Levomycetin for cystitis in women and men

Inflammation of the bladder is an extremely unpleasant problem that most women face. Less often, the disease affects men. When difficulties with urination, cutting pains above the pubis, general malaise appear, a person seizes any opportunity to alleviate his condition, even agreeing to antibiotic therapy. Doctors often prescribe Levomycetin for cystitis: this is a drug with a wide spectrum of activity, which is used in therapeutic regimens for many pathologies caused by the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into tissues. It is appropriate to use Levomycetin for inflammation of the bladder.

Is it possible to take Levomycetin for cystitis?

The most common cause of inflammation in the bladder is the penetration of pathogenic microbes into the urinary system. Bacteria quickly take root on the mucous tissues of the organ and successfully develop, stimulating the onset of an inflammatory reaction. To affect the infectious agent and stop its growth and development, the doctor prescribes medications with broad antibacterial activity.

Levomycetin for cystitis is included in the general treatment regimen in combination with other drugs - for example, with analgesics, uroseptics, anti-inflammatory drugs. The therapy is supplemented by such important measures as abundant fluid intake, changing the rules of nutrition with the exclusion of products that irritate the mucous tissues of the bladder.

Does Levomycetin help with cystitis?

Levomycetin is a fairly powerful antibacterial drug, but it must be taken correctly, strictly following the treatment regimen prescribed by the doctor. The main mistake that patients most often make is self-medication. Often, people go to the doctor in advanced cases of cystitis, when a person tried to treat himself and ended up only harming himself. Doctors note that most patients interrupt the course of therapy in advance, explaining this by the subsidence of the main symptoms of inflammation. This is absolutely not allowed: contrary to the opinion of many, cystitis is not cured in 1-2 days. With a short course of antibiotics, we can only "drive" the disease into hibernation. And after a while, it will wake up and remind of itself with even more pronounced symptoms.

In what cases does Levomycetin really help with cystitis? When visiting a doctor, the patient takes a general urine test with culture. This is necessary to understand which pathogenic microorganism led to the development of the inflammatory reaction, as well as to assess its sensitivity to antibiotic therapy. If the spectrum of action of Levomycetin covers the detected causative bacterium, then this drug is prescribed in an individually selected dosage. During the entire treatment, the urine test is repeated, monitoring the indicators and dynamics of treatment.

Indications levomycetin for cystitis.

In addition to cystitis, Levomycetin is successfully used to treat other infectious and inflammatory pathologies caused by bacteria sensitive to the action of this antibiotic. Most often, such pathologies include paratyphoid fever, typhoid fever, yersiniosis, brucellosis, shigellosis, chlamydia, salmonellosis, purulent peritonitis, tularemia, rickettsiosis, microbial meningitis, infectious lesions of the biliary system.

Levomycetin is also prescribed in cases where other antibacterial agents are ineffective, or treatment with them is accompanied by significant and undesirable side effects.

Levomycetin for cystitis in women

Women resort to Levomycetin most often. And this is not surprising, because cystitis develops mainly in women, and for men this disease is rare.

But it is important to remember: before prescribing the drug to a woman, the doctor will always ask if she is pregnant. The fact is that each patient should be aware: the antibiotic overcomes the placental barrier through the vascular network and gets to the developing fetus. The drug can cause particular damage to the child's brain, which is too sensitive to Levomycetin. As a result, the child may suffer: after birth, the disorders will manifest themselves in severe mental disorders. In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, each woman of childbearing age should make sure that she is not pregnant before taking Levomycetin for cystitis.

Levomycetin for cystitis in men

The incidence of cystitis in men is several times lower than in women. Statistics indicate that inflammation of the bladder is found in only half a percent of the entire male population. This figure is justified: the fact is that the long, narrow and curved urinary canal prevents infection from entering the bladder cavity.

However, infection is still possible – for example, with other urological problems, bladder stones, with neurogenic dysfunction, as well as against the background of prostatitis or epididymitis.

Levomycetin for cystitis is prescribed simultaneously with an increase in the volume of fluid consumed, with the complete exclusion of alcoholic beverages, with adherence to a strict diet and sexual abstinence.

Release form

Antibiotic for cystitis Levomycetin is a tablet of white or slightly yellowish color, cylindrical-flattened shape. In the middle of each tablet there is a dividing line, and the end edge is slightly beveled. Sometimes in the structure of the medicine you can find small inclusions of a grayish or yellowish hue.

