Quinolones Drugs & the Impact on Drug Resistant Bacterial Infections

Application, Dosing and Risks

Christine Cadena
In the age of drug resistant bacterial infections, physicians are on a never ending quest to find the therapeutic options that will provide the best solution for patients with gram-positive infections. Because the use of the wrong antibiotics can lead to further infection complications, many patients are at the mercies of their healthcare professional to determine what treatments are best suited for their particular bacterial infection.

Quinolones, a drug commonly used to fight drug resistant infections, has become increasingly more common among patients. Lending its success to the destruction of the DNA, quinolones work to destroy bacterial infections rather quickly, especially those considered drug resistant.

With a rapid delivery to the bacterium, quinolones have shown to provide the same blood level strength as that found in IV administration of antibiotic therapy. In addition, the drug can be used with or without food consumption at dosing.

Quinolones, in treating drug resistant bacterial infections, are most successful at treating genitourinary infections, commonly replacing drugs such as Bactrim and Septra. In these types of infections, your healthcare professional may prescribe a ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin as the quinolones drug of choice.

If you suffer from drug resistant bacterial infections, your healthcare professional may consider providing a prescription for oral prescription medication such as quinolones. As a general rule, dosing is also advantageous with many patients utilizing this antibiotics therapy once every 12 hours.

In addition to genital or urinary tract infections, the quinolones class of drugs are also successful at treating infections that lead to prostatitis, bacterial sinus infections, bronchitis and some forms of pneumonia. Pelvic inflammatory disease and sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea are also quite common treated with quinolones.

As a patient who suffers from any of these drug resistant infections, and your doctor prescribes quinolones family of drugs, it is important to take the important steps to prevent inhibition of your therapy. Avoiding magnesium, aluminum, calcium, zinc and iron supplement is important as is the use of antacids, especially within two to four hours of using the quinolones drug therapy.

As with any drug resistant bacterial infection, the key to your recovery lies in the careful diagnosis and administration of the antibiotic best suited for your complication. When considering health options discuss the use of the quinolones family of antibiotics as your method of treatment and be certain to comply with the dosing recommendations, avoiding supplements that may inhibit the therapeutic activity.

Published by Christine Cadena

Working on a graduate degree in psychology, Christine has both professional and educational background in health, wellness, insurance, and health finance. Finance expands to all facets of health and insuran...  View profile

  • Keflex is an antibiotics in the quinolones family of drugs
  • Physicians more commonly prescribe quinolones medications to fight infection
  • Magnesium, iron and calcium supplements should not be used with quinolones medications
In addition to genitourinary infections, the quinolones class of drugs are also successful at treating infections that lead to prostatitis, bacterial sinus infections, bronchitis and some forms of pneumonia

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