Common medications in the United States

General mechanism or description

Bind penicillin-binding proteins and inhibit bacterial cell-wall synthesis.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Beta-lactam antibiotics that inhibit bacterial cell-wall synthesis.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Bind the bacterial 50S ribosomal subunit and inhibit protein synthesis.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Bind the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit and prevent aminoacyl-tRNA attachment.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Clinical emergency. Evaluation considers hemodynamic stability, cultures when they do not delay care, likely source, healthcare exposure, organ function, allergies, local epidemiology, and source control. No empiric regimen is presented.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Professional selection depends on timing, severity, ventilation, respiratory cultures, resistance risk, institutional antibiogram, and renal function. No antibiotics or doses are provided.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Requires hospital evaluation of clinical criteria, respiratory microbiology, local resistance, antibiotic exposure, and de-escalation needs. This page does not define a regimen.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Emergency requiring immediate evaluation. Age, immune status, pregnancy, neurologic procedures, exposure, and microbiology change the approach. No empiric regimens or doses are included.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Management depends on blood cultures, native or prosthetic valve, devices, healthcare exposure, cardiac imaging, complications, and possible surgery. It requires specialist teams.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Oncologic emergency. Risk depends on stability, depth and duration of neutropenia, comorbidities, source, prior prophylaxis, and local microbiology. No regimens are presented.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Evaluation considers care setting, severity, comorbidities, aspiration, testing, allergies, and local patterns. This reference does not select antibiotics for an individual.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Distinguishing cystitis, pyelonephritis, and complicated infection, along with pregnancy, anatomy, renal function, cultures, and local resistance, guides professional management.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Evaluation distinguishes nonpurulent infection, abscess, special exposures, deep involvement, and systemic signs. Drainage or source control may be essential.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Many cases are viral. Duration, progression, severity, recurrence, and complications help determine whether evaluation or antibacterial therapy is needed.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Evaluation distinguishes viral causes from streptococcal and other etiologies through presentation and appropriate testing. Treatment is not recommended without diagnosis.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Age, diagnostic certainty, severity, laterality, recurrence, and available follow-up influence observation or professional treatment.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Most gastroenteritis does not require antibiotics. Exposure, dehydration, severity, testing, and prior antibiotic use help identify exceptions and possible C. difficile.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Depth, foreign material, perfusion, diabetes, exposure, cultures, and need for drainage or debridement guide management. Systemic therapy alone may not be sufficient.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Chemical pneumonitis is distinguished from bacterial infection using the event, timing, imaging, severity, and risk factors. Not every aspiration event requires antibiotics.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Management depends on site, chronicity, hardware, perfusion, bone or deep cultures, imaging, and surgical source control. Specialist evaluation is required.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Joint emergency requiring aspiration, cultures, systemic evaluation, and drainage when appropriate. Therapy is tailored to microbiology and patient factors.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Antiretroviral therapy combines medicines active at different viral targets. Selection requires testing, treatment history, interaction review, comorbidities, and current NIH guidance; examples do not form a regimen.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

NIH-guideline reference. Prevention and treatment depend on immune status, pathogen, site, severity, interactions, and timing of antiretroviral therapy. No simplified regimen is presented.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Clinical selection depends on anatomic site, testing, pregnancy, allergies, coinfections, exposure, and current CDC recommendations. This page does not publish an empiric regimen.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Management depends on stage, pregnancy, neurologic or ocular involvement, allergies, serology, and follow-up. The CDC guideline is referenced instead of summarizing a regimen.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Nucleoside analogues inhibit viral DNA replication after activation in infected cells. Episodic or suppressive use requires individual evaluation.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Non-drug reference. Screening depends on age, anatomy, sexual practices, pregnancy, exposure, and local prevalence; current CDC recommendations should be used.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Antituberculosis medicines act at different bacterial targets and are used in combinations selected by susceptibility, site, interactions, and guidelines. Examples do not form a regimen.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Active disease must be excluded before treating latent infection. Selection and duration depend on interactions, pregnancy, age, hepatic function, source susceptibility, and CDC guidance.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Agents active against C. difficile work through different mechanisms. Selection depends on initial episode or recurrence, severity, age, prior exposure, interactions, and current guidance; examples do not form a regimen.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Includes therapies given after or alongside antibacterial treatment to reduce recurrence in selected patients. They are not substitutes for treatment of active infection.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Microbiota products indicated to prevent recurrence of C. difficile infection in selected adults after antibacterial treatment for recurrent infection. They are not indicated to treat active infection.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Historical reference intended to show how recommendations have changed. It should not be used to select current therapy; current guidelines and professional evaluation are required.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Includes recognition of persistent diarrhea, risk after antibiotics or healthcare exposure, hydration, soap-and-water hygiene, environmental cleaning, and when to seek urgent care. It does not replace diagnosis.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

C. difficile is a spore-forming bacterium that can produce toxins and disease when intestinal balance is disrupted. Testing must be interpreted alongside symptoms and clinical context.

Educational reference; no recommendation or medication regimen is included.

General mechanism or description

Bind the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit and disrupt protein synthesis. They require attention to renal function, cumulative exposure, and agent-specific monitoring.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Inhibit bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. Selection must consider resistance, infection site, interactions, and safety warnings.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Inhibit bacterial cell-wall synthesis. Spectrum, associated inhibitors, and activity against resistance vary by product and microbiology.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Block viral neuraminidase or cap-dependent endonuclease, depending on the agent. Timing, diagnosis, age, and complication risk influence use.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Vaccines stimulate specific immune responses to prevent disease or reduce complications. They do not treat active infection and should follow current schedules and recommendations.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Act on fungal membranes, cell walls, or cellular synthesis through different targets. Site, species, susceptibility, immune status, interactions, and toxicity determine selection.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Agents span different fungal, protozoal, and viral targets. Diagnosis, immune status, prior prophylaxis, interactions, and specialist guidance are essential; examples do not form a regimen.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Disrupt protozoal metabolism, DNA, or other functions; mechanism depends on organism and agent. They are not interchangeable across infections.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Interfere with helminth microtubules, neurotransmission, or energy metabolism. Selection depends on species, location, and stage of infection.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Act locally on specific bacterial targets. Formulation, surface, depth, and possibility of systemic infection determine usefulness.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Locally disrupt ergosterol synthesis or other fungal processes. Selection depends on likely organism, site, and formulation.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Reduce local viral replication through agent-specific mechanisms. Evidence and benefit depend on virus, site, and timing.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Act on parasite channels, neurotransmission, or structure in cutaneous infestations. Diagnosis and environmental measures remain important.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Combine antibacterial, antifungal, or anti-inflammatory agents for otic use. Tympanic-membrane integrity and diagnosis affect selection.

Common medicines

General mechanism or description

Act locally against fungi, bacteria, or protozoa depending on the product. Similar symptoms can have different causes and require appropriate diagnosis.

Common medicines