About Author: Ken Harris
Ken Harris is the proudest father and a writing coordinator for the Marketing & Communications division of OSF HealthCare.He has a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and worked as a daily newspaper reporter for four years before leaving the field and eventually finding his way to OSF HealthCare.In his free time, Ken likes reading, fly fishing, hanging out with his dog and generally pestering his lovely, patient wife.
Pharmacy First Scotland: Sore Throat Treatment From Your Pharmacy
You don’t usually need to get medical advice if you have a sore throat however your pharmacist may advise you see your GP if:
- your symptoms are severe
- you have persistent symptoms that haven’t started to improve after a week
- you experience severe sore throats frequently
- you have a weak immune system for example, you have HIV, are having chemotherapy, or are taking medication that suppresses your immune system
If they’re not open, you should phone the NHS 24 service
If you have a persistent sore throat , you should see your GP who may refer you for further tests. This is because your sore throat may be a symptom of a more serious condition. Some possibilities are described below.
Visit your nearest accident and emergency department or call 999 for an ambulance if you have severe symptoms such as:
- difficulty breathing or swallowing
- current or past stomach problems, such as a stomach ulcer
- current or past liver or kidney problems
Children under the age of 16 should never be given aspirin.
Take painkillers as necessary to relieve your pain. Always read the manufacturers instructions so you do not exceed the recommended or prescribed dose.
What Can Help Ease A Sore Throat And Ear Pain
OTC pain relievers like Tylenol and Advil or Motrin can help relieve your symptoms. However, you should check with your doctor before using OTC drugs to make sure that they will not negatively interact with any other medications that you take or conditions that you have.
Cough drops can soothe the back of the throat, as can cold foods and fluids. You can also apply heating pads or ice packs on your neck or near your affected ear.
Keeping your upper body elevated if you have acid reflux can help prevent acid from coming up the esophagus into the back of your throat. This position can also encourage the auditory tube to drain if it is clogged with mucus or debris.
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Persistent Throat And Ear Pain
Throat and ear pain may come and go or it may be constant and persistent, depending on what is causing the symptoms.
For example, acid reflux is more likely to cause pain that is worse in the morning and subsides later in the day. Seasonal allergies, strep throat, and mononucleosis are more likely to come with throat and ear pain that does not go away until the conditions are treated.
See your healthcare provider if your sore throat lasts longer than two weeks.
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.
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Where Can I Go For Convenient Affordable Strep Throat Treatment And Care
Because an official strep throat diagnosis cannot be made over the phone, Moore encourages people with strep symptoms to visit their primary care provider if they are able to be seen within 24 hours.
If you cant get in to your primary provider in a timely manner, the next step would definitely be to visit one of our urgent care locations, especially on the weekends, says Moore. We have access to rapid strep tests which are easy, fast, and painless and take less than 10 minutes in the clinic setting.
But what about the costs? Thankfully, a rapid strep test is one of the least expensive point-of-care tests, confirms Moore. At several of our AFM urgent care and primary care locations, we also have most antibiotics available onsite making the prescriptions much more affordable to patients with and without insurance. Additionally, a visit to one of AFMs urgent care locations will save you big bucks over an unnecessary trip to the ER. But its always a good idea to check with your insurance about what is and isnt covered in your plan.
What If I Have Strep Throat
Strep throat??? In the middle of a pandemic?!?!?
keeks
Strep throat lives in the nose and throat and often pass on the infection to others via respiratory droplets spread from coughing or sneezing, the CDC reported. You can get infected by breathing in those droplets, touching infected surfaces, using the same dishes as someone with strep, touching sores on the skin caused by strep or eating food prepared by someone with strep if any of these events sound recent and your symptoms match those listed earlier, you may have strep throat.
The best way to treat strep throat is with antibiotics that fight the bacteria and the CDC advises people with strep throat to stay home from work, school, or daycare until they no longer have a fever and have taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours. To protect yourself and avoid spreading the disease, the CDC encourages people to wash their hands often, cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and quickly cleaning or disinfecting dishes and surfaces you have touched/avoid sharing plates and silverware if you are sick.
How Long Will The Effects Of Strep Throat Last
The symptoms of strep throat may go away as soon as 24 hours after you start treatment. The symptoms rarely last longer than five days.
Not getting treatment for strep throat or not taking all the medicine prescribed can lead to rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can damage the heart valves and affect your joints, kidneys and brain.
