Antibiotics can save lives when used properly. Either killing bacteria or keeping the bacteria from reproducing is the trade of an antibiotic. The use of antibiotics when they are not needed or not using them properly can add to antibiotic resistance. This stresses the importance of understanding each individual antibiotic. The key areas of interest include; the antibiotic classification, mechanism of action, metabolism and excretion, infections and common bacteria normally treated, common side effects, and adverse reactions. Three commonly used antibiotics include; Gentamicin, Bactrim, Metronidazole.
Gentamicin is a broad-spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic, used to treat severe systemic infections. Systemic infections affect the entire …show more content…
Side effects of Gentamicin include anorexia (a lack or loss of appetite for food), nausea, vomiting, rash, numbness, visual disturbances, headaches, confusion, depression, tremors, tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), hearing loss, pruritus (itching), muscle cramps or weakness, photosensitivity (reaction to visible light), alopecia (baldness), and arthralgia (pain in a joint). Adverse reactions are most serious than the side effects and include the following; oliguria (production of abnormally small amounts of urine), urticaria (rash of round, red welts on the skin that itch), palpitations, superinfection, peripheral neuropathy, laryngeal edema, hypokalemia (deficiency of potassium in the bloodstream), hypomagnesemia (deficiency of magnesium in the blood), and hyponatremia (low levels of sodium). There are also some life-threatening adverse reactions such as; ototoxicity (damage to hearing or balance functions of the ear), nephrotoxicity (poisonous effects on the kidney), thrombocytopenia (deficiency of platelets in the blood), agramulocytosis (deficiency of granulocytes in the blood, increasing vulnerability to infection), neuromuscular blockade (paralysis of the affected skeletal muscles), and liver damage. Understanding each side effect is important for knowing what signs to alert the doctor
Gentamicin is a broad-spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic, used to treat severe systemic infections. Systemic infections affect the entire …show more content…
Side effects of Gentamicin include anorexia (a lack or loss of appetite for food), nausea, vomiting, rash, numbness, visual disturbances, headaches, confusion, depression, tremors, tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), hearing loss, pruritus (itching), muscle cramps or weakness, photosensitivity (reaction to visible light), alopecia (baldness), and arthralgia (pain in a joint). Adverse reactions are most serious than the side effects and include the following; oliguria (production of abnormally small amounts of urine), urticaria (rash of round, red welts on the skin that itch), palpitations, superinfection, peripheral neuropathy, laryngeal edema, hypokalemia (deficiency of potassium in the bloodstream), hypomagnesemia (deficiency of magnesium in the blood), and hyponatremia (low levels of sodium). There are also some life-threatening adverse reactions such as; ototoxicity (damage to hearing or balance functions of the ear), nephrotoxicity (poisonous effects on the kidney), thrombocytopenia (deficiency of platelets in the blood), agramulocytosis (deficiency of granulocytes in the blood, increasing vulnerability to infection), neuromuscular blockade (paralysis of the affected skeletal muscles), and liver damage. Understanding each side effect is important for knowing what signs to alert the doctor