How many diseases can a piece of erythromycin ointment cost a few dollars? These 5 functions are outstanding
Early in the morning, Lao Wang covered his eyes and walked into the consultation room. The doctor saw that his eyes were severely swollen.
"Doctor, I got conjunctivitis, and I put erythromycin on my eyes yesterday before going to sleep, but when I woke up in the morning, my eyes were burning, and my eyelids were swollen, which made me uncomfortable ." Lao Wang described his situation with a bitter face.
"Erythromycin? Are you using eye ointment or ointment?"
"I think about it...it seems to be ointment. I bought it when I was burned. I thought they were only one word away. The effect should be similar, so I used it."
"Erythromycin ointment can't be used on the eyes! These two medicines can't be mixed..." the doctor said bitterly.
Erythromycin ointment and erythromycin eye ointment, there is only one word difference between the two drugs, so many people may mix the two, and in some cases it can really work. What is the difference between these two drugs? What are the similarities and differences?
1. What is the difference between erythromycin eye ointment VS erythromycin ointment?
The main ingredients of erythromycin ointment and erythromycin eye ointment are erythromycin, which belongs to topical antibiotics and is often used to eliminate gram-positive bacteria, some gram-negative bacteria and some atypical pathogens. But the two are different in composition.
As far as the content of erythromycin ointment is concerned, erythromycin ointment contains 10mg of erythromycin per gram (concentration 1% ), and the content of erythromycin in eye ointment is slightly lower, containing 5mg per gram (concentration 0.5%). In terms of auxiliary materials, the ointment mainly uses yellow petrolatum and light liquid paraffin, and some ozokerite, paraffin, or white petrolatum are added on this basis, while eye ointment is generally yellow petrolatum and paraffin.
In addition to the difference in ingredients, the two ointments also have differences in indications, degree of sterility, and particle size.
The first is the indications . Erythromycin ointment belongs to external application for the skin, and it mainly treats different degrees of skin damage and minor infection, such as suppurative skin diseases, small area burns, infection of ulcer surface, etc .; erythromycin ointment is external application for ophthalmology Medicine, mainly for the treatment of eye-related diseases, bacterial otitis externa, nasal vestibulitis, etc.
The second is the degree of sterility . Erythromycin eye ointment has high requirements in the production process and requires aseptic operation , while ointment does not have this requirement.
The third is the size of the particles . Since the eye ointment is applied to the eyelids, the silty particles need to be relatively refined so as to be non-irritating to the eyes. The ointment has relatively loose requirements on the particles, as long as it is uniform and fine, has a suitable viscosity, and is easy to push away on the skin .
Can the two drugs be mixed or replaced by each other? cannot.
The concentration of erythromycin required by eye ointment is relatively low, which cannot reach the antibacterial concentration of the skin. Using eye ointment instead of ointment cannot achieve the antibacterial effect of the skin. The production process of the ointment does not have too strict requirements on sterility and granules. If it is applied to the eyes by mistake, it may cause irritation to the eyes and cause other infections .
Ding Lei, director of the Third People's Hospital of Qingdao, reminded that erythromycin eye ointment has low concentration and is less irritating. If the ointment is misused instead of eye ointment, it may hurt the eyes and cause burning and stinging pain . Therefore, be careful before use. Read the words on the medicine.
In addition, erythromycin eye ointment should not be used for a long time. If there is no improvement after 3-5 days of application, it means that the drug is not effective and you should choose another drug.
2. What kind of diseases can erythromycin ointment cost a few dollars to cure?
Erythromycin ointment can be called a "conscience medicine". The affordable price of 2 yuan a piece can be used for burns, scalds, acne, and cracked feet. However, is erythromycin ointment really so versatile?
First of all, let's take a look at what diseases erythromycin ointment can treat.
1. Purulent skin disease
Skin infections caused by pathogenic bacteria such as folliculitis and impetigo can be relieved by applying ointment.
2. Ulcer surface infection
In the event of ulcers and stains, if the area is not large, you can gently apply a layer of ointment on the skin lesions, which is conducive to skin healing.
3. Small burns
For minor burns and scalds, rinse the wound with cold water for 10-20 minutes, and then use ointment for treatment.
4. Angular cheilitis
If bacterial angular cheilitis occurs, a small amount of ointment can also be used to help fight the bacteria.
5. Acne vulgaris
For folliculitis caused by strong sebum secretion, ointment can also be used to help calm the wound.
However, ointment is not a panacea. For skin problems caused by viruses and fungal infections, such as allergies, mosquito bites, tinea pedis, herpes, etc. , smearing ointment will not have any effect at all.
3. Be careful, you may be abusing erythromycin ointment
According to relevant reports, the erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in China reached 95.6% in 2019! This shows that less than 4.5% of people have no resistance to erythromycin bacteria
The overuse of antibiotics is a very serious problem. The more drug-resistant bacteria there are, the difficulty of anti-infection treatment will escalate. If it is not controlled and abused seriously, humans will be helpless in the face of bacteria.
In order to avoid abuse, it is recommended that the course of treatment of erythromycin ointment should not exceed 3 days . If there is still no effect after 3 days, the drug should be stopped first and go to a regular hospital for treatment.
When using erythromycin ointment daily, pay attention to the following points:
1. Watch out for adverse drug reactions
Allergic reactions to erythromycin ointment are relatively rare, but medication discomfort may also occur. When discomfort occurs, the local drug should be washed first, and go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment if necessary.
2. Use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist
If you are using other topical medicines at the same time, it is best to consult your doctor before using erythromycin ointment.
Erythromycin is a regular home medicine for most families, but many people don’t know that the effects of eye ointment and ointment are different, but no matter which kind of medicine they are, they are not a panacea. Easy for kids to use.
References:
[1] "How many diseases can erythromycin eye ointment for a few dollars cure?" How is it different from erythromycin ointment? Here Comes the Answer". Popular Science China. 2022-01-01
[2] "[Health Science Popularization] How many diseases can Xiaoxiao erythromycin eye ointment cure? ". Qingdao Health and Health. 2022-01-28
[3] "Erythromycin ointment, it may be abused by us!" ". Tencent Medical Code She Knows. 2021-11-24
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