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Penicillins: Inhibits formation of the bacterial cell wall by blocking cross-linking of the cell wall structure. The cell wall is a needed protective casing for the bacterial cell.
Quinolones: Blocks DNA synthesis by inhibiting one of the enzymes (DNA gyrase) needed in this process.
Thanks for thinking I’m smart enough to understand that link! (heh).
All that antibiotics really need to do is to make life hard enough for the bacteria that your body’s defenses get the upper hand. It is your immune system that finishes the bacteria off. (In fact, if your immune system isn’t working, antibotics can’t save you.)
I’m disabled and have a weak upper respiratory system, making me susceptible to pneumonia and bronchitis (which are bacterial infections, correct?) and the like. While I’m aware that loading myself up on antibiotics is not the best thing to do, the alternative is much worse. It’s a better safe than sorry thing. I guess that’s why they say no medical advice on this board
Qagpop, you say that it takes 24 hours to see clinical results, but the medicine takes affect immediately. Am I understanding this correctly? I see a lot of anecdotes about super fast acting antibiotics (I’m one of them), but they’re just anecdotes so far.
Most bronchitis, and nearly half of pneumonias are viral. There are also fungal infections that cause both. Qagpop, you say that it takes 24 hours to see clinical results, but the medicine takes affect immediately. Am I understanding this correctly? I see a lot of anecdotes about super fast acting antibiotics (I’m one of them), but they’re just anecdotes so far.
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Antibiotics start their actions on bacteria pretty much as soon as they get to the bacteria. But it still takes a while for that effect to become clinically evident.
Both the conditions are listed under rare diseases by the federal health agency. They became listed as rare in the sixties or seventies, because antiboitic but them into that clasification. Multiple childern catch them in every state every year, but it’s no longer common. You run accross them in books written in the 1900’s and the charactors react as if everybody’s seen people with the problem. I was on antibotic untill the end of eigth grade, because I couldn’t afford to get stept again. It could have been fatal. Before the eighties a lot more people died sooner than they do now, due to better medical equipment and techniques. They didn’t do angioplast when I was a kid. A heart attack was usually fatal.
I know where you’re coming from. I was given a cold in mid December last year, and I had bad problems until the end of February. Minor crap for others has hit me hard since July 99.
After your dose of antibiotics is done, I suggest you vist the pharmacy and get the bacteria suppliment that restores the bacteria in your stomach that the antibiotics kill.
I was hit with what I believe to be strep throat (red and white patches in throat, swollen lymph glands, extreme pain upon swallowing) on Dec. 12. On the 14th I went to Urgent care in the evening and was prescribed amoxicillin. By the 16th I was feeling much improved and the white patches o’ crap are fading away.
Perhaps I just needed the extra boost.
I should note that they did not culture the throat, so I can’t be 100% sure that it is strep.
Had strep throat about 4 months ago. Throat wasscreaming for mercy. Amoxicillin started working in only a few hours…whew. They have 2 tests for strep, on that takes only 5 min. and one that takes something like 24 or 48 hours. If the 5 min. test says you got strep, you got strep; if it says you don’t, you have to wait for the other test’s results (unless the doctor thinks that’s too risky).
Hate to bash immigrants here, but a lot of the bacterial acclimation to antibiotics is due to the fact that in many Latin American countries, antibiotics are purchasable OTC. As a result, people take them for everything, thus lessening their effectiveness when they genuinely are needed.
