Frequently pneumonia is a bacterial disease caused by pneumococcus. Due to its severe course and the risk of serious complications, it is absolutely essential to consult a doctor as quickly as possible and start the proper pharmacological treatment necessary to get back to full health.
The treatment for pneumonia is mostly based on a course of:
Antibiotics – usually medication with a wide spectrum is prescribed, i.e. fighting many kinds of bacteria which are the most frequent cause of pneumonia. If classic antibiotic therapy does not help, then an antibiogram and a smear test on the throat are usually done in order to define the bacteria strain responsible for the infection. After that targeted therapy is applied, i.e. an antibiotic for a specific bacteria.
Probiotics – when you take antibiotics do not forget about probiotics, i.e. the beneficial bacteria which have a protective function in your gastrointestinal tract and protect you from diarrhoea, which can be a frequent undesirable effect of antibiotic therapy. Capsules or powders can be bought over the counter in your pharmacy without the need for a prescription.
Painkillers – with paracetamol, ibuprofen, or diclofenac which reduce the pain in muscles and joints.
Antipyretic medications – mostly on the basis of paracetamol or ibuprofen that lower high body temperature and suppress shivering.
Expectorants for productive cough – on the basis of ambroxol, bromhexine, or acetylcysteine that soothe the productive (wet) cough by diluting the discharge accumulated in the respiratory tract and makes it easier to clear out If you take the expectorants and the medication to dilute the discharge, you have to remember not to take them after 5 p.m. Otherwise it will disrupt your sleep at night.
Cough medications for a persistent, dry cough – the unproductive cough, without a discharge, requires the application of a syrup for a dry cough (with dextromethorphan or butamirate). The syrup can be taken only if you suffer from a dry cough. Remember that by restraining a cough reflex, you also restrain the removal of the accumulated discharge. This can cause a disease to develop and lead to serious complications.
Remember that the proper treatment for pneumonia depends mostly on taking the prescribed medication over the determined time. Therefore, do not put the antibiotic aside just after you start feeling better, as an incomplete course can result in a relapse.
The treatment for pneumonia is mostly based on a course of:
Antibiotics – usually medication with a wide spectrum is prescribed, i.e. fighting many kinds of bacteria which are the most frequent cause of pneumonia. If classic antibiotic therapy does not help, then an antibiogram and a smear test on the throat are usually done in order to define the bacteria strain responsible for the infection. After that targeted therapy is applied, i.e. an antibiotic for a specific bacteria.
Probiotics – when you take antibiotics do not forget about probiotics, i.e. the beneficial bacteria which have a protective function in your gastrointestinal tract and protect you from diarrhoea, which can be a frequent undesirable effect of antibiotic therapy. Capsules or powders can be bought over the counter in your pharmacy without the need for a prescription.
Painkillers – with paracetamol, ibuprofen, or diclofenac which reduce the pain in muscles and joints.
Antipyretic medications – mostly on the basis of paracetamol or ibuprofen that lower high body temperature and suppress shivering.
Expectorants for productive cough – on the basis of ambroxol, bromhexine, or acetylcysteine that soothe the productive (wet) cough by diluting the discharge accumulated in the respiratory tract and makes it easier to clear out If you take the expectorants and the medication to dilute the discharge, you have to remember not to take them after 5 p.m. Otherwise it will disrupt your sleep at night.
Cough medications for a persistent, dry cough – the unproductive cough, without a discharge, requires the application of a syrup for a dry cough (with dextromethorphan or butamirate). The syrup can be taken only if you suffer from a dry cough. Remember that by restraining a cough reflex, you also restrain the removal of the accumulated discharge. This can cause a disease to develop and lead to serious complications.
Remember that the proper treatment for pneumonia depends mostly on taking the prescribed medication over the determined time. Therefore, do not put the antibiotic aside just after you start feeling better, as an incomplete course can result in a relapse.
Read also
The common cold in infantsEffective treatment for bronchitisEffective methods for treating the common cold in children
Dry and wet coughs in infants and newbornsBronchitis in children and infants - symptoms and treatmentPneumonia in children - symptoms
Pneumonia in infants and newbornsMedication for bronchitisWhat are the most common symptoms of bronchitis
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