Can I get sick from antibiotics? This problem is often faced by individuals who take them orally, i.e., through the mouth. On the one hand, antibacterial agents help to cope with severe infections, and on the other hand, they cause unwanted effects, which are manifested by various symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. In this article, we will analyze the causes of gastrointestinal disorders, and consider the actions that should be taken to reduce the adverse effects when taking these medicines.
Can I get sick from antibiotics? Causes
Antibacterial agents of various pharmacological groups, taken orally, have a different effect on the digestive tract. Fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides and tetracyclines are considered the most toxic. Minor side effects in the form of a malfunction of the digestive tract are observed in macrolides and penicillins. A negative effect on the following organs is considered to cause nausea in individuals:
- The liver breaks down and neutralizes various chemical compounds that have fallen into the bloodstream. In addition, it produces bile, which is directly involved in digestion. Many antibacterial agents create a large load on the body and prevent it from functioning at full strength. This phenomenon leads to disruption of the digestive process as a result of insufficient synthesis of enzyme substances.
- Stomach - dosage forms coated with an acid resistant membrane irritate the gastric walls. This process provokes nausea.
- Intestine - dosage forms taken by mouth cause irritation of the intestinal walls. As a result, a failure occurs in his work, which negatively affects the state of intestinal microflora. The number of beneficial bacteria is reduced. As a result, food is absorbed and digested poorly. The processes of fermentation and decay are activated, leading to intoxication. The patient experiences nausea, vomiting, etc.
- The pancreas produces an enzyme called pancreatin that promotes better digestion of food. Antibiotics interfere with its normal production and disrupt the digestive process. Poor functioning of this organ also provokes nausea.
Can I get sick after antibiotics? The answer to this question is yes. Next, we consider how to reduce the negative effect of these medicines on the digestive organs.
Sick from taking antibacterials: what to do?
In this case, doctors recommend that you follow these simple rules. If you are prescribed antibiotics, then, regardless of age and gender, you must:
- Observe the dosage, time of administration and the interval between them, recommended in the instructions for use of the drug. If there is an indication that the drug is taken after a meal, then it should not be swallowed on an empty stomach. Food can dilute nausea-inducing substances.
- Exclude the use of alcohol-containing drinks for the entire course of antibiotic therapy, since alcohol enhances their negative effect on the digestive tract.
- Limit protein, fatty, sweet foods. Increase intake of fiber-containing foods. It is necessary to improve digestion.
- Between meals, drink more liquids - herbal teas, fruit juices without sugar, filtered water. And with food, on the contrary, limit it.
- Avoid increased physical activity, especially in the first thirty minutes after eating. Do not take a horizontal position after eating, as this will impair digestion and cause nausea.
If the above tips did not help and nausea continues to bother, then this is an occasion to consult a doctor.
Medication for nausea caused by taking antibacterial agents
The answer to the question of whether you can feel sick when taking antibiotics, you already know. Will other medications help cope with this problem? To choose an effective remedy for such an unpleasant phenomenon as nausea associated with taking an antibiotic is the prerogative of the treating doctor.
The arsenal of drugs is quite large. Individuals can recommend drugs of different pharmacological groups:
- Linex, Bifiform restore the ratio of harmful and beneficial bacteria in the intestine.
- Activated charcoal, Polysorb, Smecta remove toxic substances from the body.
- "Pancreatin", "Mezim Forte" make up for the lack of enzymes.
- "Maalox", "Almagel" reduce acidity.
- Sucralfate helps protect the stomach walls from the irritating effects of antibacterial agents.
- "Essential" restores liver cells.
Folk remedies
Can I feel sick after taking antibiotics and how to cope with nausea on my own? In this case, folk recipes will come to the rescue. However, their reception should be coordinated with the treating doctor, since they are incompatible with some antibiotics. In the fight against nausea, it is widely used:
- Peppermint - the oil of this plant is applied under the tongue, and the leaves are added to the tea drink.
- Ginger soothes stomach upsets. It is used in pickled form, in tablets and capsules, as well as in the form of a drink made from the root.
- Raspberries - leaves are brewed in hot water for fifteen minutes.
Different dosage forms
Can I get sick from antibiotic injections? This question is often of interest to patients with doctors. Antibiotics are available in different dosage forms - capsules, syrup, granules, tablets, vials, ampoules. On an outpatient basis, they are mainly used orally.
However, intramuscular administration is also possible. It is such a phenomenon as nausea that is characteristic for the administration of antibacterial agents by mouth and in rare cases is observed with the injection route of administration.
Can Amoxiclav antibiotics vomit?
In its composition, the medication has two active substances - amoxicillin and clavulanic acid. The development of a phenomenon such as nausea is possible:
- With high sensitivity to the components of the drug, which provokes an overdose and, as a result, nausea appears.
- Taking the medication when it is contraindicated, for example, with gastrointestinal pathology, impaired liver function.
In addition, the appearance of this symptom as an adverse event is described in the instructions for medical use.
According to reviews of patients taking the drug, approximately forty percent of them had adverse reactions in the form of nausea. In most cases, it occurs when taking large doses of the drug. In addition, before prescribing a drug, the doctor must collect an anamnesis to identify contraindications. The medicine is prohibited:
- with a malfunction of the liver;
- hypersensitivity to ingredients or betalactam antibiotics and penicillins.
The onset of nausea is observed at the beginning of therapy. This phenomenon belongs to disorders of the digestive system. Often, he is accompanied by anxiety, stress, poisoning.
Personal intolerance to antibiotics
Quite often, antibiotic Flemoxin Solutab is recommended for use. Could it make me sick? The reason for this phenomenon may be as follows:
- Individual intolerance to the group of penicillins, to which the drug belongs. This concept refers to all existing side effects, as well as an unexpected reaction of the body, not described in the instructions for use. In this case, the physician ascertains personal intolerance. According to doctors, it occurs in people of different sex and age and only for a specific group of antibiotics. It doesn’t happen that a person does not tolerate all drugs. In other words, personal intolerance is characterized as a special reaction to the usual doses, which are harmless to a large number of people. This phenomenon is genetically determined, it is a peculiar response of the body to an antibiotic or other drug at the first dose.
- Overdose.
Of course, any adverse events require withdrawal of the drug.
Conclusion
Can I get sick from antibiotics? Unfortunately, it can. This phenomenon is considered the most common undesirable effect when taking medications. Nausea can be either mild or severe. This is the reaction of the body to irritation of the walls of the gastrointestinal tract by the components that make up antibiotics.
It is important to learn how to prevent unpleasant symptoms, that is, to observe certain rules for their admission. After reading the article, you now know the answer to the question of whether antibiotics can make you sick.