With the onset of cold weather, a sore throat haunts quite a few. It is often accompanied by a cough and brings a lot of inconvenience: it interferes with talking, changes the timbre of the voice, and just spoils the mood. Absorbable tablets and lozenges are just a symptomatic solution to the problem. The rest of the body must handle it itself. If he did not succeed, then an antibiotic for sore throat remains the only solution. However, only a doctor should prescribe it, before that, carefully studying the origin of the ailment.
Causes of Sore Throat
It is useless to list all diseases that can contribute to the appearance of painful sensations in the throat, since there are a huge number of them. In medical practice, there are three main causes of an unpleasant symptom:
- viral diseases (flu, SARS, etc.);
- the introduction of bacteria into the mucous membrane of the tonsils (staphylococci, streptococci, chlamydia);
- infectious diseases (chickenpox, rubella, measles).
An antibiotic for sore throat is prescribed only if the pathology is associated with a bacterial infection. If the disease is of a viral nature, then taking such drugs will only weaken the immune system, but will not destroy the cause of the inflammatory process.
Sore throat and cough: do I need antibiotics?
The peak of a cold, lasting up to about 7 days, is considered normal and, according to doctors, does not require antibacterial intervention. It is enough to use local anesthetics and disinfectants, as well as oral anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs. This is usually enough to relieve a sore throat. Antibiotic treatment is prescribed in such cases:
- if the fever lasts more than a week;
- fever was added to the main symptoms;
- in addition to pain when swallowing, a dry cough appeared, which does not pass more than 10 days;
- submandibular lymph nodes inflamed.
With this picture of the disease, a runny nose, as a rule, is absent. If during the examination you can notice a plaque formed on the tonsils, the doctor, as a rule, makes the diagnosis of "sore throat".
An antibiotic for sore throat and cough is also often prescribed. In children with these symptoms, the therapist may detect whooping cough or bacterial pneumonia.
Antibiotic classification
It will be quite difficult for a person without a medical education to choose an antibacterial drug on his own. It is best to consult a specialist, especially if you are worried about severe sore throat. Antibiotics come in different classes and differ in the nature of the action, so only a doctor can give the most correct advice. So, all antibacterial drugs are divided into several groups:
- Penicillins. This class of antibiotics is most common due to its low toxicity. Drugs of this group are used to treat severe infections (tonsillitis, pneumonia, otitis media, etc.). They purposefully act on the walls of bacteria, thereby causing death.
- Macrolides. In medical practice, they have become famous as an ideal tool for the treatment of SARS. As a universal drug, you can use such an antibiotic for sore throats for those who are allergic to penicillin.
- Cephalosporins. Destroying the membrane film of bacteria, these substances destroy them. The peculiarity of the use of this type of antibiotic is that they are administered in the form of injections (intravenously or intramuscularly). As a rule, such agents are used to treat inflammatory processes of the respiratory tract.
- Fluoroquinolones. They have an aggressive effect on gram-negative bacteria (pneumococcus, chlamydia). This class of drugs is the safest to use, since it practically does not poison the body with toxins.
Antibiotics for treating sore throat and cough in children
Begin therapy of the disease in a child with antibacterial agents with extreme caution. The choice of drug should depend on the symptoms of the disease. So, it is better to choose an antibiotic for sore throat and ear from the penicillin series. The convenience of using such drugs is that they differ in a variety of release forms. For babies, it will most likely be a problem to swallow a pill, so parents will be able to choose a liquid. If the baby is allergic to this drug, then you can replace it with a medicine from the macrolide group. It gently enters the fight against infection, without causing side effects.
Usually, doctors prescribe such antibacterial drugs to babies:
- "Flemoxin-solutab."
- Amoxiclav.
- Amosin.
Risk of prescribing antibiotics to children
The baby's body is still in its infancy, so it has a weaker immune system and other functions than an adult. Not always an antibiotic for a sore throat in a child helps to solve the problem without consequences. Many children are allergic to such drugs. Therefore, taking antibiotics to eliminate pain when swallowing can provoke disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and other side effects. In some cases, it even threatens the life of the child, especially when it comes to large doses of the drug.
For sore throat in adults
Use an antibiotic for sore throat in an adult should be at least 7-14 days. This is a fairly long course compared with therapy in children (up to a week). In this case, it is desirable that the treatment be comprehensive, that is, including other means of combating the disease. Optimum use of the following drugs:
- Amoxicillin.
- "Benzylpenicillin."
- "Sumamed."
- Amoxiclav.
- "Erythromycin.
- "Bicillin."
- "Augmentin."
Rules for taking antibiotics
When starting treatment with antibacterial drugs, remember a few points:
- The first thing you should pay attention to is the dosage of the drug. It should be observed when taking the medicine in the amount that was prescribed by the doctor, or clearly guided by the attached instructions for the drug.
- It is also very important to undergo a full course of treatment, even if a sore throat has passed around the middle of the treatment. After antibiotics, the bacteria must die completely, otherwise they will develop immunity to these substances.
- Neglecting the patterns of the use of drugs regarding food intake (for such a certain amount of time before or after a meal) is fraught with violations of the gastrointestinal tract. It can also worsen the absorption of the antibiotic in the blood, which means that its effect will be less pronounced.
- In case of allergic manifestations, it is necessary to immediately stop taking the drug in order to avoid sad consequences.
Prescribing an antibiotic for yourself with a sore throat is a risky business. Only a qualified doctor can determine which drug is suitable for the treatment of a disease, and build the right treatment regimen.