What is the best way to learn antibiotics?

Question

confused with different generations of antibiotics..

Answer 1

Penicillins:

Penicillin G-parenteral. Most potent antibiotic ever ( if susceptible bacteria).Gram positives

Penicillin V- oral penicillin-poor stability in acidic stomach( take on empty stomach)

          More stable penicillins ( can take with food)

Ampicillin- broad spectrum G +ve- four times daily dosing

Amoxicillin- as for ampicillin but modified for three times daily dosing

          Penicillinase resistant Penicillins

Amoxicillin + clavulinic acic ( Coamoxiclav)

pipericillin+ tazobactam .........a penicillinase inhibitor is added

Flucloxacillin/cloxacillin: penicillinase resistant and used in staph aureus infections

i/v or po forms. Allergic rxn in 10 %

Cephalosporins

1st generation: cephalexin

2nd generation: cefuroxime

3rd generation: cefixime and cefotaxime

Concept of bioavailability and ability to use an oral cephalosporin instead of i/v eg cefixime used in afebrile people treated until then with i/v cefotaxime

MRSA drugs....methicillin is an penicillin like flucloxacillin > Methicilin Resistant staph aureus

Vancomycin: 1-2 g bd i/v

Targocid 400 mg i/v od

Mupiricon 2 % ointment to wounds

Vancomycin used orally/rectally for clostridium difficle infection in colon ( causes colon to dilate and perforate if not treateted)

Drugs that combine well

Rifampicin + Vancomycin...added antistaph

Flucloxacillin + penicillin G or V...added antistap

Fluclox +fusidic acid.........bone infections

Aminoglycosides: gentamycin/Tobramycin etc

i/v or topical only

Neomycin used in bowel csterilisation pre-op

Have a narrow therapeutic range...need to monitor peak levels to avoid ototoxicity

Used mainly in an antipseudomonal/anaerobic type infection especially in neutropoenia in chemotherapy patients

tetracyclines:

Mainly acne nowadays as lots of resistent bugs

Doxycycline used in malaria prophylaxis and treatment of Lymes disease ( tick borne encephalitis)

Anti tubercular:

streptomycin...aminoglycoside

Rimampicin/isoniazide/ethambutol

Anerobic effective

Metronidazole- disulfiram rxn with booze

massively broad spectrum= imipenem/cilastatin

Odd use: Demeclocyline used in inappropriate secretion of Antidiuretic hormone

Answer 2

I agree with the first answer.

First broadly learn the families, then narrow your focus to the spectrums and the individual drug details.  Do not get bogged down by all of the cephs, mycins, cillins, etc - just learn the drug family basics, then you will begin to learn the individual spectrums, routes of elimination, mechanisms of actions, etc.

Sanford's Guide to Antimicrobials is a handy reference, Pharmacology Made Ridiculously Simple is another helpful book for students.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

learn the history

learn what the antibiotics are for

then you'll understand broad span/narrow span

gram neg and gram pos.

Answer 4

Study in detail and prepare notes.

Answer 5

It's a matter of learning the classes of antibiotics, their specific mechanisms of actions and coverage, plus typical indications for the given antibiotic/drug class.

In terms of the Cephalosporins, the best thing is to familiarize yourself with the bacterial coverage of each generation.  Regrettably, it's one of those things that there's no good shortcut for learning, but it has significant clinical implications.

Answer 6

Concentrate on the word "antibiotic" . It usually is natures way of killing bugs that harm us. We just have to look for nature doing it's thing. It is only recently that science looks at the structure of natural antibiotics and is learning how to change the structures to kill better if only for a short period of time. Start by reading up on the first antibiotics (like the first glass bottles were used by the Egyptions to collect tears. Turns out that tears are natural antibiotics. Tears of grief are different than tears of joy!) The South used vinegar and Spanish Moss and Spider webs to do lots of medicine. WW11 Japanese on subs used thier own urine for wounds because they had no antibiotics. Turns out that urine has antibiotic ingredients. Wprk your way up from folk medicine that has a modern explanation, and then look to modern remedies like mercury compounds for Syphlus, and work forward to the present to the chalange of proven antibiotics being comprimised by AIDs people and rendering them useless.