The active ingredient of Levomycetin is chloramphenicol. Among the auxiliary components are starch, stearic acid, hydroxypropyl cellulose.

One tablet may contain 250-500 mg of the active ingredient.

One strip contains ten tablets, and one cardboard package contains two strips.

Levomycetin belongs to a group of antibiotics intended for systemic use.

Pharmacodynamics

Levomycetin, used for cystitis, belongs to the class of bacteriostatic antibiotics with a wide spectrum of activity. The effectiveness of the drug is due to the disruption of the protein synthesis reaction in the bacterial cell at the stage of transferring amino acids to ribosomes.

Levomycetin acts on many gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms, including Escherichia coli, Shigella, Salmonella, Streptococcus, Neicheria, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Rickettsia, Chlamydia, Treponema, etc. It does not have a detrimental effect on tuberculosis mycobacteria, pathogenic protozoa and fungal infections.

Levomycetin is active against microbial strains resistant to penicillin, tetracycline, and sulfanilamide drugs. The drug has low activity against acid-resistant microorganisms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, clostridia, and protozoa.

Levomycetin inhibits protein synthesis in bacterial cells in cystitis. In therapeutic doses, the drug has a bacteriostatic property. Bacteria acquire resistance gradually, without developing cross-resistance to other antibiotics.

The drug has increased toxicity, so it is prescribed only when less toxic medications do not have the necessary effect or cannot be prescribed for other reasons. [ 1 ]

Pharmacokinetics

Levomycetin is absorbed through the walls of the digestive tract almost in full. The maximum content in the blood serum is detected after about 2.5 hours. Therapeutic concentrations are recorded for 4.5 hours.

Bioavailability after internal administration is about 80%. The active ingredient has excellent penetration into organs, tissues and fluids in the body, easily penetrates the blood-brain, placental barrier, and is also found in mother's milk.

The connection with plasma proteins occurs on average by 55%. Large concentrations are found in the kidneys and liver, and up to 30% of the consumed dose of Levomycetin is present in bile secretion.

The active ingredient easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, with maximum concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid 4 hours after a single tablet intake.

Biotransformation occurs in the liver. The active ingredient is hydrolyzed to a free state in the digestive tract even before absorption.

The drug is excreted from the body mainly with urine. The half-life with normal liver and kidney function can be from one and a half to three and a half hours.

Dosing and administration

Adult patients usually take Levomycetin for cystitis half an hour before meals. If such a regimen causes nausea and vomiting in a person, then the drug intake is shifted, taking it an hour after meals.

The dosage and duration of treatment are determined individually for each patient.

The standard dosage recommended for adults is 0.5 g of Levomycetin three times a day, with the maximum permissible dosage being 2 g.

For children, the dose is from 125 to 250 mg, three times a day.

The duration of antibiotic therapy cannot be less than one week. Even if the symptoms of cystitis have almost disappeared, the course of treatment should still be completed.

You cannot independently adjust the doctor's prescriptions by decreasing or increasing the amount of the drug. If the doctor deems it necessary, he can extend the treatment to 10-14 days.

Application for children

If the child cries during urination, shows obvious anxiety, refuses to eat, if the smell of urine changes, or there are other suspicious symptoms, then it is imperative to consult a pediatrician: perhaps the baby has developed cystitis. It is necessary to act here as quickly as possible, since inflammation of the bladder can easily be complicated by pyelonephritis.

An older child, unlike small children, is already able to complain of pain in the lower abdomen, painful urination, or frequent unproductive urges to urinate.

When you contact a doctor, you will be assigned a diagnosis. The detected cystitis will be treated with antibiotics, and the course of treatment will be at least one week. It is quite possible that the drug of choice will be Levomycetin. The drug is used to treat children starting from the age of three. However, these tablets are prescribed very carefully, and only if no other, less toxic drugs can be prescribed.

Use levomycetin for cystitis. during pregnancy

Levomycetin for cystitis is never prescribed to a pregnant or nursing woman. Moreover, if the patient is of childbearing age, she should make sure that she is not pregnant before starting treatment. Nursing mothers should stop or temporarily suspend breastfeeding.

