While waiting for a child in a woman's body, many changes occur. At the same time, one of the disadvantages of the "interesting" situation is a decrease in resistance to infections, so many expectant mothers cannot avoid taking antibiotics. Choosing a suitable antibacterial agent, the doctor must prescribe not only an effective, but also safe for the fetus medicine.
Often this medicine becomes "Azithromycin". According to the instructions for use, this drug can be prescribed in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters under the supervision of a physician. If a specialist discharged it to a pregnant woman, you must strictly adhere to the scheme, and also carefully read the annotation.
Features of the drug
"Azithromycin" is produced by different companies, so the name of the drug may contain a word indicating the manufacturer, for example, "Azithromycin-Akrikhin" or "Azithromycin Sanofi".
The medication is presented in pharmacies in several forms, among which are:
- capsules;
- coated tablets;
- lyophilisate for injection;
- powder for suspension preparation.
The active substance of all these options is the compound of the same name - azithromycin.
Powder form sold in bottles, where water is added before use. This "Azithromycin" is most in demand in childhood. The finished suspension contains 100 mg or 200 mg of active ingredient in 5 ml. It smells good and tastes sweet. The tablets can contain from 125 mg to 1000 mg of azithromycin in one piece. They are usually sold in blister packs of 3-6.
Capsules "Azithromycin" contain 250 mg (sometimes 500 mg) of the active substance and are sold in 3, 6, 12 or more capsules in one pack.
Injection form it is prescribed for severe infection. Such a drug is released in bottles in the form of a white powder or a dense mass. One bottle contains 500 mg of azithromycin.
Operating principle
"Azithromycin" is a representative of macrolide antibiotics. Such drugs are characterized by a wide range and rather high efficiency. Once in the patient's body, they quickly penetrate the inflamed tissues, overcoming both tissue barriers and cell walls.
The absorption of azithromycin occurs quite quickly, and already 2-3 hours after ingestion, the amount of the active ingredient in the blood becomes maximum. When the treatment is stopped, the circulation of the antibiotic in the plasma is maintained for another 5-7 days, which makes it possible to prescribe it in a short course.
Used in low doses "Azithromycin" inhibits protein synthesis in bacterial cells, which makes it impossible for their active reproduction and gradually leads to death. If the dosage of the drug is high, the therapeutic effect becomes bactericidal, that is, the pathogen is destroyed.
The use of "Azithromycin" is in demand for infections caused by staphylococci, pneumococci, haemophilus influenzae, group B streptococci, pyogenic streptococci, whooping cough or para-whooping cough sticks, legionella, clostridia, bacteroids, mycobacteria and many other microorganisms.
Is it allowed during pregnancy?
As already noted above, "Azithromycin" is permissible to use during the period of gestation, but there must be good reasons for this. If a woman is diagnosed with an infection that significantly worsened her condition, can affect the course of pregnancy or provoke infection of the fetus, the use of "Azithromycin" is considered justified. However, independent use of this drug is not recommended.
Only a specialist can decide whether an antibiotic is needed for a specific expectant mother and whether Azithromycin should really be such a drug.
In the early stages, they try to abandon its use, because in the first weeks of pregnancy, the most important organs are laid, and any external influence can disrupt this process, causing malformations. In the second or third trimesters, the drug is used in accordance with the doctor's recommendations.
When is it prescribed for expectant mothers?
"Azithromycin" is used in the treatment of diseases of an infectious nature, for example, the drug is prescribed for pregnant women with the following diseases:
- sore throat;
- pneumonia;
- sinusitis;
- otitis media;
- urethritis.
The medication can be prescribed for polyhydramnios, chorioamnionitis or cervicitis. Sometimes it is combined with other medications, for example, with "Trichopol", but such a simultaneous use requires increased medical supervision.
Contraindications
The drug is not used in the treatment of women in the following cases:
- when hypersensitivity to azithromycin or any inactive ingredient of the selected form is detected;
- the medication is prohibited in case of an allergic reaction to other macrolides, as well as in severe kidney or liver diseases;
- caution in the treatment of "Azithromycin" is shown in situations where a woman has arrhythmia, diabetes mellitus, dehydration and some other dangerous conditions.
If the expectant mother has any serious pathologies, the issue of prescribing an antibiotic is decided on an individual basis.
Side effects
Some patients react to taking "Azithromycin" with such negative symptoms:
- dizziness;
- fast fatiguability;
- tingling in the limbs;
- dermatitis;
- inflammation of the conjunctiva;
- drowsiness;
- headache;
- nausea;
- palpitations;
- loose stools.
If they occur, it is necessary to consult a doctor and find an adequate replacement.
Instructions for use
The appropriate form of the drug and the scheme of its use is determined by the doctor for each expectant mother separately, but most often "Azithromycin" is taken orally once a day, and the most common duration of treatment is 3 days. Since food affects the absorption of tablets, capsules and suspensions, the intake of "Azithromycin" should not coincide with the intake of food.
The medicine is drunk either one hour before meals, or two hours after it.
When using a suspension, add the amount of cool water indicated in the annotation to the powder. After shaking the liquid well, it is dispensed with a syringe (if there is one in the package) or with a regular teaspoon. Capsules and tablets are swallowed without damaging the membrane and washed down with water.
Reviews
There are mostly good reviews about the use of "Azithromycin" while waiting for a baby. In them, women confirm the effectiveness of the drug for bronchitis, pneumonia, sore throat, otitis media and other bacterial infections.
Among the main advantages of the drug, many forms and a single dose are mentioned. In negative reviews, you can see complaints about side effects or lack of effect, when the pathogen had resistance to this antibiotic.
Analogs
Azithromycin has many analogues in terms of the active substance. These include drugs such as "Sumamed", "Azitral", "Azitrox", "AzitRus", "Zitrocin", "Hemomycin" and many others.
They are available in the form of a powder (a suspension is made from it), coated tablets, dissolving tablets, capsules and a lyophilisate, so choosing the optimal replacement is not difficult.
In addition, it is possible to replace "Azithromycin" with other antibacterial drugs from the macrolide group. For example, it can be:
- "Macropen" - granules for suspension and tablets, in which midecamycin acts as an active substance;
- "Wilprafen" - granules and tablets based on josamycin;
- Clarithromycin - capsules and tablets containing the active substance of the same name;
- "Rovamycin" - coated tablets, the action of which is provided by spiramycin.
All of them can be used during pregnancy if there are indications for such treatment and benefits that are expected to be higher than the possible adverse effects on the fetus. The use of any of these antibiotics without a doctor's prescription is unacceptable.
How to take Azithromycin, see the video.
