What W are the Difference between b Dia arrhea and D Dysentery?

To under rstand what are the diff ferences between diarrh hea and dys sentery; we need to first t know wh hat these two o really are. Diarrhea a is when a person has loose or watery excret ta and the u urge to use t the toilet is more frequent. It happens to everyone. It mostly subsides s in a day or two o but some p people exper rience it for abo out 4 days. If I it happens s for a week then maybe e the person suffers from m IBS or irri itable bowel sy yndrome. Diarrhea resul lts in the los ss of body fl fluids along with salts. T The symptom ms of simple diarrhea d are: loose water ry stools, fr requent urge e to use the toilet, stom mach pain, a and at times fev ver. The rea ason for diar rrhea occurr rence is that t the things you eat or drink passe es too swiftly th hrough your r colon and d that too in n large quan ntities. This can be cau used by: bac cteria, parasites, viruses, lac ctose intolera ance, fructos se, certain dr rugs and oth her digestive disorders.

ry on the ot ther hand is a disorder where w the in ntestine gets inflamed. T The inflamm mation Dysenter also affec cts the colon n and leads to t not just diarrhea d but a also blood in n the stools, , severe abdo omen pain, fever, and recta al tenesmus (a ( feeling of f defecating over and ov ver). Dysente ery if ignored can be deadly y. The follo owing table shows s some differences s between di iarrhea and d dysentery. Serial No. Feature es D Diarrhea Watery y stools, stom mach frequent urg ge to pain, , f use the e toilet, stom mach pain Fever D Dysentery Dia arrhea, Sever re abdom men pain, pus s and blood d in stools, re ectal tenesm mus, fever, p pain duri ing defecatin ng Vom miting blood d, deliri ium and sho ock, inte estinal cramp ps Can p prove fatal if f not treated

Symptom ms

2 3

Rare symptoms If left untre eated

Usually y goes away i in 23 days Drink p plenty of wa ater, Same a as that of dia arrhea avoid m milk, foods h high Home reme edies but str rictly on doctors in fa ats and fiber r, s suggestion m medications In short dys sentery can be b said to be the next and d more serio ous stage of d diarrhea

Don't Put Your Antibiotics at Risk

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Dont Put Your Antibiotics at Risk

Ruth Kim, Pharm.D. Candidate 2011 Consumer Health Information Corporation and Howard University School of Pharmacy

Antibiotics are very helpful medicines in killing bacteria. When you do not take an antibiotic the right way, you could get antibiotic resistance. It could be very difficult for your doctors to treat your infection in the future. Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria do not die from the medicine. This takes place when there is not enough medicine in your body. Some common reasons are:
z z z

You did not take it at the right time. You stopped the medicine too soon. You took it with food when the medicine should be taken on an empty stomach.

When there are not enough antibiotics in your body to fight the bacteria, the strong ones live on to multiply. Now these bacteria are not killed by antibiotic. The only choice your doctor has is to use a stronger antibiotic to kill the bacteria. These stronger antibiotics can have more serious side effects.

How Can I Avoid Antibiotic Resistance? You should first take antibiotics as prescribed. Every antibiotic has special instructions that you need to know. Here are some tips on how to take some of the most common antibiotics.
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Take the full dose of your prescription medicine Some antibiotics need to be in your body for a set amount of time to work. This is why you must take these antibiotics exactly as prescribed. If the directions say to take your antibiotics for 10 days, you must take all the medicine. Do not stop the medicine early simply because you feel better. You will be giving strong bacteria the chance to multiply if you stop the antibiotics too soon.

Follow exact instructions for use Some antibiotics need an exact amount of medicine in your body to do the job. Help antibiotics work for you by always finishing your antibiotic. For example, if the prescription is written: { Take one (1) capsule every 6 hours: You could take the medicine at 6AM, noon, 6PM and midnight. { Take two (2) tablets every 12 hours: You could take two tablets in the morning and the next two 12 hours later. If you do not take the antibiotics at the right time you are at risk of getting antibiotic resistance.

How Should I Take My Antibiotics?

z

Take some antibiotics with water

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Don't Put Your Antibiotics at Risk

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Antibiotics that should be taken with a full glass (8 ounces) of water: (not a complete list) z Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)Levofloxacin (Levaquin) z Doxycycline (Doryx, Periostat, Vibramycin) Especially with doxycycline hyclate (Doryx). Drink a FULL glass of water to avoid stomach irritation.9 z Tetracycline (Tetracyclin, Sumycin) DO NOT take the above medicines with some drinks containing calcium or iron. These can make your medicine less effective. { Herbal teas { Popular flavored water { Smoothies { Orange juice { Grapefruit juice { Milk { Milk of magnesia

Avoid taking some antibiotics with vitamins, minerals, and herbal products Some antibiotics must not be taken at the same time as your vitamins, minerals and herbal products. For example: { Iron or calcium or magnesium Antacids containing calcium or magnesium { Milk of magnesia The antibiotics could be less effective if you do not space them apart.

Table 1: Medicines to avoid with vitamins, minerals and herbal products. Generic Name Brand Name Suggestions Ciprofloxacin Cipro Doryx, Periostat, Take two hours before and after taking the Doxycycline Vibramycin vitamins, minerals, and herbals. Levofloxacin Levaquin Take four hours before and after taking the Tetracycline Tetracyclin, Sumycin vitamins, minerals, and herbals, especially those containing calcium.
z

Do NOT take some antibiotics with food Some antibiotics should not be taken with food. The table below shows the length of time to separate your antibiotics from food. Food may decrease the amount of antibiotic in your body when you take them too close to your meals. This makes the antibiotic less effective. This can also place you at risk of antibiotic resistance.

Table 2: Antibiotics that should NOT be taken with food. Generic Name Brand Name Ampicillin Principen Ciprofloxacin Cipro Doxycycline Metronidazole ER Tetracycline
z

Suggestions Take two hours before and four hours after food. Take two hours before and four hours after food. If you notice stomach upset, take doxycycline one hour after a food. Take two hours before and four hours after food.

Doryx, Periostat, Vibramycin Flagyl ER Tetracyclin, Sumycin

Take some antibiotics with food These antibiotics work best when they are taken with food. Food makes it easier for your body to absorb these antibiotics.

Table 3: Antibiotics that should be taken with food.

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Don't Put Your Antibiotics at Risk

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Generic Name Amoxicillin Clavulanate Metronidazole Nitrofurantoin

z

Brand Name Augmentin Flagyl Microbid, Microdantin

Suggestions Take with food

Take some antibiotics either with or not with food The antibiotics listed below can be taken with food or not with food. The acid in your stomach does not change how well the medicine is absorbed into your body.

Table 4: Antibiotics that can be taken regardless of food. Generic Name Brand Name Azithromycin Z-Pak, Zithromax Cefuroxime Ceftin, Zinacef Erythromycin Eryc Levofloxacin Levaquin

Suggestions

Take with or without food

Take charge of your health. Do not put your antibiotics at risk of antibiotic resistance. Follow these simple rules to take antibiotics safely and effectively. Not every antibiotic works the same way. Talk with your doctor and pharmacist if you have any questions about how to take your medicine.

2010 Consumer Health Information Corporation. All rights reserved.

1999-2008 Consum er H eal t h Inf orm at i on Corporat i on. Al lri ght s reserved.

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