Antibiotics are used to cure bacterial infections. When these are used for fungal infection, these are named as anti-fungal. Similarly, the antibiotics which are used to destroy viruses are called anti-viral. Collectively, all of these medicines can be grouped as anti-infective. Penicillin, sulfa drugs, tetracycline are common types of antibiotics. Some antibiotics like penicillin can fight against a single or some specific infections. Some antibiotics like tetracycline and ampicillin can fight against a wide range of bacterial infection.
Why antibiotics can be used only when it is necessary?
- Here are some reasons when antibiotics can only be used when it is essential.
- Sometimes, antibiotics may be the reasons to cause side effects like an allergic reaction, birth defects, stomach upset etc. While antibiotics destroy the infection causing bacteria, they may destroy some useful bacteria which benefit your body.
- Overuse of antibiotics helps to strengthen the bacteria. Then, these bacteria act as the resistant to perform your treatment. When the number of resistant bacteria is increased due to improper, injudicious or unnecessary overuse of antibiotics, it becomes a great problem to treat. The doctors prescribe pregnancy infections medicine which is less harmful to your baby during your pregnancy.
Some common rules to use antibiotics during your pregnancy
Here are some common rules to apply antibiotic during your pregnancy period.
- Antibiotics are classified according to their harmful effects.
- When your baby’s organs are developing during your pregnancy, use of some antibiotics can be harmful to your baby. Use of sulfa antibiotics is exceptional. It is used as a combination including other antibiotics like trimethoprim of Septra drug or Bactrim. Septra drug doesn’t result in congenital abnormalities and is also safe to use in early pregnancy. But, it is not used in late pregnancy as it may cause jaundice of your newborn baby.
- To choose the right antibiotic is an important thing which depends on different factors. These factors are the targeted organisms, the potential to cause the adverse effect during your pregnancy and the possibility to act as resistant. Some medicines for infections in pregnancy are completely contradicted in any condition. On the other hand, very few medicines are universally applicable. You can take our doctor’s advice to choose the right antibiotic during your pregnancy.
- Choose the safe medicines, which have already proven a good track record for using in pregnancy. Some antibiotics like streptomycin, tetracycline, and kanamycin are to be avoided completely during your pregnancy due to their teratogenicity.
- If possible, single-agent treatment is suggested over poly-pharmacy. Moreover, antibiotics for narrow-spectrum are advised over those which have a broad spectrum to treat the infection and intrapartum GBS chemoprophylaxis.
- Always use the lowest dose which is effective.
- Apply medications only there is an absolute indication of problems. For the use of antibiotics, you will have to be confirmed about the infections like appendicitis, urinary tract infection, chorioamnionitis and cholecystitis.
The above-mentioned information will help you to use the antibiotics for infections during your pregnancy. You can follow the safety for your pregnancy.
