Interviewed experts: Professor of Respiratory Medicine of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Liu Youning
pharmacist at the Department of Pharmacy in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Zhang Xiaojuan
Global Times Health Client Reporter Ren Linxian
Amoxicillin , ceposporin, levofloxacin ... These antibacterial drugs (commonly known as "anti-inflammatory drugs") are abused more seriously in daily life. Many people are used to taking two tablets of this type of drug as long as they have sore throat, cough, sputum, and runny nose, in order to improve quickly, but they do not know that this will cause a series of health risks such as bacterial resistance. Under the new epidemic situation, the number of people infected with COVID-19 continues to increase. Faced with mild or severe symptoms, if you still use antibacterial drugs indiscriminately and do not correct the wrong medication habits, it may make the body "injury".
"Most of the new coronavirus infected people treated at home do not need antibacterial drugs throughout the process!" Liu Youning, professor of the respiratory department of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, told the Global Times Health Client reporter that antibacterial drugs mainly treat bacterial infections, but are useless to viruses, including the new coronavirus. The symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough that occur in the early stage of infection with the new coronavirus are caused by viruses and have nothing to do with bacteria. It is useless to use antibacterial drugs. You can take Chinese patent medicines and Western medicines that reduce fever and analgesic pain to relieve it. Only in some severe patients, severe bacterial infections may be combined, and doctors need to use antibacterial drugs to treat them, such as pneumonia and causing sepsis.
Zhang Xiaojuan, chief pharmacist at the Department of Pharmacy of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, told the Global Times Health Client reporter that abuse of antibacterial drugs under unnecessary circumstances may cause multiple risks.
First, the use of antibacterial drugs in combination with other drugs may increase the risk of adverse drug reactions. In severe cases, it can lead to allergic shock, laryngeal edema, liver and kidney damage, and even death. Recently, cases of acute liver damage have occurred in many places where people infected with the new coronavirus have used various drugs by accident.
Second, antibacterial drugs kill bacteria, but also kill some beneficial bacteria, which will destroy the body's microecological environment, thereby leading to bacterial imbalance, causing symptoms such as anorexia, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc., further leading to a decrease in resistance and causing other diseases.
Third, abuse of antibacterial drugs can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, which instead increases the difficulty of treatment when combined with bacterial infection. For some severe patients, if drug-resistant bacteria appear, existing antibacterial drugs are ineffective, and the treatment will be very difficult.
At this point, everyone should distinguish between "antibiotics" and " anti-inflammatory drugs " and understand how they should be used scientifically.
antibacterial drugs commonly known as "anti-inflammatory drugs", are all prescription drugs , which are mainly used to treat infections caused by various bacteria. Using antibacterials when unnecessary can lead to resistance from bacteria, preventing antibacterials from working when needed. Therefore, it must be used only when there are indications such as bacterial infection, and the medication must be used correctly as directed by the doctor. It is strictly forbidden to abuse or overdose without indications. The main antibacterial drugs that everyone can buy based on prescriptions are: cephalosporins, such as cefuroxime , cefolklo , etc.; penicillin, most of the names contain "cillin", such as amoxicillin, ampicillin, ampicillin, , etc.; quinolones, , most of the names contain "floxacin", such as levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, , etc.; macrolides, such as rosyromycin, , azithromycin, etc.
Anti-inflammatory drugs can inhibit inflammatory factors and are mainly used to eliminate inflammation symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain caused by diseases. Anti-inflammatory drugs are divided into two categories. The main ones that you can buy are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, namely antipyretic and analgesic anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen , acetaminophen , aspirin, etc. Many of them are over-the-counter . The second category is steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, that is, some hormones that have the effect of anti-inflammatory , such as dexamethasone , prednisone, hydrocortisone , etc. The second category is basically prescription drugs. Anti-inflammatory drugs should not be abused or overdose, and they are more irritating to the gastrointestinal tract.
When more and more people around you are infected with the new crown, people's anxiety is understandable, but they must not prevent sexual use, multiple use of drugs, or abuse of antibacterial drugs. In fact, most asymptomatic and mild patients do not need medication. If the fever exceeds 38.5℃ or symptoms such as cough occur, you can use some medicines for the right symptom, and use one of each type of medicine. If the symptoms are relieved, stop the medicine immediately. Special groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women, patients with liver and renal insufficiency, and patients with chronic diseases who take medication all year round should pay special attention to the safety of medication. You must carefully read and follow the drug instructions before taking medication, or consult a doctor or pharmacist on the Internet. If a new coronavirus infection finds that he has fever, cough with yellow and sticky sputum during home treatment, it may be a secondary bacterial infection. He should go to the fever clinic for treatment and follow the doctor's advice to treat it. Do not use antibacterial drugs on his own. ▲
