In Medications Question & Answers
Question:
I had bronchitis in March and was given Biaxin XL. That worked well to clear up the bronchitis. I got it again in May and my doctor gave me amoxicillin. That didn`t work at all and I still have the bronchitis. This week he gave me Biaxin again. My cough and chest pains are not as bad so the Biaxin is working again. What is the difference between the two antibiotics? Why didn`t the amoxacillin work?
Answer:
Amoxicillin is in the penicillin family of antibiotics, which attack a bacteria's cell wall. The penicillin class is one of the oldest classes of antibiotics available. Because they have been around for so long, many bacteria are resistant to treatment with these medications.
Clarithromycin (Biaxin) is part of the macrolide antibiotic class of antibiotics. Macrolide antibiotics work within the bacterial cell, disrupting protein synthesis. You may be more familiar with a much older macrolide drug: erythromycin. The macrolide antibiotics work differently. Bacteria may become resistant to macrolide drugs, too.
As we continue to use antibiotics more, bacteria continue to become resistant to the medications. Eventually, we have what we call "super bugs" or "multi-drug resistant" bacteria that are very difficult to treat.
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