People get bacterial and urinary tract infections. These are not common infections.
Humans should not ignore them and consider the doctor immediately when they have these problems. Two common tablets are used in treating them are Azithromycin.
And the other one is Amoxicillin. Doctors recommend them for treating bacterial infections.
Key Takeaways
- Azithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic, whereas amoxicillin is a penicillin-based antibiotic.
- Amoxicillin works best against gram-positive bacteria, while azithromycin is effective against a broader range of bacteria, including gram-negative bacteria.
- Azithromycin requires a shorter treatment course and has a longer half-life than amoxicillin, allowing for fewer daily doses.
Azithromycin vs Amoxicillin
Azithromycin is an antibiotic medication used to halt bacterial growth, belongs to macrolide group of antibiotics, prescribed in respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections. Amoxicillin is a penicillin antibiotic that works against bacteria to treat ear and nose infections, and respiratory tract infections etc.
Azithromycin is a medicine that helps people in treating bacterial infections in their bodies. They will kill the growing bacteria in the human body.
Over the last few years, it has been widely helpful in treating people with bacterial infections and is still considered scrutiny. If you have a sore throat, then you can take this medicine.
It is mostly involved in dealing with throat, nose, and lung infections. Amoxicillin is a medicine given to people with bacterial infections.
It is one of the fast-reacting medicines. Even though it starts to work faster, finding improvements in your body will take more time.
One of the most common side effects you will experience after taking amoxicillin is vomiting. Most people’s bodies will react to this when they take amoxicillin.
That is why it is considered to be one of the common side effects.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Azithromycin | Amoxicillin |
|---|---|---|
| Brand name | Zithromax | Trimox and Amoxil |
| Typical Treatment Days | 5 days but it also varies depending upon the severity | 7-10 days, but it also varies depending upon the severity |
| Drug form | Tablets, injections, and eye drops | Capsule and tablet |
| Class | Macrolide antibiotic | Penicillin antibiotic |
| Dosage Per Day | 2 tablets | 500 mg |
What is Azithromycin?
It is an antibiotic that is used for treating chest infections. It is for curing nose, skin infections, sinus infections, and also some sexually transmitted infections as well.
It will stop the growth of bacteria inside the human body. Once a human body gets infected, bacteria will grow inside.
To stop that, we need some powerful medicine. That is where Azithromycin comes to our help.
Remember that it will work for any common infections like colds and flu. In simple words, we can’t use this medicine to treat viral infections.
It is meant only for curing bacterial infections. It is given for 3 days to the affected person.
Even though they are giving it only for 3 days, the effect will be like 10 days and will help in curing the infection faster. It is also used for curing acute respiratory tract infections as well.
Once you take azithromycin, it will take seven days to start working in your body. People who have a low amount of magnesium in their bodies should not take this medicine.
It will worsen their condition further. Also, people having low potassium in their bodies and having skeletal disease should avoid consuming this.
Once you take this medicine, it will be in your body for 15.5 days and will protect you from bacterial infections in those 15 days if you have a frequent cough.
Then you can take azithromycin for that. But again, you have to consult a doctor first without taking medicines.
What is Amoxicillin?
It is used for treating bacterial infections, mostly in the areas of the chest and also urinary tract infections. Doctors give this to children when they have ear and chest infections.
These types of infections are common in children. The best and fast way to cure them is by giving this medicine to them.
This is one of the string antibiotics which helps in killing the growth of bacteria inside the human body. If you get any allergy after intaking this medicine, like developing skin rashes.
Feeling shortness of breath, find any swelling in your body, and have trouble breathing, you have to call the doctor immediately. The condition will then develop into serious problems if you ignore them.
In some severe cases, it can cause diarrhoea as well. When taking amoxicillin, you should stop and avoid eating some other foods as well.
The foods that should be avoided during the intake of amoxicillin are grapefruit, alcohol, and foods that have excess calcium. These will worsen your condition further.
Because these foods don’t go well with amoxicillin, taking an amoxicillin tablet will start working within one or 2 hours.
It will start to react in the human body very faster than your anticipation.
Main Differences Between Azithromycin and Amoxicillin
- The brand name of Azithromycin is Zithromax. On the other hand, the brand name of Amoxicillin is Trimox and Amoxil.
- The days required for the treatment of Azithromycin is 5 days, and it can vary as well. But the days required for the treatment of Amoxicillin are 10 days, and it can vary as well.
- The drug form is available in tablets, injections, and eye drops. On the other hand, the drug form is available in tablets and capsules.
- Azithromycin’s class of drug is macrolide antibiotic. Amoxicillin’s class of drug is penicillin antibiotic.
- The string dosage recommended by the doctor per day for azithromycin is 2 tablets, and amoxicillin is 500 mg per day.
- https://www.scielo.br/j/jbpneu/a/8pNgSy5FVg3mTBWw84cKYnR/?format=pdf&lang=en
- https://www.hindawi.com/journals/idog/2001/873741/
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
This post is a great way to explain the differences between these two antibiotics, and the warnings about consuming these medications with certain health conditions are great. I appreciate the provided links for further reading.
The post was enlightening and well-researched. I especially liked that it explained the differences in treatment days, drug form, and dosage per day. The only downside is that the language in some sections is a bit confusing and should be revised for improved clarity.
The post is very thorough and interesting. It is great to see a comparison table to visualize the distinction between the antibiotics. The inclusion of the references provides additional credibility to the post. However, the sentence ‘It is one of the string antibiotics’ in the ‘What is Amoxicillin?’ section is unclear and could use some improvement.
This is really informative, there is a lot of material shared, and I learned a lot. I especially enjoyed the comparison table to show the differences between the two medications. As an informed reader, I personally enjoyed the emphasis on the importance of consulting a doctor before taking medicines and the explanation about the different treatment days for both medications.
I agree with you, I am glad I’ve learned a lot from this post.
The detail in this post is fantastic, and the warnings are very important to keep in mind. This was a great way to understand the differences between Azithromycin and Amoxicillin. However, it would have been more engaging if the post was presented in a more structured format to improve readability.
The post did provide a lot of information about the differences between Azithromycin and Amoxicillin, which is very beneficial knowledge. However, it would be even better if the post delves into the cost and availability of both medications to give a more comprehensive understanding.
The post is very informative and provides a detailed description of the uses and side effects of both medications. This is particularly significant as many people may not understand the differences between antibiotics, and this post offers valuable insight. However, I would have liked to see more emphasis on the issue of antibiotic resistance and how it relates to the medications discussed.