Antibiotics vs. Painkillers
Painkillers and antibiotics are frequently prescribed medications. Antibacterial, or commonly known as antibiotics, are drugs that are prescribed to eradicate bacterial infections from the body whereas painkillers are given for pain relief. The mode of action of both drugs and the indications for their use are poles apart different with these two types of medications. Antibiotics take action on various types of targets that destroy the bacterial cell walls to either avert them from replicating or eradicate them. On the foundation of the chemical target of action and class, antibiotics are subdivided into different classes.
Painkillers are categorized in various ways, and they may have very diverse modes and objects of action. There are intensities of their actions that may vary with their class. Most frequently used are the NSAIDS, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which can be given for pain or inflammation. Paracetamol is a popular example of a painkiller.
As mentioned earlier, antibiotics are termed as antibacterial drugs that fight against infections. This type of drug is a power innovation in medical science history. The first antibiotic that was revealed was penicillin. After the introduction of penicillin, it paved the way for other antibiotics to be exposed and have an essential role in special cases of disease, especially for infectious ones. Antibiotics can be categorized in various classes such as cephalosporins, lipopeptides, glycopeptides, macrolides, and aminoglycosides. Every single type of classification has different microbe-type targets to work on. A number of antibiotics inhibit the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall while the others bind to ribosomes to avert the synthesis of proteins, and some types inhibit the DNA transcription and replication by binding to the DNA gyrase enzyme. Antibiotics are chosen wisely depending on the type of microorganism that causes the infection as there is a strong likelihood to develop resistance for the specific drug.
Painkillers are categorized into five classes such as COX-2 inhibitors, Flupirtine, NSAIDS, morphinomimetics, opiates, and other specific agents. The first class also involves Paracetamol, yet the mechanism of its action is still not known unlike for the other class members that act on the cyclooxygenase resulting in its inhibition.
These outcomes from the decreasing production of prostaglandin can eventually relieve the person from inflammation and pain. Cyclooxygenase is also the target of COX-2 inhibitors, but they are additionally specific for its variant strain which is directly linked with analgesic actions. There is added superiority to NSAIDS as they inhibit the COX-1 that can result in several side effects. Opiate receptors and morphine are derived to become opiates. These types of painkillers are the strongest and have the highest risk for tolerance and dependence.
Antibiotics are clearly given to fight infections while painkillers are anti-inflammatory agents that relieve inflammation and pain included in an infection. Antibiotics can be prescribed as a prophylaxis against infection for patients that will undergo surgery in conjunction with painkillers during the postoperative period for pain relief. Both painkillers and antibiotics belong to various drug types. These may be given concurrently for the desired effect that the physician wants and depending on the patient’s condition.
Summary:
1.Painkillers and antibiotics are frequently prescribed medications.
2.Antibacterial, or commonly known as antibiotics, are drugs that are prescribed to eradicate bacterial infections from the body whereas painkillers are given for pain relief.
3.Antibiotics can be categorized in various classes such as cephalosporins, lipopeptides, glycopeptides, macrolides, and aminoglycosides. Every single type of classification has different microbe-type targets to work on. Painkillers are categorized into five classes such as: COX-2 inhibitors, Flupirtine, NSAIDS, morphinomimetics, opiates, and other specific agents. The first class also involves Paracetamol yet the mechanism of its action is still not known unlike the other class members that act on the cyclooxygenase resulting in its inhibition.
4.As mentioned earlier, antibiotics are termed as antibacterial drugs that fight against infections. This type of drug is a power innovation in medical science history whereas painkillers, these outcomes from the decreasing production of prostaglandin, can eventually relieve the person from inflammation and pain.
5.Antibiotics are clearly given to fight infections while painkillers are anti-inflammatory agents that relieve inflammation and pain included in an infection.
6.Antibiotics can be prescribed as a prophylaxis against infection for patients that will undergo surgery in conjunction with painkillers during the postoperative period for pain relief.