Antibiotics for Strep Throat

Taking Antibiotics for Strep Throat Treatment

Since strep throat is a bacterial infection. Penicillin or amoxicillin are generally prescribed antibiotics for strep throat treatment. The antibiotics are only helpful if the correct diagnosis is done as they work against bacterial infections and might do nothing for allergies and viral infections. Strep throat goes away on its own within a week with or without giving any treatment. The main reason why antibiotics for strep throat are prescribed is because; they kill the bacteria and make sure the patient is not contagious to others. If the bacteria are not contained within 48 to 72 hours after the patient starts to suffer, there are chances of the bacteria of spreading further into a patient’s sinuses and ears. In very rare cases it may cause the immune system to work in reverse and give the patients some serious but rare diseases such as rheumatic fever.

It is important to wait for the test results to come in before your doctors prescribes you antibiotic as waiting for a few days may not cause any severe damage, but if antibiotics are used unnecessarily they lose their effectiveness. In the meanwhile you can start with nonprescription medicines like acetaminophen, which help in reducing fever and relieve you from severe headaches. Throat sprays are also helpful as they provide great relief against sore dry throat.

Penicillin is the first choice of antibiotic for strep throat treatment, unless a patient is allergic to it. The usual dose is for ten days; however, some doctors may also chose to give penicillin as a single shot. But you should keep in mind that even this doesn’t help you to recover any faster. However, taking antibiotics for ten days has its side effects; the common ones being diarrhea, skin rashes, nausea. Some rare side effects include vaginal yeast infection in women and infection of the intestines.

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