Tetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibacterial substance that has now lost its effectiveness due to the development of microorganism resistance.
At the moment, drugs of this group are used very rarely: in addition to disputed effectiveness, they have a number of side effects.
In pharmacies, in addition to tablet forms, there is 3% and 1% tetracycline ointment. The instruction for this tool describes in detail its positive effect on skin and eye diseases of microbial etiology. Of course, it cannot be used as the main remedy for severe infections, but with abscessed acne, furunculosis, pustules and small trophic ulcers, the tetracycline ointment will have a fairly quick antimicrobial effect. The instruction also describes the positive therapeutic effect of the medication for infections of the genitourinary tract, ENT organs and some types of eczema. However, today its effectiveness is a moot point, which can cause a lot of discussions among doctors. The fact is that microbes very quickly adapt to the drugs that we are trying to kill them with, and simply become insensitive to them, especially if the patient has previously taken a number of antibiotics of different groups.
Tetracycline ointment for children (1%) is available in tubes and is intended for laying over the eyelid. It is believed that until the age of 11, tetracycline is contraindicated in children at a higher concentration, because can lead to the formation of a defect in bone structures and the development of other diseases.
Most often, this drug is used for conjunctivitis, trachoma, keratitis, inflammation of the lacrimal sac and other eye lesions.
This drug can be found in the pharmacy network in tubes of 3.7 and 10 grams.
If you have a microbial skin lesion, suppuration of cracks or calluses, then you need a tetracycline ointment. The instructions for this tool describe in detail how to apply the medicine, how many times, and also indicates diseases that respond well to treatment with this drug.
The composition of the ointment includes additional substances (lanolin and petrolatum), which, when interacting with the skin, contribute to the even distribution of the drug on the affected surface, and also improve the penetration of the active substance into the blood vessels. Accordingly, the drug has both local and general effects on the body.
With extensive burns, tetracycline ointment is also sometimes used. Instructions for the drug does not prohibit the use of funds in this situation. However, possible allergic reactions to the antibiotic should be considered, as affected skin is more prone to such reactions than healthy.
You can use this dosage form and for laying under a bandage for a long time (at night or for several hours). Then the dressing must be removed and washed in the damaged area with hydrogen peroxide or another antiseptic, re-apply tetracycline ointment or other medicine.
Tetracycline ointment during pregnancy is contraindicated, because the substance has a pronounced teratogenic effect. Some believe that the effect of the drug on the fetus after 22 weeks is negligible, but this is not so. The appointment of any remedy to a pregnant woman should be justified, because the risk of malformations and pathologies of the internal organs of the fetus is very high. Therefore, tetracycline ointment during pregnancy can be used only if its therapeutic effect exceeds the risk of a possible effect on the fetus.
The drug is not recommended for children under 11 years of age (3% dosage), as well as for people with a tendency to allergic reactions.
The interaction of ointments and other drugs is not fully understood.