Levomycetin's ability to easily overcome the placental barrier has been proven. In doing so, the drug penetrates directly to the embryo, which can later have unpleasant consequences for the baby. Levomycetin is a toxic antibiotic, it can cause irreversible changes in the child's brain.

The drug easily gets into breast milk. A nursing woman who is forced to take Levomycetin for cystitis is recommended to express milk throughout the entire period of antibiotic therapy, as well as for several days after its completion. The expressed milk is poured out, and the child is fed with a pre-prepared frozen product, or transferred to formula. Some mothers decide to stop breastfeeding.

Contraindications

• Levomycetin is not used for cystitis in pregnant and lactating patients. Taking this antibiotic can only be recommended for vital indications when less toxic medications cannot be prescribed.
• In pediatric practice, the use of Levomycetin for cystitis is limited - again, due to the high toxicity of the drug. If necessary, the dosage is calculated especially carefully, taking into account not only the patient's age and weight, but also the characteristics of the course of the disease.
• Levomycetin is not used if the patient has signs of insufficient liver and/or kidney function, or if there are serious cardiovascular pathologies.
• Levomycetin is not suitable if the patient suffers from psoriasis, eczema, fungal and immune diseases.
• The drug is not used to treat people who are sensitive to it, or those who have undergone radiation treatment.

Levomycetin is never prescribed for the prevention of cystitis, but only for its treatment when indicated.

Side effects levomycetin for cystitis.

The higher the dosage and the longer the course of Levomycetin treatment for cystitis, the greater the likelihood of developing side effects. In the most severe cases, normocytic anemia and suppression of bone marrow function develop.

The most frequently recorded side effects are:

• psychomotor disorders, depressive states, headaches;
• taste disorders, deterioration of auditory and visual function, auditory and visual hallucinations;
• dyspeptic symptoms, flatulence, nausea, diarrhea, microflora imbalance, enterocolitis, stomatitis;
• deterioration of liver function;
• decrease in the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, anemia, agranulocytosis, leukopenia;
• allergic processes, fever, skin rash, itching;
• development of superinfection – both bacterial and fungal.

If such symptoms appear, you should stop taking Levomycetin and consult your doctor.

Overdose

Signs of overdose most often begin to appear when taking Levomycetin for cystitis on your own - that is, without a doctor's prescription. This means that the dose, duration and frequency of administration are chosen incorrectly. A standard medical course of antibiotics prescribed according to age cannot cause an overdose.

When Levomycetin enters the body in excess, the following symptoms are usually observed:

• in adults – pale skin, sore throat, increased body temperature, bleeding and bruising, a feeling of fatigue and weakness;
• in children – gray skin, decreased body temperature, respiratory arrhythmia, inhibition of nervous reactions, lack of cardiovascular activity, acidosis, deterioration of myocardial conduction.

At the first signs of overdose, the antibiotic is cancelled and symptomatic treatment is prescribed instead. Gastric lavage is performed first, after which the patient is given a saline laxative and activated carbon. If necessary, the intestines are also washed.

If complications develop, symptomatic therapy is supplemented with hemosorption.

Interactions with other drugs

Levomycetin is a toxic and powerful antibiotic, although inexpensive. Therefore, it should be taken with caution - and especially in cases where it is necessary to treat several medications at once. Here is what you need to know to reduce the toxic effect of medications on the body, and not cause it even more harm:

• Levomycetin weakens the effect of oral contraceptives based on estrogen action.
• The antibiotic is incompatible with any alcoholic beverages, since this combination causes a disulfiram-like reaction (reddening of the skin, convulsions, nausea, vomiting, cough, increased heart rate).
• Levomycetin does not combine well with Phenobarbital, Phenytoin, and indirect coagulants.
• Concomitant use enhances the effect of oral hypoglycemic agents.
• Combination with Paracetamol leads to an increase in the half-life of Levomycetin.
• Combination with Cyclosporine or Tacrolimus causes an increase in the level of these drugs in the blood plasma.
• Levomycetin reduces the antibacterial properties of penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics.
• Mutual weakening of effectiveness occurs when Levomycetin is combined with macrolide and polyene antibiotics.
• Cycloserine makes the antibiotic even more neurotoxic.
• Suppression of bone marrow function occurs when combined with sulfonamides, cytostatics, Ristomycin, Cimetidine.
• During antibiotic therapy, the effectiveness of iron, vitamin B ₁₂ and folic acid preparations taken simultaneously is reduced.

