiotic is initially calculated so that the drug can effectively destroy the bacteria and at the same time do less harm to you.

9. Is it possible to crush tablets so that they are easier to swallow?

Not. This may prevent Using medication: Using antibiotics correctly and avoiding resistance to the antibiotic to work.

10. How to take an antibiotic several times a day?

The effect of the antibiotic should be evenly distributed throughout the day. Therefore, the phrase “take twice a day” means every 12 hours. If it comes from three meals a day, the intervals are reduced to 8 hours.

11. Is it true that antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives?

Yes. Be sure to tell your doctor how you are protected. The doctor will advise what to do in order not to get pregnant.

12. Why do antibiotics cause bowel problems?

The main task of antibiotics is to kill pathogenic bacteria. But the distribution, especially when it comes to broad-spectrum antibiotics, includes The effects of antibiotics on the microbiome throughout development and alternative approaches for therapeutic modulation and the good ones that live in the intestines and bring benefits.

As a result, the balance of microorganisms is disturbed and diarrhea, bloating, and flatulence can occur.

One week of taking antibiotics changes the composition of the intestinal microflora for up to one year. Same Exposure but Two Radically Different Responses to Antibiotics: Resilience of the Salivary Microbiome versus Long-Term Microbial Shifts in Feces. .

13. What to do to help the intestines recover faster?

Take probiotics. So called products and bioadditives with live microorganisms. The latter populate the intestines devastated with antibiotics, return its microflora to its normal state and reduce Probio tics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea: Do we have a verdict? risk of upsets.

Studies have shown Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. that the best result is given by probiotics that contain lactic acid bacteria and yeast Saccharomyces boulardii.

Such supplements are recommended to be taken both after a course of antibiotics, and during. Just make sure that at least 3 hours pass between taking the antibiotic and the probiotic. Otherwise, useful aliens will not live long.

14. And if you drink yogurt and kefir, it will help restore the intestinal microflora?

Probiotics are also found in food. Fermented foods will help improve the condition of the intestines during and after antibiotic therapy:

• kimchi vegetables;
• sauerkraut;
• pickles, in the preparation of which vinegar was not used;
• Japanese miso soup;
• tempe (a dish of Asian cuisine from soybeans);

sour milk, in particular yogurt Composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbiota in consumers and non-consumers of yogurt. and kefir.

15. I drank a course of antibiotics, but still get sick. What to do?

If the infection returns, this is not a good sign. Perhaps the bacteria adapted to the drug that you tried to destroy them. Although coincidences are not excluded: against the background of weakened immunity, you could well have picked up some new bacterial ailment.

In any case, consult your doctor. He will review your treatment protocol and prescribe an antibiotic again – most likely another.

It is not necessary to withstand some gaps between courses. Your task is to overcome the disease as soon as possible.

16. Can an antibiotic stop working if I drink it often?

Not only can, but also ceases. Resistance Antibiotic resistance (resistance) of microbes to antibiotics is considered one of the most serious threats to human health. Microorganisms mutate, adapt to drugs.

As a result, superbacteria appear that modern science has not yet learned to conquer.

It is very dangerous. For example, about 250 thousand die every year from antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis. A WHO report confirms that not enough people are being developed in the world.

Unfortunately, we often add the prefix “super” to the bacteria ourselves — using antibiotics incorrectly, not drinking the course to the end, or, for example, prescribing drugs on our own at the first sneeze.

To keep antibiotics working, follow the important rules for taking them.

17. How many times a year can you drink antibiotics so as not to harm the body?

Antibiotics are not vitamins. They are drunk exclusively as prescribed by the doctor. If you have a bacterial infection, your GP will give you antibiotics, no matter how many times you have taken them over the past year.

18. Can antibiotics be given to children?

Of course. If the child has a bacterial infection, which, according to the doctor (and only the doctor!), Requires the appointment of antibiotics.

19. Does taking antibiotics affect blood tests?

Yes. Some antibacterial drugs:

Reduce the effect of Antibiotics on Chemotaxis of Human Leukocytes leukocyte count. In particular, the popular broad-spectrum antibiotic levomycetin (chloramphenicol) gives such a reaction.

Increase Glycopeptide antibiotic histamine levels. This is how glycopeptide antibiotics work.

The effects of hepatic samples are distorted by The effects of penicillin-streptomycin on liver aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase and total serum protein in rabbits (Orcytolagus coniculus). Penicillin and streptomycin give a noticeable effect in this regard.

In addition, antibiotics can lower the level of hemoglobin, platelets, increase the coagulation time, distort the results of the antiglobulin test …

Doctors are aware of such distortions. Therefore, if your doctor has sent you for a blood test – the one who prescribed antibiotics for you, do not hesitate: he will take into account the effect of the drug and read the results correctly.

If another specialist directs you to research, be sure to tell him about the medicines you are taking.

20. When do antibiotics stop affecting blood tests?

To get undistorted results, donate blood no earlier than 14 days after a course of antibiotics.

21. Can I sunbathe when taking antibiotics?

Very undesirable. Some antibiotics increase Antibacterial photosensitization through activation of coproporphyrinogen oxidase skin photosensitivity. As a result, instead of chocolate tanning, you will get a burn or pigmentation. Or at best, the tan will lie unevenly on the skin.

As a rule, such a side effect is reported in the instructions. If in doubt, consult your doctor.

22. What about sports?

Better not. Antibiotics have many side effects Is training while on Antibiotics good? – From diarrhea to cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, the condition of the ligaments often worsens, which means there is a risk of sprains and tears.

Therefore, if possible, while taking antibiotics from training should be abandoned. If you want to continue to do fitness, try to minimize the load and make your workouts shorter.