In some cases, antibiotics are included in the prostate treatment regimen. The choice of a particular drug depends on a number of factors. Antibacterial therapy of acute and chronic forms of the disease has a number of significant differences.
Taking antibiotics is an important component of successful treatment of acute and chronic prostatitis. The success of the treatment depends mainly on the correct choice of the drug and the scheme of its administration.
Indications for the appointment and effect of antibiotics for prostatitis
Antibiotics are prescribed when it becomes clear that inflammation of the prostate is caused by an infection. This applies not only to the acute course of the disease, when the pronounced symptoms are forced to provide urgent help. Chronic bacterial prostatitis, which presents with a mild clinical picture or asymptomatic, also needs antibiotic therapy.
The indicator for taking antibiotics is not any specific symptom, but laboratory data indicating the presence of an infection.
To do this, use PCR (polymerase chain reaction method), which with high accuracy allows you to identify sexually transmitted infections, as well as the study of urine and prostate secretion, which allows you to detect the presence ofbacteria.
Sometimes infectious inflammation remains hidden - in this case, the level of leukocytes in the gland secretion does not exceed normal levels. To determine if there is an infection, the doctor prescribes a test dose of an antibiotic. One week after taking this medication, the test is taken again and if the leukocyte level is above 25 units, it is a hidden flow of an infectious prostate lesion. In this case, antibiotics become mandatory.
The choice of antibiotic for the treatment of prostate inflammation depends on several factors. The key is which bacteria are identified and which drugs are sensitive. There is no universal cure.
The principle of action of antibiotics depends on the type of drug used, the form of the disease and the causative agents of inflammation. However, the general essence can be reduced in several stages:
- Penetration of drugs into the blood through assimilation through the gastrointestinal tract or by intravenous administration.
- Penetration of active substances into the tissues of the prostate gland and destruction of the causative agent of the disease.
- The effect of accumulation in the glandular tissue, which allows you to fight the infection continuously.
The last step is especially important, as some antibiotics are only bacteriostatic. This means that they only affect the cells in the division. At the same time, those cells that are in the anaerobic state remain unnoticed by them. If the active substance of the drug does not accumulate in the prostate tissue, then the bacteria that have left the anaerobic state will quickly negate the whole effect of the treatment.
There are bacteria that are very resistant to drugs. These are probably the most common causative agents of prostatitis, for example, Escherichia coli. They build strong capsules and biofilms that reduce the effects of the active ingredients of the drug. In this case, it is necessary for the drugs to have the ability to destroy the protective shells of these bacteria. It is also important to take the medication to the end, even when the symptoms of the disease have already disappeared.
Groups of antibacterial agents for the treatment of prostatitis
There are several groups of antibiotics that are effective (alone or in combination) against bacteria that cause inflammation of the prostate gland. The choice of a specific group of drugs depends on a number of factors: "weak points" in the identified bacteria, the patient's concomitant diseases, the severity of the course of prostatitis, its form and the side effects of the drug.
The main groups of antibacterial drugs for prostate include:
- tetracycline;
- penicillin;
- cephalosporins;
- macrolides;
- fluoroquinolones.
Tetracycline series
Antibiotics of this group have a bacteriostatic effect, which means that they prevent cell division, growth and development.
Do not think that bacteriostatic drugs are unequivocally ineffective. This effect is sufficient to eliminate the infection, provided the patient has no impaired immunity.
Such drugs disrupt the link between RNA (which "gives the commands" for the development and division of pathogens) and the ribosome (which carries out these "commands"), thus suppressing the production of proteins - the building blocks for new cells.
Drugs of this group are effective in combating the following pathogens:
- mycoplasma;
- ureaplasma;
- chlamydia;
- enterococci;
- enterobacteriaceae;
- klebsiella;
- pseudomonas;
- seracion;
- coli.
Drugs of this group are selected selectively due to the large list of side effects.
Penicillin series
Preparations of this group also have a bacteriostatic effect, affecting the dividing bacteria. However, they have a different principle of action: they stop the production of the main component of the bacterial cell wall - peptidoglycan.
Since there are many bacteria that have developed resistance to antibiotics in this group, a subset of protected penicillins has been created.
These antibiotics are effective in treating inflammation caused by the following bacteria:
- gonococci;
- staphylococci;
- enterobacteriaceae;
- Proteus;
- klebsiella;
- seracion;
- coli.
Drugs of this group are prescribed with caution due to the high risk of allergic reactions. To treat prostate inflammation, medications based on oxacillin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin are prescribed.
Cephalosporins
These are powerful bactericidal drugs that not only prevent cell division, but destroy them. This occurs in two steps: stopping the production of peptidoglycan (destruction of the cell wall) and the release of enzymes.
Medicines in this group are effective against:
- gonococci;
- enterobacteriaceae;
- Bacteria Proteus;
- Klebsiella;
- coli.
Drugs in this group include drugs based on ceftriaxone, cefilin, cefpiron and others.
Macrolides
The group of safest antibiotics that cause fewer side effects. The principle of their action is to stop the production of proteins for cell building. What will be the effect (bactericidal or bacteriostatic) depends on the choice of drug and its concentration in the body.
Antibiotics from this group are effective against the following bacteria:
- gonococci;
- chlamydia;
- ureaplasma;
- mycoplasma.
