What medications are used to treat viral infections?
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Antibiotics are
powerful medicines used to treat certain illnesses. However, antibiotics do not cure everything, and unnecessary antibiotics can even be harmful. There are 2 main types of germs that cause most infections. These are viruses and bacteria. Viruses cause: Colds and flu Runny noses Most coughs and bronchitis Most sore throats Antibiotics cannot kill viruses or help you feel better when you have a
virus.
Bacteria cause: Most ear infections Some sinus infections Strep throat Urinary tract infections Antibiotics do kill specific bacteria. Some viruses cause symptoms that resemble bacterial infections, and some bacteria can cause symptoms that resemble viral infections. Your healthcare provider can determine what type of illness you have and recommend the proper type of treatment. What are resistant bacteria?Each time you take an antibiotic, bacteria are killed. Sometimes, bacteria causing infections are already resistant to prescribed antibiotics. Bacteria may also become resistant during treatment of an infection. Resistant bacteria do not respond to the antibiotics and continue to cause infection. A common misconception is that a person's body becomes resistant to specific medicines. However, it is the bacteria, not people, that become resistant to the medicines. Each time you take or give your child an antibiotic unnecessarily or improperly, you increase the chance of developing medicine-resistant bacteria. Therefore, it is critically important to take antibiotics only when necessary. Because of these resistant bacteria, some diseases that used to be easy to treat are now becoming nearly impossible to treat. Bacteria can develop resistance to certain medicines:
When are antibiotics needed?This complicated question, which should be answered by your healthcare provider, depends on the specific diagnosis. For example, there are several types of ear infections—most need antibiotics, but some do not. Most cases of sore throat are caused by viruses. One kind, strep throat, diagnosed by a lab test, needs antibiotics. Common viral infections, like coughs or a cold, can sometimes become complicated and a bacterial infection can develop. However, treating viral infections with antibiotics in order to prevent bacterial infections is not recommended because of the risk of causing bacterial resistance:
Remember that taking antibiotics appropriately and making sure your child receives the proper immunizations will help prevent having to take more dangerous and more costly medicines. Talk with your healthcare provider for more information. Antibiotics are powerful medicines that fight bacterial infections. They either kill bacteria or stop them from reproducing, allowing the body’s natural defenses to eliminate the pathogens. Used properly, antibiotics can save lives. But growing antibiotic resistance is curbing the effectiveness of these drugs. Taking an antibiotic as directed, even after symptoms disappear, is key to curing an infection and preventing the development of resistant bacteria.
Antibiotics don’t work against viral infections such as colds or the flu. In those cases, physicians often prescribe antiviral drugs, which fight infection by inhibiting a virus’s ability to reproduce. There are several different classes of drugs in the antiviral family, and each is used for specific kinds of viral infections. (Unlike antibacterial drugs, which may cover a wide spectrum of pathogens, antiviral medications are used to treat a narrower range of organisms.) Antiviral drugs are now available to treat a number of viruses, including influenza, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes, and hepatitis B and C. Like bacteria, viruses mutate over time and develop resistance to antiviral drugs. Modern medicine needs new kinds of antibiotics and antivirals to treat drug-resistant infections. But the pipeline of new drugs is drying up. The last new class of antibiotics to be approved was the lipopeptides (e.g., daptomycin) discovered in 1987. Major pharmaceutical companies have limited interest in dedicating resources to the antibiotics market because these short-course drugs are not as profitable as drugs that treat chronic conditions and lifestyle-related ailments such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Antibiotic research and development is also expensive, risky, and time consuming. Return on that investment can be unpredictable, considering that resistance to antibiotics develops over time and eventually makes them less effective. New antiviral drugs are also in short supply. These medicines have been much more difficult to develop than antibacterial drugs because antivirals can damage host cells where the viruses reside. Today, there are more antiviral drugs for HIV than for any other viral disease, transforming an infection that was once considered a death sentence into a manageable chronic condition. But novel drugs are needed to combat other epidemic viral infections such as influenza and hepatitis B. Several programs have been developed to stimulate research and development of new vaccines and medicines. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services formed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which provides an integrated, systematic approach to the development and purchase of the vaccines, drugs, therapies, and diagnostic tools necessary for public health medical emergencies. This group has supported the development of several treatments and vaccines. The Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Obama in March 2010, is designed to move research discoveries through to safe and effective therapies by awarding grants through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to biotech companies, universities, and patient advocacy groups. In 2012, CAN was moved to the newly authorized National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) within the NIH. CAN continues to explore ways to accelerate the movement of “high-need cures,” including drugs, from the bench to the bedside. And nonprofit organizations dedicated to accelerating the discovery and clinical development of new therapies to treat infectious diseases are bringing together philanthropists, medical research foundations, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders to forge effective collaborations. Along with efforts to develop new vaccines and medicines, increased vigilance is needed to reduce the overall use of antibiotics. This can be accomplished by reducing infections that lead to the need for antibiotics in the first place. Increasing vaccination rates and improving sanitation and the availability of clean water worldwide are three effective ways to realize this goal. Other strategies include avoiding antibiotic use for growth promotion in animals and restricting the use of medically important drugs across the board, in both humans and animals. Polices that support these strategies and restrict overall use should prolong the effectiveness of antibiotics. What medicine is best for viral infection?Medications for Viral Upper Respiratory Infections (Colds and Influenza). Oseltamivir and zanamivir.. Amantadine and rimantadine.. Decongestants.. Antihistamines.. Pain Relievers/Fever Reducers (Antipyretics). Expectorants.. Cough Suppressants.. Throat Lozenges.. What antibiotics are used to treat viral infections?Viruses are germs different from bacteria. They cause infections, such as colds and flu. However, antibiotics do not treat infections caused by viruses. For more information on common illnesses and when antibiotics are and aren't needed, visit Common Illnesses.
What is the most common treatment for viral diseases?Vaccines for Prevention
While we do have limited numbers of effective antiviral drugs, such as those used to treat HIV and influenza, the primary method of controlling viral disease is by vaccination, which is intended to prevent outbreaks by building immunity to a virus or virus family (Figure21.3.
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