Can You Smell Strep
There also isnt one strep breath smell, so its not a great way for someone else to diagnose you.
Strep throat and mononucleosis can also be a cause of pain in the front of the neck. Some cases of neck pain may be caused by a systemic infection that happens to lead to inflamed lymph nodes in the neck.
What Else Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
If you have a sore throat and headache, ask your healthcare provider:
- Do I need any tests?
- Could these symptoms be a sign of an infection?
- What can I do to feel better?
- What should I do if the symptoms dont go away in a week?
- What medications can I take to help?
- Do I need a strep test?
- Will antibiotics help?
Sore throat and headache are common symptoms. Often, theyre signs of a viral or bacterial infection. For a viral infection, you most likely wont need medications. The virus will clear up on its own in about a week. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids. You can take over-the-counter pain relievers to feel better. Your healthcare provider may want to check for signs of strep throat or meningitis, which need treatment. If you have a sudden high fever, neck stiffness or other worrying symptoms, see your healthcare provider.
Inflamed Lymph Nodes In The Neck
Strep throat may not just cause inflammation in the lymphoid tissues of the throat, meaning the tonsils, but also those of the neck. Swollen lymph nodes of the neck suggest that the infection is severe and spreading rapidly. The neck region may be lumpy to the touch. Your doctor will be able to identify this symptom right away, as it is easily noticeable. Once treatment begins, this inflammation is likely to be one of the first symptoms to subside. If you notice swelling in the neck region alongside a sore throat or other symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately. Don’t try to self-medicate at this stage, as swollen lymph nodes indicate that advanced symptoms have already developed.
How Is Pharyngitis Treated
The treatment depends on the cause. Viral pharyngitis goes away on its own with salt water gargles, pain relievers and extra fluids to help alleviate the symptoms. Bacterial pharyngitis is treated with antibiotics and fungal pharyngitis, with antifungal medications. Prompt antibiotic therapy is needed for strep throat because untreated, it can sometimes cause kidney problems and rheumatic fever, which can damage the heart valves. A full assessment in the clinic will guide treatment for other causes.
What Are The Differences And Similarities Between Strep And Covid
Strep throat differs from COVID and even influenza in the underlying cause of the disease. The flu and COVID are both transmitted through viruses. Flu is caused by influenza viruses and COVID is caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus . Both cause respiratory illness that can be severe. In the case of COVID-19, many people have died from the disease.
Strep throat is a bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria. Although COVID, flu, and strep are different types of infections in the body, they are transmitted from person to person through tiny airborne droplets infected with these illnesses. Coughing, sneezing, or even talking, can spread these bacteria and viruses, and in the case of COVID-19, sometimes with deadly results.
Is Strep Throat A Symptom Of Covid
Day 1 after #COVID diagnosis. Sore throat, headache , Dry cough but not shortness of breath. No lung US abnormalities. Will keep a #POCUS track of my lungs. #coronavirus
Yale Tung Chen
Strep throat has not yet been identified as a symptom of COVID-19 by the CDC, World Health Organization or other medical facilities studying the disease. However, because the illness mimics a sore throat, people can very easily be confused.
In fact, strep throat is not caused by a virus, such as the coronavirus, but it is instead caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus, or group A strep, that infects the throat and tonsils, according to the CDC.
Its important to note that, unless you have had it before, its best for a doctor to diagnose strep. And as mentioned earlier, if you have other symptoms that are not strep-related, your doctor may advise you to get tested for coronavirus since the two illnesses are not mutually exclusive.
What Are The Symptoms Of Covid Vs Strep
While COVID and strep can be transmitted through infected droplets from a sick person, there are some differences in how you will feel if you contract either of these disorders. For example, COVID symptoms include:
- Chills and fever
- Shortness of breath
- Sore throat
Influenza presents with many of these same symptoms, but it doesnt cause the disruption to your sense of smell and taste that COVID does. Also, sore throat may or may not show up if youre infected with COVID 19. One study from China of more than 55,000 COVID-19 patients showed that only 14% had sore throat symptoms with the virus.
The symptoms of strep throat are different from both COVID and the flu. According to Dr. Chase, strep throat presents as an incredibly sore throat, painful to swallow, and youre going to have a fever. On a physical exam, when you look in the throat, its typically bright redfire engine redand youve got yellow, gunky stuff all over your tonsils.
