What is Unasyn?
Unasyn belongs to the penicillin antibiotic category and functions as a combined drug. Ampicillin and sulbactam combine their effects within Unasyn to attack bacterial infections. Ampicillin is a bactericidal antibiotic that eliminates bacteria, whereas sulbactam operates as a beta-lactamase inhibitor that blocks bacterial resistance to ampicillin [1].
What Does Unasyn Do?
Doctors use Unasyn to manage multiple bacterial infections. This medication works on numerous types of bacteria, making it a valuable option for infection treatment [2, 3].
Healthcare providers frequently administer Unasyn to prevent possible infections before patients undergo surgical or endoscopic treatments. Urogenital infections have been successfully treated using this treatment, showing high clinical and bacteriological success rates [1].
Patients receive the drug through intravenous or intramuscular injections while completing the treatment program, which spans 7 to 10 days. Patients must take Unasyn only with medical supervision and complete the entire treatment schedule to avoid creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria [3, 1].
Side effects of Unasyn
Unasyn can cause several side effects .
Patients can develop allergic reactions to ampicillin or sulbactam, which are the main components of Unasyn. Allergic reactions present as symptoms like:
Patients who have liver disease face increased risks if they take Unasyn. The drug has been found to produce liver-related problems like:
- Nausea, along with upper stomach pain,
- Itching sensations
- Reduced appetite
- Dark urine clay-coloured stools
- Jaundice, presenting as yellowing of skin or eyes [3].
Combining Unasyn with particular medications constitutes another risk factor. Allopurinol or probenecid alongside Unasyn changes its effects on your body [3].
People who have previously had mononucleosis or kidney disease or who suffer from allergies face more significant risks when they take Unasyn [3].
Before using Unasyn, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers need to consult their doctor because this medication might harm the baby [3].
Severe stomach pain and diarrhoea can occur from Unasyn use as long as months after finishing your last dose. People who have had gastrointestinal problems need to use this drug cautiously [3].
What is Augmentin?
The antibiotic prescription Augmentin treats multiple types of bacterial infections. It is a combination of two active ingredients: amoxicillin and clavulanic acid. Amoxicillin functions as a penicillin antibiotic attacking bacteria throughout the body, whilst clavulanic acid works as a beta-lactamase inhibitor, which stops select bacteria from developing resistance to amoxicillin [4, 5].
What Does Augmentin Do?
Augmentin kills bacteria or stops their multiplication, which supports your body in combating infections. This medication treats bacterial infections, including sinusitis, pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis, urinary tract infections and skin infections [5].
Augmentin effectively treats bacterial infections in the lungs, ears, nasal sinuses, urinary tract, skin, and soft tissue areas. The medication treats severe conditions caused by organisms sensitive to it, including general staphylococcal infections and pneumonia [6, 4, 5, 7, 8].
It's important to note that Augmentin is only effective against bacterial infections and will not work for viral infections such as the common cold [7, 8].
Side effects of Augmentin
Doctors frequently prescribe Augmentin as an antibiotic treatment, yet patients must consider its usage risks, which affect its application.
Kidney problems stand as one of the leading health risks when considering Augmentin usage. Patients with mild or moderate kidney problems can generally use Augmentin safely, but those with severe kidney disease or who receive dialysis treatments need their dosage adjusted by their doctor. Augmentin removal from your body depends on kidney function, so impaired kidneys can accumulate the medication and heighten the risk of side effects [9].
Liver problems are another risk factor. Existing liver conditions like alcoholic liver disease may become more severe when patients take Augmentin. Liver damage can result from taking Augmentin, although this side effect is uncommon [10, 9].
People with Phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic condition that prevents proper phenylalanine breakdown, should not use the liquid suspension form of Augmentin. The liquid suspension form of Augmentin contains phenylalanine, which people with Phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot process [9].
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Both pregnancy and breastfeeding must be evaluated when considering Augmentin usage. The safety of Augmentin during pregnancy remains uncertain. Still, breastfeeding mothers can use it because it usually does not harm their child, although mild side effects might occur in the infant [10, 9].
Similarities and Differences Between Unasyn and Augmentin
Unasyn and Augmentin are both antibiotics that belong to the penicillin family. They are used to treat various bacterial infections, including respiratory and urinary tract infections, among others [2, 3, 6, 5].
Similarities
Both Unasyn and Augmentin are combination drugs. The combination drug Unasyn consists of ampicillin and sulbactam, while Augmentin consists of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid. The antibiotic combinations become more effective because they block beta-lactamase,s which bacteria produce to deactivate antibiotics [2, 5].
The antibacterial spectrum of both drugs extends to multiple bacterial species. These medications treat various infections, such as respiratory and urinary tract infections, while also serving as preventative treatments before surgical procedures [2, 3, 6, 5].
Differences
Both Unasyn and Augmentin share similarities yet have notable differences. One difference lies in their composition. Unasyn combines ampicillin with sulbactam, and Augmentin combines amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, which belongs to combination drug categories [2, 5].
Another difference is in their administration. Unasyn administration via intravenous route leads to peak serum concentrations between 15 minutes and 1 hour after infusion [2]. Patients usually take Augmentin orally and experience little discomfort even when prescribed high doses [11, 12].
The antibiotic Unasyn shows a high rate of positive direct antiglobulin tests (DATs), which indicates potential hemolytic anaemia risk [13]. Augmentin produces gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhoea, but these effects remain minimal, according to studies [11, 14].