6 groups of antibiotics

Nowadays, we have hundreds of different types of antibiotics. They are produced by different companies so have various brand names. Basically antibiotics are grouped together by how they work. Each type of antibiotics only works against certain bacteria. Amongst all the types of antibiotics most of them we can classify into 6 groups(1).

• Penicillins, widely used to treat infections such as: skin infections, chest infections and urinary tract infections. 
• Cephalosporins can be used to treat serious infections such as septicaemia and meningitis ( you can read more about these infections in references 1).
• Aminoglycosides (injection or eye drops), only used for very serious infections such as meningitis due to severe side effects (hearing loss, kidney damage)
• Tetracyclines commonly used to treat acne and rosacea (causes flushing of the skin and spots)
• Macrolides, lung and chest infections treatment, used for people with Penicillin allergy or resistance
• Fluoroquinolones, newest, broad spectrum antibiotics- can be used to treat various infections.

As many other medicines antibiotics can cause side effects. The most common side effects are: being/feeling sick, bloating and indigestion, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite. These occur in around 1 in 10 people(2).

Some antibiotics can cause an allergic reaction, especially penicillin and cephalosporins. These include: itching, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, tightness of throat. This will happen to around 1 in 15 people and can be treated with antihistamines (allergy tablets). In very rare cases antibiotics can cause anaphylaxis which is a severe and life-threating allergy reaction and needs fast medical reaction(2).




References:
(1)http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Antibiotics-penicillins/Pages/Introduction.aspx (6/4/14)
(2)http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Antibiotics-penicillins/Pages/Side-effects.aspx (9/4/14)