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Suggest Treatment For Sore Throat Despite Taking Treatment For Strep Throat
Question: My son is 25 he had a bad case of strep and was given a antibiotic. They are finished but his throat is still bad. we took him to urgent care spot and a nurse practitioner didn't even look at his throat and gave him steroids. They aren't working and he feels worse. can you help?
Brief Answer:
Rule out if your son its resistant to those antibiotics or if it's not streptococcal infection
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for using HCM to post your question.
I read it carefully and I understand your concern.
The first line treatment for the strep throat its Amoxicillin 500mg 3 times/day for 10 days or Azythromycin 500mg once daily is used for 5 days
I don't know which antibiotic your son had used but the mistake which generally happens is that, they give the antibiotics for shorter time and the patients end up having chronic strep throat.
Now, if he had used the correct treatment, then the next step (if he had done it already) is to do a throat culture and sensitivity to determine the best working antibiotic as per the organisms growth, because he may be resistant to the one he had already used.
A culture will determine, also if it's even a bacterial infection causing this infection, it can also be something else like a viral infection, for example infectious mononucleosis (the kissing disease). In many cases, because mononucleosis its very similar to a strep throat infection, we treat the patient for a strep throat and then when antibiotics does not work we realize that its not strep throat.
I have no idea why the nurse gave steroids. Unless she thought there was some allergic cause but I doubt they are due to any allergic causes, so that's why they're not working.
Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you need more clarifications.
Regards,
Dr.Papaqako
Rule out if your son its resistant to those antibiotics or if it's not streptococcal infection
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for using HCM to post your question.
I read it carefully and I understand your concern.
The first line treatment for the strep throat its Amoxicillin 500mg 3 times/day for 10 days or Azythromycin 500mg once daily is used for 5 days
I don't know which antibiotic your son had used but the mistake which generally happens is that, they give the antibiotics for shorter time and the patients end up having chronic strep throat.
Now, if he had used the correct treatment, then the next step (if he had done it already) is to do a throat culture and sensitivity to determine the best working antibiotic as per the organisms growth, because he may be resistant to the one he had already used.
A culture will determine, also if it's even a bacterial infection causing this infection, it can also be something else like a viral infection, for example infectious mononucleosis (the kissing disease). In many cases, because mononucleosis its very similar to a strep throat infection, we treat the patient for a strep throat and then when antibiotics does not work we realize that its not strep throat.
I have no idea why the nurse gave steroids. Unless she thought there was some allergic cause but I doubt they are due to any allergic causes, so that's why they're not working.
Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you need more clarifications.
Regards,
Dr.Papaqako
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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