Not all doctors prescribe drugs of this group for the treatment of prostatitis, because, although their effect is logical to assume, no close studies have been conducted on this topic. Drugs in this group include azithromycin and clarithromycin-based drugs.
Fluoroquinolones
These are not antibiotics in their classical sense because antibiotics are drugs of natural origin or their closest synthetic counterparts. Fluoroquinolones have no analogues in nature.
Medicines of this particular group are most often prescribed by urologists. And there are good reasons for this:
- First, they have a very broad spectrum of bactericidal action, not inferior to natural antibiotics with fewer side effects.
- Second, they have a very active antimicrobial effect: they affect both the production of DNA, preventing its copying, and topoisomerase (an important part of virus integration into cells), and RNA, and the walls ofcell membranes and other processes. that provide vital activity and the process of cell division - such a massive attack from all fronts has good results.
Fluoroquinolones are effective against:
- intestinal and Pseudomonas aeruginosa;
- staphylococci;
- gonococci;
- mycoplasma;
- chlamydia and other bacteria.
Antibiotics of this group are used for the complex treatment of Koch bacillus. Therefore, before you start taking these medications, it is important to make sure that there are no tuberculosis-causing agents in the body. The fact is that a special intake of fluoroquinolones helps Koch sticks develop resistance to other antibiotics, and the process of treating tuberculosis becomes much more complicated.
The most effective antibiotics for inflammation of the prostate
Even the most effective antibiotic will be useless and even harmful if the reason for choosing this medicine is advertising, the opinion of disabled people who have been helped by this medicine or the fact that this medicine has been effective the last time. There is no drug that is active against all bacteria and viruses, but each group of antibiotics has its best representatives.
General principles and features of antibiotic therapy for acute and chronic prostatitis
The treatment regimen and the choice of medication depend on the form of prostatitis. There are similarities and differences in the treatment of acute and chronic prostatitis.
The following aspects are typical for the treatment with antibiotic therapy of any type of prostatitis:
- contacting a doctor and passing tests to identify the pathogen is mandatory;
- treatment should be continued according to the scheme, even when complete recovery appears to have occurred.
At the same time, when choosing medications to treat inflammation, you need to consider several different factors. So for the treatment of chronic prostatitis, the ability of active substances to penetrate into prostate cells is essential. It has been proven that just a high concentration of the drug in the blood is not enough. Not all broad-spectrum drugs, even the latest generation, have such capabilities. The situation is different when it comes to acute inflammation: it increases the permeability of prostate cells to the entry of drugs from the blood.
The ability of drugs to penetrate and accumulate in tissues is essential in chronic inflammation, but not as important in acute inflammation.
The second difference is that the acute phase should be treated as soon as possible, given the severity of the condition. Therefore, preference is given to bactericidal drugs (fluoroquinolones), rather than bacteriostatic ones. In cases where the principle of action of the drug depends on the dose, the concentration of the drug in the blood and in the prostate should be sufficient to maintain the bactericidal effect - this applies to drugs from the macrolide group.
Bacteriostatic antibiotics are selected for the treatment of chronic inflammation, and bactericidal antibiotics for acute inflammation.
Natural antibiotics: effectiveness and methods of application
Given that almost all antibiotics are of natural origin (or are the closest analogues), it is logical to assume that herbs have a similar effect with better tolerance and fewer side effects.
However, if the action of the plants were sufficient, there would be no need for the production of medicines. Therefore, herbal therapy with antibacterial properties is suitable only as an adjunctive treatment or preventive measure for chronic inflammation of the prostate gland.
There are some herbs that can fight bacteria:
- yarrow (may have bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect on E. coli and enterobacteriaceae);
- bitter wormwood (effective against Escherichia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa);
- eleutherococcus (fights white staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and enterobacteriaceae);
- large plantain (fights white staphylococci, enterobacteriaceae, has bacteriostatic effect on proteus, has analgesic effect).
There are many recipes with which you can prepare an antibacterial medicine to relieve inflammation. From herbs it is better to prepare infusions that do not need prolonged exposure to temperature.
For almost any herb, the following recipe is appropriate:
- In one part grass, take ten parts water at room temperature.
- Heat the mixture for a quarter of an hour in a boiling water bath.
- Inject for 45 minutes.
- Go through a filter, such as gauze.
Infusions are most effective if taken immediately after preparation.
In addition, to combat prostatitis, hazelnut peel, aspen and chestnut peel are used. From such a material it is better to prepare decoction. Each plant has its own recipe, but in general terms, the preparation of a decoction is as follows:
- Wash and grind the raw materials.
- Place in water so that it completely covers the branches or bark.
- Boil in a water bath for half an hour.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and drain the liquid, squeezing the raw material.
Juices can be taken within 2 days from the moment of preparation.
The effectiveness of the treatment depends on several factors: the choice of the desired natural antibiotic, the reception of high quality raw materials (it is better to prepare it yourself) and the correct preparation of the infusion or decoction.
Antibiotics for prostatitis are chosen depending on the infection that caused the inflammation, the form of the disease, and the general health of the patient. Every medicine has contraindications and side effects, so you should consult a urologist before taking it. The same goes for medicinal plants with antibacterial effect.