In the article, we consider modern antibiotics for the treatment of the upper respiratory tract.
Infections of the upper respiratory tract can spread to the mucous membranes of the larynx and nasopharynx, causing unpleasant symptoms. In this case, the antibiotic should be selected by a doctor, taking into account the sensitivity of pathogenic microflora to the drug. Also, the selected medication must accumulate in the epithelium of the respiratory, thereby creating an effective therapeutic concentration.
Indications for use and drug selection mechanism
Antibiotics for the upper respiratory tract are used in cases of suspected bacterial pathology.
Indications for its use are:
- rhinitis;
- complicated type of acute respiratory viral infection;
- sinusitis;
- pneumonia,
- sinusitis;
- viral nasopharyngitis;
- sore throats;
- adenoiditis;
- laryngitis;
- tonsillitis;
- pharyngitis.
After determining the exact diagnosis, the doctor determines how appropriate the implementation of antibiotic therapy is. Before prescribing a drug, a bacteriological study is performed. The basis for this is the human biomaterial, which is taken from the posterior wall of the nasopharynx and oropharynx. The study of the smear makes it possible to determine the level of sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms to the influence of drugs and to choose the right medication for treatment.
If the pathological process of the upper respiratory tract is caused by a fungal or viral infection, the use of antibiotics is not able to provide the desired therapeutic effect. The use of such drugs in such cases can worsen the situation and increase the resistance of pathogens to drug treatment.
The most popular antibiotics
The main purpose of antibiotics for the upper respiratory tract is to help the human immune system in the fight against various pathogens.
The following drugs are used:
- carbapenems;
- penicillins;
- cephalosporins;
- fluoroquinolones;
- macrolides.
Among the antibiotics for penicillin infections of the upper respiratory tract, Augmentin and Flemoxin are the most relevant. Macrolides such as Azithromycin and Sumamed are often prescribed. In the treatment of adults, cephalosporins such as Zinnat and Ceftriaxone are used. The list of antibiotics for the upper respiratory tract is quite extensive.
With a viral infection of the respiratory system, antibiotics are prescribed, represented by carbapenems and fluoroquinolones, if the disease has a complex course. For the treatment of adults, such agents as Inwanz, Tienam, Ciprinol, Ofloxin are used.
Augmentin and Flemoxin
Flemoxin is a drug that can be used in the treatment of pathologies of the upper respiratory system at any age. Its dosage is determined by a specialist based on the age of the patient and the specific course of the disease.
In accordance with generally accepted therapeutic regimens for treating the upper respiratory tract with antibiotics in adults and children, the drug is taken as follows: for patients over ten years of age and adults - from 500 to 750 milligrams, that is, two to three tablets, twice a day inside (you can divide the dosage at three doses per day).
Flemoxin has very few contraindications. Among them, the main ones are severe liver and kidney pathologies, individual intolerance to the components in the composition. A side effect of the drug can manifest itself in the form of dizziness, nausea, headaches and vomiting.
Antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections Augmentin is a combination drug combining clavulanic acid and amoxicillin. Sensitivity to the action of this medication is manifested by many pathogenic bacteria, including: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, Moraxella.
The drug is widely used in the pathology of the respiratory organs. For adults, Augmentin tablets are recommended. For this category of patients, the drug is prescribed in an amount of 250 to 500 milligrams every eight to twelve hours. If the disease is severe, the daily dosage rises.
It is undesirable to use the drug for people who have a tendency to an allergic reaction to penicillins, with severe liver diseases or infectious mononucleosis. In some cases, the medication causes side effects, among which nausea, allergic dermatitis and vomiting are most often observed. It can also negatively affect the functioning of the liver.
In addition to Augmentin and Flemoxin, among the effective drugs of the penicillin series for pathologies of the upper respiratory system, medications with the following names can be prescribed: Amoxicomb; "Flemoklav; Klamosar Arlet "Ranclave."
What other adult upper respiratory tract treatments are given?
The use of macrolides
In case of bronchitis, which is accompanied by wheezing in the sternum, "Sumamed" is often prescribed. In addition, this medication is indicated for various diseases of the ENT organs, pneumonia, provoked by a bacterial atypical pathogen.
"Sumamed" for adults is prescribed in the form of capsules (tablets). The drug is drunk once a day, in an amount of 250 to 500 milligrams an hour before a meal or two hours after a meal. In order for the medicine to be better absorbed, it must be washed down with sufficient water.
