Do antibiotics make you tired? You might be wondering about this since you may be feeling tired a little more than usual sometimes, after consuming antibiotics.
However, before concluding anything, you must first know the reason for taking antibiotics. Antibiotics are medications that eradicate bacterial infections namely urinary tract infections, skin infections, respiratory tract infections, eye infections, and much more.
Antibiotics are also helpful in getting rid of harmful bacteria entirely. Though there are numerous benefits of antibiotics medicine, it has its disadvantages too.
Consuming an antibiotic may result in side effects. Bloating, headaches, and indigestion are a few potential side effects of antibiotics, while there are a few that makes you tired, and those fall under the rare side effects category.
To understand antibiotic medications better, let us get more information on how antibiotics work, their types, and the side effect caused by them.
1. How Does an Antibiotic Work
It is acceptable if your human body contains bacteria within the desired range. However, once the bacteria begin to multiply, your immune system will come into play to fight and ward off those bacteria.
But, your immune system will not win always as the bacteria at times will fight back and gain an upper hand over them. This is when is the appropriate time to introduce an antibiotic.
The antibiotics work by either suppressing the bacteria through the eradication of the cell wall or its contents, which a penicillin bactericidal antibiotic does, or by putting a stop to the bacteria from expanding.
An important point regarding an antibiotic is that it is helpful in only treating bacterial infections and not viral infections.
There are various methods for consuming antibiotics. They can be consumed in oral form โ where tablets and drops are prescribed. The next is through the application of ointments or creams on the skin. The final method involves administering an injection. Now that you have a brief regarding antibiotics, it is time to know the various types of antibiotics.
2. Antibiotics and Their Types
Have you ever wondered which is the most common antibiotic? It is the famous penicillin discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming. Penicillin helped cure diseases namely bacterial meningitis, and a few more. Amoxicillin, Penicillin G, and ampicillin are the common antibiotics reached from penicillin.
Speaking of antibiotic types, one set is used to treat infections that are caused by unknown bacteria and fall under the broad spectrum antibiotics category. The other is used to treat cases where the bacteria responsible for the infection is known and falls under the narrow spectrum antibiotics category.
There are also some common medications prescribed as antibiotics. As you would have seen earlier, penicillin is an age-old antibiotic and is the most preferred for treatments namely respiratory tract infections. If you have an allergic reaction to penicillin, donโt worry, you can opt for Macrolides, which are also useful in curing certain types of pneumonia, and other infections.
The next is Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin which are helpful if you are suffering from various skin infections, sinus infections, urinary tract infections, and joint infections.
3. Let Us Explore the Question- Do Antibiotics Make You Tired?
It is nothing new if you experience fatigue or feel tired after consumption of an antibiotic as is the most common side effect faced by your body.
However, there are a few antibiotics that have the potential to cause more fatigue than their counterparts and those are Amoxicillin (Amoxil, Moxatag), azithromycin ( Z-pak, Zithromax, and Zmax), Ciprofloxacin (Cipro, Proquin) or simply Amoxicillin azithromycin Ciprofloxacin.
Why fatigue occurs while taking antibiotics is the widely asked question. The exact reason is yet to be concluded. One of the reasons might be that since your body will also contain good bacteria, consuming antibiotics will kill harmful bacteria responsible for the infection as well as the helpful bacteria.
This change in your digestive systemโs biome will create a disturbance and will impact the nutrient absorption or dehydration in your body resulting in fatigue.
Are you aware that even other medications make you tired? Yes, it is not that only antibiotics cause fatigue, there are other medications too that can make you feel tired and experience fatigue. These comprise antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, cough medications, painkillers, blood pressure medications, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and much more.
Want to know how? It is because these medications cause physiological changes in your body. For instance, blood pressure medications reduce your blood pressure, resulting in decreased blood flow, thereby causing tiredness or fatigue.
There are other reasons for tiredness apart from antibiotic consumption. So, as the first step, you have to make sure whether your illness or the medication is the reason for your fatigue. You can confirm this through a consultation with your doctor.
