How To Care For Your Child
There are thingsyou can do to help your child feel better.
- Give them lots of liquids, like water, Pedialyte®, diluted apple juice, or popsicles. Give small amounts of liquid often .
- Give soft foods that are easy to swallow, like applesauce, mashed potatoes, hot cereal, or eggs. Your child may not want to eat much if it hurts to swallow.
- To soothe a sore throat, offer:
- For children over age 1, give warm fluids like water, herbal tea with honey, or diluted apple juice. Do not give honey to children under age 1. For some children, cold fluids or popsicles can be soothing.
- For children over age 4, give throat or cough lozenges or use throat sprays. Read the label to know the right dose for your child. Do not use throat sprays that contain benzocaine, as this could cause a drug reaction.
- For children over age 6 who are able to gargle without swallowing, mix ½ teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of warm water. Have them swish and gargle the mixture 2 to 3 times a day for the next few days. Do not let your child swallow the salt water have them spit it out.
- For a fever or throat pain, give acetaminophen or ibuprofen as directed. Read the label to know the right dose for your child. Do not give aspirin or products that contain aspirin.
If I’m Taking Antibiotics For Strep Throat How Soon Should I Expect To Feel Better
Dr. Thomas Weida answers the question: ‘How Long Before Strep Antibiotics Work?’
Dec. 29, 2008 — Question: If I’m taking antibiotics for strep throat, how soon should I expect to feel better?
Answer: If you’re taking antibiotics for a strep throat, you can expect to start feeling a little bit better in two to three days, and oftentimes completely better in five days. Now you’re going to say, gosh, if I feel better in five days, I can stop my antibiotics. No. You need to take your antibiotic for 10 days for strep throat, because if you don’t take the full course, there can be strep bacteria that just hide out in the back of your throat, either making you prone to a re-infection or making you prone to infecting other people. So it’s very important to take the full 10-day course of antibiotic when you’re treated for strep throat. Even though you may feel better in just a few days, finish the antibiotic.
Sore Throats Caused By Mononucleosis
Unlike sore throats caused by other viruses, those associated with mononucleosis can last for as long as one month. Mononucleosis is an infectious viral disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.
Antibiotics arent effective against mononucleosis, but corticosteroids can reduce the swelling, inflammation, and discomfort associated with sore throats caused by this condition.
You May Like: Antibiotics For Strep Throat In Adults
Strep Throat: Symptoms And Treatment
15 October 18
Strep throat is an infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or Group A Streptococcus .
Streptococcal pharyngitis is highly contagious and can spread by nasal secretions and saliva. Strep throat most often afflicts children younger than 16, and is most common in the United States in the winter and spring, according to the Mayo Clinic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Learn When You Should Get Tested Best Practices For Treatment How To Contain The Contagion And Where To Go For Affordable Care
Oh, the wonders of winter. Snowball fights, skiing, hot cocoa, and strep throat?
Yes, the season of fun-filled pastimes and sparkling snow can also be marked by sickness. And this winter, our providers at Associates in Family Medicine are seeing higher-than-usual cases of strep throat.
While this bacterial bane on the winter season is familiar to most of us, our team of providers has noticed a number of misconceptions around strep throat. We talked to AFM physician and urgent care director Dr. Shelley Moore to get clarity on common strep throat symptoms, treatment options, spread, and more.
You May Like: How To Treat H Pylori With Antibiotics
Are Strep Throats Contagious
As previously discussed, strep throat is contagious, particularly among people who live together or interact often. The bacteria are easily spread by coughing or sneezing. You can also spread it by getting infected droplets on your mouth, nose, or eyes. Also, you may get strep throat through contact with someone with Scarlet Fever or another group A skin infection.
Without treatment, those with strep can pass on the disease to others for one to two weeks after symptoms occur. Wash your hands thoroughly frequently and always before eating or after being in contact with a sick person to prevent infection. Youll also want to avoid sharing utensils, linens, or personal items. People with strep throat or scarlet fever should stay home for a minimum of 24 hours following the start of their antibiotics. After that, they should remain home until they feel well enough to return to regular activities.
What Are The Benefits Of Being Treated With An Appropriate Antibiotic
Benefits of antibiotics use in a patient who truly has Strep throat include:
- Preventing the bacteria from spreading to others.
- Preventing serious complications like rheumatic fever.
- Preventing spread of the Strep infection to adjacent areas of the pharynx and voicebox which can become life-threatening, if not treated quickly.
It is unlikely that the Strep bacteria can spread throughout someones body if not treated, but it can happen. This is particularly true if the patient has some type of underlying disease process or is immunocompromised.
Recommended Reading: Can You Get Another Uti After Taking Antibiotics
How Do I Know If My Child Has Strep Throat
Visit your healthcare provider if the symptoms suggest strep throat. Your child will be examined and may be given a strep test . Viral illnesses can have the same symptoms as strep throat. This is why it’s important that a throat swab be done to confirm the presence of the Strep bacteria in the throat.