This upper respiratory antibiotic is suitable for children.
"Azithromycin" is successfully used for inflammation of the tonsils, sinusitis, various types of bronchitis (obstructive, chronic, acute). The drug is intended for monotherapy.
If the disease is in the middle or mild stage, a medicine is prescribed in capsules. Its dosage is established in each specific situation by the doctor. In accordance with the instructions for use by adult patients, it can be equal to: on the first day of treatment - 500 milligrams; from the second to fifth days - 250 milligrams.
Antibiotics for the upper respiratory tract should be drunk once a day, one hour before the meal or two hours after it. The treatment course is set individually for the patient. The shortest duration of therapy is five days. Also, Azithromycin can be prescribed in a short course (for three days, 500 milligrams per day).
Among the contraindications for the use of macrolide antibiotics are listed ventricular arrhythmia and impaired renal and hepatic function. The drug is not prescribed for patients with a tendency to an allergic reaction to macrolides.
In severe cases of diseases of the upper respiratory tract, the necessary injection of macrolide drugs. You can give injections only in a medical institution and in the dosage specified by the attending specialist. What antibiotics to treat upper respiratory tract infections can still be bought?
Zinnat and Ceftriaxone
Ceftriaxone has an extensive spectrum of antimicrobial effects. This modern drug is used in the treatment of infectious diseases of the lower and upper respiratory tract.
The medication should be administered intravenously or intramuscularly. The bioavailability of the drug is 100%. When the injection is made, the maximum concentration of the drug in the blood serum is observed after 1-3 hours. Such a specific feature of Ceftriaxone allows for its high efficiency.
Intramuscularly, the drug is administered if the following indications are available: acute bronchitis associated with a bacterial infection; acute otitis media; bacterial tonsillitis; sinusitis.
The drug is diluted with an anesthetic (Lidocaine or Novocaine) and injection water before administration. Pain medications are required, since injections with an antibiotic have significant pain. Any manipulations are performed by a doctor in sterile conditions.
Ceftriaxone, an antibiotic for the throat and upper respiratory tract, is administered in an amount of 1-2 grams once a day in accordance with the established treatment regimen for respiratory organs pathologies developed specifically for adult patients. In severe infections, you can increase the dosage to four grams, dividing into two injections per day. The exact amount of antibiotic is determined by the doctor, based on the severity of the disease, the type of pathogen and the individual characteristics of the patient.
How long should I take an antibiotic to treat upper respiratory tract infections?
For the treatment of pathologies that are relatively easy to pass, a five-day treatment course is enough. Complicated infectious forms need treatment within 2-3 weeks.
During treatment with Ceftriaxone, side effects such as diarrhea, tachycardia, and hematopoietic defects can be observed. Dizziness and headaches, changes in kidney counts, allergic reactions in the form of fever, urticaria and itching. Weakened people develop candidiasis during treatment, which requires the simultaneous use of probiotics.
Do not use "Ceftriaxone" and with individual intolerance to patients with cephalosporins.
The second generation cephalosporin is Zinnat. The bactericidal effect of the drug is achieved thanks to the antimicrobial element cefuroxime, which is part of it. This component binds to proteins that take part in the synthesis of bacterial cell walls, making them unable to recover. As a result of this effect, the bacteria die and the patient recovers.
"Zinnat" for the treatment of adults is prescribed in tablets. The duration of the therapeutic course depends on the severity of the pathology process and lasts from five to ten days. The treatment regimen for respiratory infections involves the use of 250 milligrams of the drug twice a day.
During antibiotic therapy, side effects may appear such as:
- digestive upsets;
- rashes on the skin;
- disorders of the biliary tract and liver;
- thrush of the genitals or intestines.
Zinnat tablets are contraindicated in patients with reduced tolerance of cephalosporins, serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and renal pathologies.
How is fluoroquinolone treated?
The fluoroquinolones of a wide spectrum of influence in the development of sinusitis, pneumonia or bronchitis include Ciprinol or Ofloxin.
The latter contributes to the destabilization of the DNA chains of pathogens, thereby causing their death. The drug in the form of tablets is prescribed every day in an amount of 200 to 600 milligrams. Dosages below 400 milligrams are for single oral use. When showing the patient more than 400 milligrams, it is recommended to divide the dose into two. With drip intravenous administration, the patient receives twice from 200 to 400 milligrams during the day.
