Transcript for:
Antibiotics That Inhibit Protein Synthesis

Okay. In this video, we are going to start going  over systemic anti-infectives. And in particular,   during this video, we will be focusing on  antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis.   If you are following along with cards, I am  on card 153. All right. Let's first talk about   macrolides. Macrolides include medications  such as azithromycin and erythromycin.   These medications are used to treat a variety of  bacterial infections, but they are not effective   against MRSA. They work by inhibiting protein  synthesis, which slows bacterial growth. So   they are bacteriostatic. Side effects include GI  upset, which I can attest to because erythromycin   makes me super sick. Other side effects include  dysrhythmias, as well as auto toxicity, and rash.   You're supposed to take this medication on  an empty stomach with a full glass of water   and then try not the barf. And then in terms of a  hint for how you can remember these medications,   this hint comes from a Level Up RN crew  member. So azithromycin and erythromycin   are used for respiratory infections. And if you  look at the drug names, it looks like they have   throw the mice, right? Throw mice. So if you throw  the mice, they will slide because of phlegm due to   respiratory infections, so. Well, hopefully help  you remember that these medications are used   for infections such as respiratory infections. All right. Now, let's talk about Lincosamides,   which is clindamycin. Clindamycin is  used for serious bacterial infections.   It works by inhibiting protein synthesis. And  it can be either bactericidal or bacteriostatic,   depending on the concentration. Key side  effects include GI upset, as well as   diarrhea, and the possibility for a super  infection. For example, clostridium difficile.   This medication actually carries a black box  warning because of the risk of CDAD. So it's   going to be really important when your patient  is on this medication to really monitor their   bowel movements for frequent, watery diarrhea,  which could indicate the presence of C. diff.  All right. Let's now talk about  an important aminoglycosides   to know, which is gentamicin. Gentamicin is  used for very serious bacterial infections.   It works by inhibiting protein synthesis. And  it is bactericidal, so it kills the bacteria.   It does come with some very serious side effects,  including autotoxicity, as well as nephrotoxicity.   And then other side effects include vertigo,  as well as ataxia. It does have a black box   warning because of that risk of autotoxicity.  So you're definitely going to want to monitor   your patient and ask them about any symptoms  such as tinnitus or hearing loss. In addition,   we're going to want to monitor our patient's  kidney function throughout therapy because of   the risk of nephrotoxicity. Also, we administer  this medication through the intramuscular route   or IV route. And it does have a narrow therapeutic  range. So we're going to want to do frequent blood   draws, and monitor the patient's peak and trough  levels of gentamicin. So my tip for remembering   this is that Gentamicin is the opposite of  gentle. It causes autotoxicity as well as   nephrotoxicity. So it is a very potent antibiotic. Okay. So last but not the least are tetracyclines.   If you're following along with cards, definitely  take a look at the back of this card because   there's a lot of bold red items that are  going to be really important for you to know.   So a couple of medications that fall within this  class include tetracycline as well as doxycycline.   These medications are used to treat a wide  variety of bacterial infections, including acne,   Lyme disease, STDs, and Rocky Mountain spotted  fever, just to name a few. Tetracyclines work by   preventing protein synthesis, which inhibits  bacterial growth. So it is bacteriostatic.   There are quite a few side effects to know. These  include GI upset, tooth discoloration in children   and in fetuses, as well as hepatotoxicity,  photosensitivity, and a possible super infection   such as C. diff. So there are some important  teaching points that you definitely need to   provide to your patient. First of all, we would  never give this medication to children under   eight or pregnant women because of that side  effect of tooth discoloration. In addition,   we should advise our patient to wear sunscreen  because of the side effect of photosensitivity.   We take this medication on an empty stomach with  a full glass of water. However, there are certain   food products and medications that we need  the patient to avoid because they decrease the   absorption of tetracycline. So patients should  avoid dairy products, foods that are high in   calcium or iron. And they should also avoid  antacids. Again, all of these things will decrease   absorption of this medication. And in addition,  tetracyclines also decrease the effectiveness of   oral contraceptives. So that's another important  teaching point. So the trick or the tip I got for   learning about tetracycline and some of the side  effects came to me from a Level Up RN crew member,   who says that tetracycline reminds her of Tetris.  And in Tetris, there's lots of little blocks   which look like little square teeth. And that  helps to remind you that tetracycline treats lots   of little things. Like you have all these little  blocks. And it causes discolored teeth in children   and fetuses. So I really felt like that tip  was helpful. I hope you find it helpful as   well. And stay tuned for more antibiotics in  my next video. Thanks so much for watching.  I invite you to subscribe to our channel  and share a link with your classmates and   friends in nursing school. 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