Other Sore Throats Don’t Need Special Medicine So Why Does Strep Throat
Most sore throats are caused by viruses, which cannot be cured with medicine you can only relieve the aches and pains. Viruses heal on their own and cannot be cured with antibiotics or other medicines.
Strep throat is caused by a bacterium. Infections caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. Strep throat can lead to more serious illnesses, so it’s important to get it treated.
Also Check: What Antibiotics Help A Sinus Infection
When Should You Go To An Omaha Urgent Care For Strep Throat
Individuals with a sore throat, especially if accompanied by fever or other associated symptoms, should consider consulting a healthcare professional. It is often too difficult to know definitively whether or not strep throat is present without a professional evaluation. Furthermore, there are other serious causes of sore throat that may require alternative treatments . Finally, consider seeking medical advice if a person has been treated for strep throat and has not improved within 4 to 5 days.
If a person has a sore throat or if they have been diagnosed with strep throat, and have any of the following signs or symptoms, they should immediately seek care in a hospitals emergency department:
- Difficulty breathing
- Bleeding in the throat
- Swelling or redness of the neck
Although some of these signs and symptoms may be related to a strep throat infection, they can also be indicators of other emergent conditions such as peritonsillar abscess, epiglottitis, tracheitis, or retropharyngeal abscess.
Recommended Reading: Uti Treatment Without Antibiotics Male
How To Use Cefixime Oral
Take this medication by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually once a day. In children, this medication may also be taken twice a day . If you are taking the chewable tablets, chew thoroughly and then swallow.
The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. In children, the dosage is also based on weight.
For the best effect, take this antibiotic at evenly spaced times. To help you remember, take this medication at the same time every day.
Continue to use this medication until the full prescribed amount is finished, even if symptoms disappear after a few days. Stopping the medication too early may allow bacteria to continue to grow, which may result in a relapse of the infection.
Tell your doctor if your condition persists or worsens.
Also Check: Can Antibiotics Cure Sinus Infection
How Is Strep Throat Diagnosed
Your doctor may use a test called the rapid strep test to diagnose strep throat. For this test, the doctor uses a long cotton swab to take some of the fluid or mucus from the back of your throat. The results of this test can be ready in less than 15 minutes.
Your doctor may also do a culture of your mucus. If so, he or she will send a sample of your mucus to a laboratory. This test is called a throat culture. It can take up to 2 days to learn the results of a strep culture.
The rapid strep test and the culture can tell your doctor if you have strep throat. If something else is causing your sore throat, these tests do not tell what it is.
Dont Miss: Can I Drink Wine With Antibiotics
Strep Throat Treatment Online
If you need treatment for strep, you may be able to use online health counseling or telehealth services to receive the diagnosis and medications you need. Many will also accept your health insurance and cover it as a part of your typical sick visits. Be sure always to use a reputable online health provider like DrAlexa.
Read Also: Over The Counter Antibiotics For Flu
Do Patients With Strep Throat Need To Be Treated With Antibiotics
Background: Streptococcal pharyngitis is a common presentation to primary care and Emergency Department physicians. Every year, 10 million patients in the United States are treated with antibiotics for pharyngitis. However, less than 10% of these patients actually have strep pharyngitis . Prescribing of antibiotics for these patients centers on three arguments:
So, do patients with strep throat need to be treated with antibiotics?
While treatment of strep throat seems relatively benign, there are significant harms that need to be considered:
This means that out of 10 million patients treated with antibiotics, as many as 24,000 of them will have fatal or near-fatal allergic reactions.
Thus, its important to determine if the benefits of antibiotic treatment outweigh the risks.
What Are The Recommended Dosages Of Antibiotics Used To Treat Strep Throat
Antibiotic dosages can vary depending on age and weight. The CDC recommends the following dosages of antibiotics for Strep throat, for those people without a penicillin allergy. One dosage regimen should be chosen that is appropriate for the person being treated.
Oral Penicillin V
- Children: 250mg twice daily or 250mg three times daily for 10 days
- Adolescents and adults: 250mg four times daily or 500mg twice daily for 10 days
Oral amoxicillin
- Children and adults: 50 mg/kg once daily for 10 days
- Children and adults: 25 mg/kg twice daily for 10 days
Intramuscular Benzathine penicillin G
- Children < 27 kg: 600 000 units as a single dose
- Children and adults 27 kg: 1 200 000 units as a single dose
The CDC recommends the following dosages of antibiotics for Strep throat, for those people with a penicillin allergy. One dosage regimen should be chosen that is appropriate for the person being treated.
- Oral cephalexin 20 mg/kg twice daily for 10 days
- Oral cefadroxil 30 mg/kg once daily for 10 days
- Oral clindamycin 7 mg/kg three times daily for 10 days
- Oral azithromycin 12 mg/kg once daily for the first day , followed by 6 mg/kg once daily for the next 4 days
- Oral clarithromycin 7.5 mg/kg twice daily for 10 days.
