Antibiotics are a very effective class of drugs. They help the body to fight the disease by destroying or preventing the development of harmful microorganisms population.

What you need to know about antibiotics?

• They are a great achievement of modern medicine, which helped save millions of lives;
• They cure diseases, caused by bacteria invasion into the body;
• They can attack many parts of the bacterial cells, hitting a fatal blow to them;
• In some cases, the antimicrobial drugs are used to prevent infections, for example, prior to orthopedic and trauma operations;
• They do not treat colds, sore throat (most types), flu and other viral infections.

List of popular and newly developed antibiotics:

• Azithromycin
• Amoxicillin
• Cefdinir
• Cephalexin
• Ciprofloxacin
• Clindamycin
• Oritavancin
• Tedizolid
• Dalbavancin
• Doxycycline
• Levofloxacin
• Metronidazole

The above and other antimicrobial drugs are often marketed under brand names. If you want to order antibiotics online or buy them at a local pharmacy, note that branded drugs may be more expensive than generics.

Antibiotics review and classification

Despite the fact that each of the antibiotics is unique in one way or another, they have much in common, for example, the chemical structure and mode of action. For convenience, they are all grouped into different classes and types, according to certain characteristics.

Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics:

• Narrow-spectrum, which are highly specialized and are effective only against certain microorganisms;
• Broad-spectrum, which attack a wide range of bacteria, including those that may be useful.

Medications can vary depending on the type of bacteria they attack:

• Anaerobic or aerobic;
• Gram-positive or gram-negative.

Your doctor is the one who can give you the best answer to the question “What type of antibacterials suits me?” You are the one to choose the place where to buy antibiotics, yet you should always follow the recommendations for their use, provided by your doctor.

Antibiotics: do you use them correctly?

People usually take antibiotics by mouth. However, they can be injected or applied directly to the part of the body, in which an infection is present.

Antibiotics are available in the form of:

• Tablets
• Suspensions
• Syrup
• Capsules
• Creams
• Ointments
• Liquids

Different methods of administration help achieve the required concentration of the antibiotic where it is needed the most.

To ensure a successful treatment, you need to make it continuous. The treatment course must be completed to the end, even if it seems to you that the infection disappeared.

Important: Take your medicine responsibly!

Some drugs, which used to be the standard treatment for bacterial infections, are currently less effective or do not work at all. This is because certain types of bacteria have become resistant to the drugs. Abuse is a key factor contributing to the emergence of bacteria resistance to antibiotics.

Protect yourself and others from antibiotic-resistant infections. For each individual, it means that he or she must not:

• Take antibiotics that are not suitable for treatment;
• Change the dosing schedule and exceed the recommended dose.

Bottom line

Antibiotics came into our lives to get us rid of the infections, which have been torturing the humanity for thousands of years. They are really incredibly effective, yet only if used correctly.

Currently, antibiotics are available for sale in many dosage forms and are offered under various brand names. You can easily find them in the nearest pharmacy, though not always at the best price.

If the drug has not been developed recently, it will definitely have a generic version, and not just one. Why do you need a generic? Because it can cost less than half than brand-name antibiotics do, especially if you buy it online.