Also, talk to your doctor well in advance if you are under any other medication so that you can avoid the clash of the prescribed antibiotic with your existing medication and be safe from serious side effects.
Some common medications that antibiotics are known to react with include muscle relaxants, blood thinners, anti-inflammatory drugs, Antihistamines cough medications, diuretics, and a few more.
4. Possible Measures to be Taken if Antibiotics Make You Tired
When you have confirmed with your doctor that other medications are not the reason for your fatigue, and antibiotics are the ones causing it, donโt panic and stop the antibiotic medication abruptly.
Doing so will make things only worse. For instance, if you are suffering from a bacterial infection, or any other infection, stopping the antibiotic will result in the worsening of infections, which may even result in antibiotic resistance.
Also, if you find that your infection has stopped before completing your entire medication, talk to your doctor if you have to complete the course. Never stop the medications without the advice of your doctor.
So, what are the possible measures you can take when you feel your antibiotic medication is causing you extreme fatigue? For anything related to your health or medication, remember that you have to talk to your doctor first. Ask your doctor if any alternative medicines or a new medication can be prescribed. You can also ask for a different dosage if possible. Next, donโt perform any physical activities including driving alone, since this requires more concentration.
As you have to combat fatigue, you will not have your entire concentration on driving, resulting in you causing more harm to yourself as well as to others in your way. The next major activity to avoid is alcohol consumption.
When you consume alcohol while under medications namely Flagyl, or Bactrim, you might face more severe side effects. You also have to refrain from other substances that might make you drowsy. So, be careful that you get enough sleep before you do any activity.
5. Further Potential Side Effects of Antibiotics
When antibiotics work inside your body, they not only cause fatigue, drowsiness, and tiredness, but there are also other antibiotic side effects that you have to be aware of.
Every antibiotic medication will contain serious side effects. However, the most known side effects of antibiotics include upset stomach, nausea, headaches, allergic reactions that might be life-threatening at times, depression, fungal infection, and a few others.
As you have seen, antibiotics may cause side effects namely diarrhea, and vomiting, and if you are facing such symptoms, your body will be left dehydrated. You can overcome this with the inclusion of electrolytes while consuming water, thereby keeping yourself hydrated.
Though antibiotics get rid of bacterial infections and are useful in treating illness, it also has their potential side effects. So, avoid over usage of antibiotics, and consult your doctor if you find any complications. It is important to note that violating the label instructions will only result in health complications.
You may also have a question about whether you will experience fatigue or tiredness during the entire course of an antibiotic. Donโt worry, this will not be the case, as you will remain tired only for a few days after consuming a new antibiotic since your body will be adapting to it. But, if the condition persists, your doctor is the go-to person.
6. Antibiotics Misuse
You have to be very careful that you donโt overuse or misuse any medicine including, antibiotics. Follow only the prescribed dosage. Be careful that you take the medications at the right time, and keep a check on your diet while under antibiotics. Only then you can determine the effectiveness of the antibiotics you consume.
Unnecessary or misuse of antibiotics will result in the eradication of the good bacteria resulting in damage to your immune system. Not only this, but antibiotics will also have severe side effects if not consumed appropriately.
Bottom Line
You would have got an idea for the question do antibiotics make you tired. Overall, it cannot be denied that antibiotics play a good role in keeping a bacterial infection at bay, yet it has their consequences. You might experience fatigue, and tiredness that disrupts your daily routine. Especially if you take Azithromycin, and Amoxicillin, be ready to face a wave of fatigue.
The best way to overcome this would be to give time to your body to get used to the medication, as in normal cases, fatigue will disappear with time. It will also be helpful if you take good rest, and adequate sleep so that you will feel less tired and fresher. Donโt involve in any rigorous activities while under antibiotics, since it will only make you experience fatigue more. Donโt ever hesitate to consult your doctor if there are any side effects. Follow just what your doctor says and you will be free of worries.
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