Yangyang (pseudonym) is 6 years old this year, and Xiaoyang's mother is used to giving her child some amoxicillin "anti-inflammatory medicine" when she is sick and cold. Earlier, Yangyang accidentally caught a cold, and his mother gave him some antiviral drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs as usual, but this time the condition was fierce, and the symptoms were not alleviated after taking the medicine.
I wanted to take Yangyang to the hospital for examination, but seeing that the hospital was crowded, Xiaoyang's mother thought that she still didn't want to cross-infect, so she turned around and went home to continue to take medicine for Yangyang. After taking medicine for a week, Yangyang's condition still did not improve, and his body still had a high fever.
I had no choice but to go to the hospital for examination, and after examination, it was found that Yangyang had severe pneumonia, coupled with the long-term abuse of antibiotics by his parents, Yangyang's body has developed resistance to these drugs, and there is no medicine available in the hospital. Eventually, Yang Yang died of multiple organ failure.
First, the abused antibiotics, once resistant, may face no cure
Antibiotics are a "panacea" in the eyes of many people, whether it is a headache, brain fever, cold, fever, sore throat and cough, you can take antibiotics to reduce inflammation. Antibiotics ≠ anti-inflammatory drugs.
Antibiotics refer to a class of secondary metabolites with anti-pathogen and other activities produced by bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and other microorganisms or higher animals and plants in the process of life, and can interfere with the development and function of cells of other organisms.
Common antibiotics include cephalosporins such as cefazolin and cefuroxime, penicillins such as amoxicillin and ampicillin, macrolides such as erythromycin and azithromycin, lincomycins such as lincomycin and clindamycin, and floxax, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and so on.
The most common danger of the current misuse of antibiotics is the development of drug resistance, which has become a global health problem affecting human health.
In January 2022, a systematic study titled "Antibiotic Resistance" was published in The Lancet by a consortium of global multicenter researchers. The study, which analysed 471 million pieces of personal data from 204 countries, found that 1.27 million people died directly from antibiotic resistance in 2019 and 4.95 million deaths were related to infections caused by antibiotic resistance.
In addition, the abuse of antibiotics may also lead to severe allergic reactions, liver and kidney damage, dyspnea, vision lesions, etc., and at the same time, it will lead to the imbalance of the body's flora and induce secondary infection.
2. Amoxicillin is not a universal anti-inflammatory drug, and it is only useful for six diseases
Amoxicillin is a common medicine in many families, and many people are used to taking a pill when they have a cold and fever or inflammation in the body, but is this really the right practice?
Amoxicillin is a semi-synthetic penicillin broad-spectrum β-lactam antibiotic, which is a type of broad-spectrum antibiotic, and it is not an anti-inflammatory drug.
Peng Xiaoqing, chief pharmacist of Guangzhou First People's Hospital, introduced that anti-inflammatory drugs refer to drugs that inhibit inflammatory reactions, which can reduce the body's inflammatory symptoms and promote tissue repair by inhibiting the release of inflammatory mediators in the inflammatory response. According to the structural characteristics of drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs can be divided into steroidal and non-steroidal drugs.
The representative drugs of the former are glucocorticoids such as prednisone (prednisone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, etc.), and the latter refers to drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, indomethacin, diclofenac, celecoxib, etc., which are relatively commonly used in daily life.
Amoxicillin, as an antibacterial drug, is mainly used for infections caused by sensitive bacteria, and has no therapeutic effect on fungi and viruses. For example, gingivitis and periodontitis caused by anaerobic bacteria, fungal infections on the skin and mucous membranes, herpes zoster, flu and colds caused by viruses, amoxicillin is useless.
Clinically, amoxicillin is mainly used for the following 6 diseases:
- otitis media, sinusitis and other ear, nose and throat infections are ineffective for allergic rhinitis;
- skin infections such as suppuration of skin tissues, which are ineffective against skin diseases infected by viruses;
- Helicobacter pylori infection, but requires a combination of 3~4 antibiotics;
- Urogenital tract infections such as urethritis and bacterial vaginitis are ineffective for fungal vaginitis;
- pneumonia, acute bronchitis and other lower respiratory tract infections, ineffective against viral pneumonia such as new crown pneumonia;
- Acute simple gonorrhea.
3. To take amoxicillin safely, these 4 common senses must be understood
Although amoxicillin is very common, many people use it in the wrong way, and for the sake of safety, it is important to do these things when using it.
1. Don't drink alcohol
Alcohol can inhibit the activity of liver enzymes, and it is difficult to metabolize and decompose in time after taking the drug, so that the blood concentration increases, which will increase the risk of amoxicillin adverse reactions.
2. Do not take it with hot water
Amoxicillin is easily hydrolyzed, and the higher the temperature of the water being taken, the faster the rate of hydrolysis. However, after the drug is hydrolyzed, it will lose its antibacterial activity and is prone to allergies. When taking amoxicillin, it is recommended to take it with cool water.
3. Don't take birth control pills
Amoxicillin reduces the absorption of birth control pills in the gastrointestinal tract and can easily lead to contraceptive failure.
4. Use with caution for special populations
Amoxicillin should be used with caution in people who are allergic to penicillin, allergic to other β-lactam amide antibiotics, people who are allergic to asthma/eczema/urticaria/pollen, the elderly, and people with renal insufficiency.
Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs are two completely different types of drugs, and the two should not be confused in daily life, let alone blindly used, otherwise it is easy to bring some unnecessary burdens to health.
Resources:
[1] "The Harm of Misuse of Antibiotics", Health Management Center, Changzheng Hospital, Jiangxi Province, 2024-01-03
[2] "Don't use amoxicillin by mistake anymore, it's not an anti-inflammatory drug!", Guangzhou First People's Hospital Service No. 2024-02-25
[3] "[Common Medicine] Taking Amoxicillin, These Common Senses Must Be Known". Guangdong Provincial No. 2 Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2023-10-26
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