Strep throat symptoms include:
- Small red spots on the roof of your mouth
- Swollen, red tonsils with white or yellow patches
- Swollen, tender lymph nodes on your neck just under your ears
These symptoms are not present in COVID while you may have a sore throat, there are other symptoms, including coughing, difficulty breathing and loss of smell and taste that are completely different from strep throat. Too, strep throat appears fairly suddenly, while COVID takes longer to incubate and show symptoms.
How Is Poststreptococcal Disorder Diagnosed
The diagnosis of poststreptococcal disorder is a clinical diagnosis. This means that there are no specific lab tests available to diagnose the conditions. Instead, your doctor will often take a full medical history and a physical examination.
They will ask if you or your child has been infected with strep throat, scarlet fever, or impetigo within the last few months. The doctor will ask about the symptoms and whether or not they came on abruptly.
If the symptoms have been present for more than a week, blood tests may be done to find out if there has been a recent GAS infection.
If your doctor suspects you or your child is suffering from GN, they may recommend a urinalysis , and additional blood tests. If your doctor suspects acute rheumatic fever, you may have some tests done on your heart.
Its important to remember that many children have tics or display signs of OCD, and many kids also get strep throat at some point. Post streptococcal disorders are not common.
Poststreptococcal disorders, like PANDAS, are only considered when there is a clear relationship between the onset of symptoms like OCD or tics, and a recent infection.
Treatment depends on the exact disorder. Since there is no cure, treatment is aimed at treating the symptoms. Antibiotics are given to make sure that the GAS infection is gone, and also to prevent acute rheumatic fever.
Treatment for ARF includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs .
- anticonvulsants
- steroids
- intravenous immune globulin
How You Get Strep Throat
Group A strep live in the nose and throat and can easily spread to other people. It is important to know that some infected people do not have symptoms or seem sick. People who are infected spread the bacteria by coughing or sneezing, which creates small respiratory droplets that contain the bacteria.
People can get sick if they:
- Breathe in those droplets
- Touch something with droplets on it and then touch their mouth or nose
- Drink from the same glass or eat from the same plate as a sick person
- Touch sores on the skin caused by group A strep
Rarely, people can spread group A strep through food that is not handled properly . Experts do not believe pets or household items, like toys, spread these bacteria.
Can A Scratchy Throat Be A Sign Of Allergies
If you find yourself rubbing your tongue against the roof of your mouth to get that scratchiness, its most likely an allergy-related scratchy throat. If that is the case, you may be experiencing other allergy symptoms such as: itchy eyes, itchy nose, runny nose, itchy ears, itchy throat, itchy tongue, itchy skin, and sneezing.
What Strep Throat Isnt
Itâs easy to confuse it with other conditions, so it helps to know what itâs not:
Itâs not a virus — viruses canât be cured with antibiotics.
It usually doesnât come with a runny nose, a cough, or red eyes. These are usually signs of a virus or allergy.
Itâs not life-threatening. But if you leave it untreated, strep throat can lead to more serious complications in some cases.
Seeking A Good Doctor
If you are searching for a good primary care doctor or some type of specialist, then contact BASS Medical Group. With over 40 different locations around Northern California, were ready to accommodate you no matter where you live. Our goal is to ensure that you have a safe and effective practitioner and are happy with your medical care. Let us help you find the perfect provider by giving us a call at 925-350-4044 or visiting our website.
Children Most Often Affected
Anyone can get PSGN after recovering from strep throat, scarlet fever, or impetigo. People at increased risk for those infections are also at increased risk for getting PSGN.
PSGN is more common in children than adults. Developing PSGN after strep throat or scarlet fever is most common in young, school-age children. Developing PSGN after impetigo is most common in preschool-age children.
Can Strep Throat Cause A Rash All Over Body
Can strep throat cause a rash all over bodyA rash can be due to a number of reasons, ranging from allergic reactions, food or topical ointments, to infections both internal and external. The extent of the rash can also vary. It can be localized to a certain region of the body or even spread all over the body.
How Long Will It Take For Strep Throat Symptoms To Go Away
Treated with antibiotics, strep throat symptoms begin to go away within the first two doses. After 24 hours, you should no longer be contagious. While its possible for strep throat to clear up on its own, it takes significantly longer, and youll remain highly contagious for about three weeks. Untreated, you also risk serious complications such as scarlet fever and rheumatic fever.