The duration of treatment is determined by the doctor. It can be an average of three to ten days.
What is the best antibiotic for the upper respiratory tract, the doctor will tell you.
Ofloxin has many negative effects, and therefore it is not the first choice drug. Among the side effects are cholestatic jaundice, hearing and smell disturbances, abdominal pain, tendon damage, hepatitis, strokes, numbness of the extremities, vasculitis, female vaginitis, excessive nervous irritability, depression. The drug cannot be used in the treatment of patients with epilepsy and patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.
The medicine "Ciprinol" has a similar principle of use with Ofloxacin, as well as a list of side effects and contraindications. With the development of infectious processes in the upper respiratory tract, it is administered orally twice a day in an amount of 250-750 milligrams.
Fluoroquinolones are undesirable for use in adolescence and old age. Treatment with this type of antibiotic needs constant monitoring by the attending specialist.
Broad-spectrum antibiotics for the upper respiratory tract do not end there.
Effective carbapenems - “Invanz” and “Tienam”
The drug "Tienam" is an antibiotic-carbapenem, which is administered intramuscularly. It has a clear bactericidal effect on many types of pathogens. These include aerobic, gram-positive, anaerobic and gram-negative microorganisms.
The drug is prescribed for diagnosing a patient with severe and moderate infections that develop in the lower and upper respiratory tract: lungs, bronchi, and nasopharynx.
Adults receive the drug in an amount of 500 to 750 milligrams every twelve hours for one to two weeks.
Antibiotic for upper respiratory tract for adults “Invanz” is administered once a day by intravenous or intramuscular route. Before injection, one gram of the drug is diluted with a solution of sodium chloride for infusion (0.9%). Treatment is carried out from three days to two weeks.
Side effects of the use of carbapenems can occur in the form of: allergic reactions (itching, skin rash, angioedema, Stevens-Johnson syndrome); changes in the shade of the tongue; seizures staining of teeth; nosebleeds; high blood pressure; dry mouth muscle weakness; feces discoloration; decrease in the degree of hemoglobin; changes in mental status; insomnia.
Both antibacterial agents are contraindicated in diseases of the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and individual sensitivity to the composition. Particular care must be taken in the treatment of patients after 65 years.
Are broad spectrum antibiotics allowed during pregnancy?
Antibiotics during pregnancy
If diseases of the upper respiratory tract in pregnant women develop, then the inevitability of the prohibition of the use of most antibiotics is inevitable. If necessary, their mandatory admission may be prescribed the following drugs:
- First trimester: penicillin antibiotics (Flemoxin Solutab, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin). The names of antibiotics for the upper respiratory tract are of interest to many.
- Second and third trimesters: in addition to penicillins, cephalosporins can be used (Cefixim, Zinacef, Cefuroxime).
Often prescribed an antibiotic for the lower and upper respiratory tract "Bioparox" in inhalation (fusafungin). This remedy is distinguished by a local therapeutic effect, simultaneous antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory infection, and the absence of a systemic effect on the body. Similar properties of the drug exclude the possibility of penetration of substances in the composition in the placenta and negative effects on the development of the fetus.
In order to treat the throat and other pathologies, Bioparox is sprayed several times a day (with interruptions for four hours). Inhalations are done in the nasal or oral cavity, doing four injections at a time.
In cases where the use of antibiotics is impossible, they remove intoxication and restore the disturbed activity of the respiratory organs.
Features of the use of antibiotics
The specificity of taking antibiotics is determined by the specific case of the disease. In difficult situations, doctors leave the patient in a hospital to be looked after by medical staff, prescribe intramuscular or intravenous administration of drugs to more quickly achieve the effect. The injection method of administering the drug is more effective, but such measures are not always required. For example, with outpatient treatment of a patient, it will be much easier to take the medicine in tablet form.
The use of antibiotics should not be taken lightly. There are several recommendations that make it possible to minimize the occurrence of negative effects, as well as accelerate recovery. First of all, medicines should be taken according to the scheme established by the doctor. Of great importance is the frequency of administration, time relative to food intake. If all recommendations are followed, the health of the intestinal microflora will be in order.
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Supporting measures
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During treatment, you need to observe a rest regimen, if there is a cough - half-bed and bed rest, drink plenty of fluids (but not hot) and sleep. Due to this, recovery processes in the body will be accelerated. During work, the disease can worsen and become protracted.
We examined antibiotics for the upper respiratory tract.