The main difference between azithromycin and amoxicillin is that azithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic, whereas amoxicillin is a penicillin-type antibiotic.
Azithromycin and amoxicillin are two antibiotics used in treating bacterial infections. They are important in treating the middle ear, tonsils, throat, larynx (laryngitis), bronchi (bronchitis), lungs (pneumonia), urinary tract, skin, and some sexually transmitted diseases. Also, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, heartburn/indigestion, and rash are the common side effects of both antibiotics.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Azithromycin
– Definition, Facts, Features
2. What is Amoxicillin
– Definition, Facts, Features
3. Similarities Between Azithromycin and Amoxicillin
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Azithromycin and Amoxicillin
– Comparison of Key Differences
5. FAQ – Azithromycin and Amoxicillin
– Answers to frequently asked questions
Key Terms
Amoxicillin, Azithromycin
What is Azithromycin
Azithromycin is a drug used to treat and manage bacterial infections. Also, pneumonia, sinusitis, pharyngitis, and tonsillitis are some common infections that are treated with azithromycin. Other than that, it is also used to treat uncomplicated skin infections, otitis media in pediatric patients, and sexually transmitted infections such as gonococcal and chlamydial infections.
Azithromycin belongs to the macrolide family, and clarithromycin and erythromycin are other antibiotics in the same family. Macrolide antibiotics, such as azithromycin, are naturally occurring compounds.
Figure 1: Azithromycin
Furthermore, the mechanism of action of azithromycin is to inhibit bacterial protein synthesis. It binds bacterial 50S ribosome unit, ceasing bacterial protein synthesis. Upon binding, the drug prevents mRNA translation by preventing the subsequent amino acid attachment to the tRNA, inhibiting the action of the peptidyltransferase enzyme. Importantly, azithromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic since bacterial ribosomal structure is conserved across most bacterial species.
What is Amoxicillin
Amoxicillin is another antibiotic important in treating bacterial infections, including middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, skin infections, and urinary tract infections. The main route of drug delivery is the oral route, and the medication is available in capsules, suspensions, and tablets. Nausea and rash are common side effects of amoxicillin. Notably, amoxicillin is a penicillin class of drug structurally similar to ampicillin. Generally, this causes a higher drug concentration in blood and urine. Amoxicillin diffuses readily into tissues and body fluids. It will cross the placenta and excrete into breast milk.
Figure 2: Amoxicillin
Moreover, amoxicillin is a beta-lactam antimicrobial drug that serves as aminopenicillin, which contains an extra amino group to penicillin. It inhibits transpeptidation, which is a crucial step in the cross-linking of bacterial cell wall synthesis. It results in the cell wall lysis and bacterial cell destruction. Amoxicillin is effective against a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria and some Gram-negative bacteria.
Similarities Between Azithromycin and Amoxicillin
- Azithromycin and amoxicillin are two antibiotics that treat bacterial infections in the middle ear, tonsils, throat, larynx (laryngitis), bronchi (bronchitis), lungs (pneumonia), urinary tract, skin, and some sexually transmitted diseases.
- They are broad-spectrum antibiotics.
- The common side effects of these antibiotics include diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, heartburn/indigestion, and rash.
Difference Between Azithromycin and Amoxicillin
Definition
Azithromycin refers to an antibiotic medication used to treat several bacterial infections, including middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, traveler’s diarrhea, and certain other intestinal infections. Meanwhile, amoxicillin refers to an antibiotic medication belonging to the aminopenicillin class of the penicillin family, used to treat bacterial infections such as middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, skin infections, odontogenic infections, and urinary tract infections.
Brand Names
Brand names of azithromycin include Zithromax, Zithromax Tri-Pak, Zithromax Z-Pak, and Zmax, while amoxicillin brand names include Moxatag and Amoxil.
Type
Azithromycin is a macrolide-type antibiotic, while amoxicillin is a penicillin-type antibiotic.
Occurrence
Azithromycin is a naturally-occurring antibiotic, while amoxicillin is a semi-synthetic antibiotic.
Mechanism of Action
Azithromycin inhibits bacterial protein synthesis, while amoxicillin inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis.
Side Effects
Side effects of azithromycin include nervousness, vaginitis, tongue discoloration, and ear ringing. In contrast, side effects of amoxicillin include dizziness, sleep problems (insomnia), itching, confusion, easy bruising, bleeding, and allergic reactions.
FAQ: Azithromycin and Amoxicillin
What is better, azithromycin or amoxicillin?
Both are broad-spectrum antibiotics that treat a wide range of infections. Both are important in treating pneumonia, respiratory infections, ear infections, and skin infections.
Can you take amoxicillin and azithromycin together?
28% of the patients use amoxicillin in combination with azithromycin
Which antibiotic is more effective than azithromycin?
Amoxicillin, which is a beta-lactam antibiotic, is more effective than azithromycin.
Conclusion
In brief, azithromycin and amoxicillin are two antibiotics used against bacterial infections. Azithromycin is a macrolide-type antibiotic that inhibits bacterial protein synthesis. Also, it is a naturally-occurring antibiotic. Nervousness, vaginitis, tongue discoloration, and ringing in the ears are the side effects of azithromycin. In comparison, amoxicillin is a semi-synthetic antibiotic in the penicillin family. Therefore, it inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis. Dizziness, sleep problems (insomnia), itching, confusion, easy bruising, bleeding, and allergic reactions are the side effects of amoxicillin. Hence, the main difference between azithromycin and amoxicillin is their mechanism of action.
References:
- Patel PH, Hashmi MF. Macrolides. [Updated 2023 May 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Akhavan BJ, Khanna NR, Vijhani P.
- Amoxicillin. [Updated 2023 Nov 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.
Image Courtesy:
- “The chemical structure of azithromycin” By Dean Russell – Own Work (Public Domain) via flickr
- “構造式 Amoxicillin” By あら金– Own Work (CC-BY SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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