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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Can sore Throat And Chest Congestion Be Treated?

My 17 year old evidently has serious allergies because we had to take him to Urgent Care with a sore throat and congestion and when they took a culture it was not a bacterial infection. They gave him 5 days of prednisone and cetirizine for 30 days. Does that mean we need to continue him on either one or both of those? Also, should we be taking him to his regular doctor or an allergist?
Sat, 10 Nov 2018
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

Both drugs given are allergy drugs. Prednisone is a steroid that is very effective in allergy but should not be taken more than 5 days.

If you need to take for more than 5 days it should be done only with the advise and close monitoring of the doctor as it may cause a lot of problems if stopped abruptly or not used as advised.

The other medication, cetirizine, is also a medication to help with allergy but is one that can be used for long periods and is generally well tolerated by patients. It is generally taken at night to avoid drowsiness during the day.

To conclude i would say:

- both medications are to be taken as the doctor has prescribed them but especially the steroid (prednisone) is a drug that should not be taken outside of the advise of the physician.

- Cetirizine can be taken for extended times as it is well tolerated and less side effects.

- Generally it is the regular doctor that is the one to consult and follow up and if needed he will refer you to the allergist (which is generally very rare the case, as most of the time the regular doctor should be able to cover problems with allergy).

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Take care

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General & Family Physician
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How Can sore Throat And Chest Congestion Be Treated?

Hello, Both drugs given are allergy drugs. Prednisone is a steroid that is very effective in allergy but should not be taken more than 5 days. If you need to take for more than 5 days it should be done only with the advise and close monitoring of the doctor as it may cause a lot of problems if stopped abruptly or not used as advised. The other medication, cetirizine, is also a medication to help with allergy but is one that can be used for long periods and is generally well tolerated by patients. It is generally taken at night to avoid drowsiness during the day. To conclude i would say: - both medications are to be taken as the doctor has prescribed them but especially the steroid (prednisone) is a drug that should not be taken outside of the advise of the physician. - Cetirizine can be taken for extended times as it is well tolerated and less side effects. - Generally it is the regular doctor that is the one to consult and follow up and if needed he will refer you to the allergist (which is generally very rare the case, as most of the time the regular doctor should be able to cover problems with allergy). Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General & Family Physician