Don’t Miss: How To Treat Diarrhea From Antibiotics
What Is A Strep Test
A strep throat test looks for Streptococcus bacteria in the throat. This test is also known as a throat culture. To perform the test, a healthcare practitioner may use a cotton swab to wipe the back of your throat. Then they send the swab to a lab. The test is painless, though it might feel odd or make you gag a little, and is very quick. The rapid strep test takes roughly 20 minutes. The patient has strep throat if the test returns positive with the Streptococcus bacteria present. Unfortunately, rapid tests arent always available, and the doctor may need to inform you of the results at a later time.
Antibiotics Get You Well Fast
Doctors treat strep throat with antibiotics. Either penicillin or amoxicillin are recommended as a first choice for people who are not allergic to penicillin. Doctors can use other antibiotics to treat strep throat in people who are allergic to penicillin.
Benefits of antibiotics include:
- Preventing the bacteria from spreading to others
- Preventing serious complications like rheumatic fever
Someone who tests positive for strep throat but has no symptoms usually does not need antibiotics. They are less likely to spread the bacteria to others and very unlikely to get complications. If a carrier gets a sore throat illness caused by a virus, the rapid strep test can be positive. In these cases, it can be hard to know what is causing the sore throat. If someone keeps getting a sore throat after taking the right antibiotics, they may be a strep carrier and have a viral throat infection. Talk to a doctor if you think you or your child may be a strep carrier.
You May Like: Antibiotics For Stye In Eye
Caution Monitor That Sore Throat
Pay attention to sore throats, especially in children. If your child has a severe sore throat without other cold symptoms, accompanied by a fever higher than 100.4Ã degrees Fahrenheit, or a milder sore throat that persists for more than two or three days, see a doctor. It may be strep throat, which should be treated with antibiotics.
Show Sources
The Top Things To Remember About Strep Throat
While theres a lot of information out there on strep throat, here are the important things to keep in mind at this time of year and always:
- If you have generic cold symptoms with a sore throat, you probably dont need a strep test a virus is the more likely culprit.
- If you have throat pain, a fever, and not much else, go ahead and get tested.
- Strep tests are easy, fast, inexpensive, and painless.
- Strep throat is easily treated with affordable antibiotics.
- Keep washing those hands!
- Dont depend on the internet for your diagnosis count on experienced urgent care and primary care providers for a convenient, personalized diagnosis you can trust.
Categories
You May Like: Antibiotics For Lymph Node Infection
Children With Group A Streptococcal Infection
If your child develops group A streptococcal infection, including scarlet fever or impetigo:
- keep them away from childrens settings such childcare centres or school until your child has received at least 24 hours of antibiotic treatment and they feel well
- ensure your child completes the entire course of antibiotics
- if your child has impetigo, the child can return to school after commencing antibiotic treatment. Make sure all exposed sores are covered with a watertight dressing.
Treating Strep Throat With Z
If your doctor thinks azithromycin is a good choice for you, they may prescribe a generic version of azithromycin or a Z-Pack.
Each Z-Pack contains six 250-milligram tablets of Zithromax. You would take two tablets on the first day, followed by one tablet daily for four days.
A Z-Pack typically takes at least five days to fully work, but it can start to relieve your sore throat and other symptoms on the first day you take it. If your doctor prescribes a generic version of azithromycin, your treatment may only last three days.
Be sure to take your Z-Pack or generic azithromycin exactly as your doctor prescribes. This is true even if you feel better before youve taken the full course of treatment.
If you stop taking an antibiotic early, it could make the infection come back or make future infections more difficult to treat.
Read Also: Natural Antibiotics For Inner Ear Infection
Can Strep Make You Throw Up
There are many signs and symptoms of strep throat, including headache pain in the temples or back. You may also experience nausea or vomiting with this infection high fever is not uncommon either! The CDC reports that if you dont have a cough along side these other two components then it could indicate something else-like viral pneumonia for example .
Read Also: How Often To Take Antibiotics For Tooth Infection
I Started Antibiotics For Strep Throat Yesterday But It
Submitted:Category: Dr- KHAN
Hello I am Dr. Khan
Welcome to Justanswer, I shall be assisting you today
” Call request is auto generated by the website, you can ignore the call request unless you want to talk over the phone. We can chat here”
I am reviewing your question and will get back to you shortly. Thank you
- How old are you?
- Do you have any fever?
- Which antibiotics are you taking?
Thank you for sharing information
I am sorry to hear about your health problem, it must be stressful for you
The picture which you shared with me does suggest Strep throat, it will take 2-3 doses before your symptoms starts to improve
I will advise to start Saline gargles that will help resolve it
Yes Hoarseness can occur in strep throat
Do you have further questions?
I wish you all the best!
My goal is to give the best possible experience with JustAnswer, If you have further question kindly reply in the chat box and I will get back to you. I will be obliged for your valuable feedback. If you would like to ask me another question in the future, you can always use the option of adding me as a favorite Expert. Youll have the option to do that on your My Questionspage, or you could request for me by name if you would require.
Thank you and stay safe
Also Check: Name Of Antibiotic For Urinary Tract Infection
