Antibiotics for Kidney Infection

Kidney infection, which is also known as Pyelonephritis, is only treatable with antibiotics. It's a bacterial infection that can infect kidneys by spreading upwards from the urinary tract. It needs immediate attention and treatment as delay will cause permanent damage to your kidney and cause the infection to spread into bloodstream. In this Buzzle article, you will find some detailed information about antibiotics for kidney infection treatment.

Kidney Infection: Causes & Symptoms

Pyelonephritis is an inflammatory disease of the kidney, also known as Nephritis. It's mostly caused by certain bacteria like Escherichia Coli and Enterococcus Faecalis. The symptoms of kidney infection are

• Bladder tenderness and fragility on the side of affected kidney
• Abdominal pain
• Pain during urination

Antibiotics for Kidney Infection Treatment

Antibiotics are especially effective in treating bacterial infection. Kidney infection being mostly of bacterial origin, antibiotics are the best options, when it comes to treating it. If the disease is still in its initial stages, then oral intake of medicines is enough to treat it. However advanced cases require intravenously administered antibiotics for kidney infection treatment. Here are the common antibiotics, used to treat kidney infection.

Fluoroquinolones
The Fluoroquinolones also known as Quinolones are a class of synthetic broad spectrum antibiotics. Broad spectrum antibiotics are effective in neutralizing varied types of bacteria of both, gram positive and gram negative type. Nalidixic acid was the first type of Fluoroquinolone used in the treatment of urinary tract infections in 1962. Many types of Fluoroquinolones have been developed since then. A second generation Fluoroquinolone called Ciprofloxacin is often used in the treatment of kidney infection. However, this is not generally recommended as the first choice of antibiotics for kidney infection treatment. It's used if the first line of antibiotics fails and the kidney disease is particularly acute. Amoxicillin can also cause a measles-like itchy rash. This occurs particularly in cases where the patient has had no previous exposure to penicillin like antibiotics. Fluoroquinolones are classified as pregnancy category C drugs, which means that they shouldn't be administered to pregnant women, suffering from kidney infections. In such cases, other antibiotic alternatives are used. Some of the most commonly used antibiotics in acute Pyelonephritis treatment are Enoxacin, Levofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Gatifloxacin, Norfloxacin, Lomefloxacin and Ofloxacin. Oral or intravenous administration of fluoroquinolones is effective in treatment of mild or acute pyelonephritis.

Beta-lactam Antibiotics
Beta-lactam antibiotics are one of the most widely used set of antibiotics. They include antibiotics which are derived from penicillin, monobactams, cephalosporins and carbapenems. They work by eliminating crucial enzymes involved in the cell wall building mechanism in bacteria, inhibiting their growth in the process. Amoxicillin and Cephalosporin are some of the beta-lactam antibiotics used in the treatment of urinary tract infections like Pyelonephritis. The side effects of beta-lactam antibiotics includes vomiting, irritability, nausea and diarrhea.

Trimethoprim
Trimethoprim is an antibiotic used primarily in the treatment of urinary infections like Pyelonephritis. It is primarily sold in tablet form. It's a chemotherapeutic agent and is also known as dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor. They indirectly inhibit cell division in bacteria by depriving them of folic acid intake from their environment. The trade names of this antibiotic are Proloprim, Triprim and Monotrim. This antibiotic should not be used for treatment of kidney disorder in pregnant patients who are especially in their first trimester. People with certain blood disorders should also be careful in using this antibiotic. Please report your medical history to the doctor, to prevent any adverse effects from occurring, from consumption of over-the-counter antibiotics for kidney infections.

Co-Trimoxazole
Co-Trimoxazole is a sulfonamide antibiotic which is a combination of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim. Two of its main trade names are Septra and Bactrim. This antibiotic also works by stopping bacterial growth, by inhibiting folate synthesis. There are several adverse, toxic side effects of Co-Trimoxazole reported by patients. In some countries, this antibiotic has been banned due to its toxic side effects.

Antibiotics usually come with their share of side effects, when they are used as medications. Hope this article has given you sufficient information about the antibiotics used for kidney infection treatment.