Storage conditions

Most antibiotics are recommended to be stored at an average room temperature - that is, from +15 to +24°C. Storage in the refrigerator is allowed, but freezing tablets is strictly prohibited.

It is best to store Levomycetin at room temperature in a dark place that is not exposed to heat from direct ultraviolet rays or heating devices.

In summer, heat becomes an unfavorable factor for medications, under the influence of which medications can change their properties. If the room temperature begins to exceed +25°C, then it is recommended to put the antibiotic in the refrigerator - for example, on the door shelf.

Other recommendations include the following:

• tablets should be protected from moisture;
• Do not store tablets removed from the blister pack, as their structure may be damaged by exposure to air;
• Antibiotics should not be stored in plain sight, as children may take advantage of such carelessness;
• If the tablets have expired, they should be disposed of.

Shelf life

Levomycetin tablets, which are prescribed for cystitis, are allowed to be stored in appropriate conditions for up to five years. However, since the drug is produced by many pharmaceutical companies, the shelf life may differ, so before using the drug, it is better to check this point on the packaging or in the instructions for a specific medication.

Analogues: what can replace Levomycetin for cystitis?

If the doctor has prescribed Levomycetin for cystitis, it is necessary to clarify in what dosage form the drug should be purchased. In the vast majority of cases, tablets are meant. However, it is important to know that this antibiotic is also available in powder for the preparation of an injection solution, 0.5-1 g per bottle.

Levomycetin has no complete analogues, except that some companies produce a medicine whose name corresponds to the active ingredient of this antibiotic - Chloramphenicol. This drug is produced in the form of a powder substance and is manufactured by pharmaceutical companies in China.

In general, instead of Levomycetin, doctors often prescribe other effective antimicrobial medications, for example:

• Monural is a fosfomycin preparation that has an excellent antibacterial effect specifically in the urinary system. Monural is produced in granulated, powdered form, and also as a suspension.
• Nolitsin is an antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone series, available in tablet form. As a rule, the drug is prescribed if the pathogen shows resistance to other antimicrobial agents.
• Nitroxoline is a drug based on oxyquinoline, has a broad antibacterial and antifungal effect. It is actively used in urology.
• Palin is a quinolone antibiotic approved for use in acute or chronic cystitis.
• Nevigramon is a popular uroantiseptic, the action of which is due to the presence of nalidixic acid. The drug has a bactericidal property, which allows the use of the drug for infectious and inflammatory lesions of the bladder, kidneys and ureter.
• Rulid is a macrolide antibiotic with a broad spectrum of activity.

In addition to the above medications, nitrofuran series drugs are often prescribed for cystitis, which are known for their excellent bactericidal properties against the background of slowly developing bacterial resistance. Among such common tablets are Furazolidone, Furagin, Furadonin.

Reviews

Despite the pronounced toxic effect, Levomycetin has proven itself only on the good side for cystitis: it helps quickly, easily removes painful symptoms, therefore it has a lot of positive feedback from patients and medical workers. The main condition for such a positive effect of the drug is literacy in the appointment and dosage, compliance with all the instructions of the specialist. Attempts to independently use the antibiotic often lead to the development of all kinds of adverse effects.

Before starting treatment of cystitis with Levomycetin, it is necessary to take into account the following important points:

• Since the drug is toxic, its long-term use should be combined with periodic monitoring of the composition of peripheral blood, kidney and liver function.
• Levomycetin is immediately discontinued if leukopenia, anemia, or thrombocytopenia are noted in the blood counts.
• Treatment with any antibiotics (Levomycetin is no exception) causes a disorder of the normal microflora in the large intestine. The growth and reproduction of Clostridium difficile can be stimulated, the toxins of which, in turn, can give impetus to the development of pseudomembranous colitis. In addition, the risk of fungal infection increases significantly during antibiotic therapy.
• Levomycetin can cause an allergic reaction, including anaphylaxis. Before taking the tablets for the first time, it is important to test for possible allergies.
• Antibiotics should not be taken without control, chaotically, or as a preventive measure.
• The course of Levomycetin for cystitis cannot be repeated one after another. If the disease has recurred, you should consult a doctor to select another drug with a different active component and mechanism of action.