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Antibiotics for tonsillitis are prescribed when the disease is caused by bacterial flora, accompanied by high body temperature and signs of intoxication of the body.
Bacterial tonsillitis is dangerous for its complications, so antibiotic therapy is 100% justified. Taking drugs can prevent the development of rheumatism, pyelonephritis, joint inflammation.
Standard pharyngoscopy is not enough to determine which bacterium was caused by tonsillitis. Therefore, doctors prescribe to patients with broad-spectrum drugs that are detrimental to the most common bacterial agents.
Most often, tonsillitis is provoked by streptococci. Typical symptoms of infection are sore throat and inflammation of the tonsils in the absence of cough and runny nose. However, if the course of the disease has any non-specific symptoms, the collection of mucus from the tonsils for bacterial culture is an extremely desirable measure. After the type of pathogen is determined, an antibacterial drug can be prescribed that “hits right on target.”
Provided that a person has a history of rheumatism, the appointment of antibiotics for tonsillitis should be immediate. In some cases, doctors decide to take a cardinal step and strongly recommend removing the tonsils. This procedure should not be abandoned in the case when chronic tonsillitis worsens more than 5 times a year. If the tonsils are simply large, then surgery is not necessary.
Treatment of tonsillitis without the use of antibiotics
Tonsillitis can be primary, or it can develop as a result of other diseases, such as diphtheria, measles, herpes. The risks of tonsillitis increase, provided that a person lives in a densely populated area, in cities with an abundance of industrial enterprises and road transport. The more polluted the air, the more often people experience inflammation of the tonsils. This problem is especially relevant for those whose nasal breathing is difficult due to chronic sinusitis or a deviated nasal septum.
After the bacterium enters the mucous membrane of the tonsils, it begins to actively multiply. This leads to intoxication of the body, which tries to cope with the pathogenic agent by raising the body temperature.
If a person develops catarrhal tonsillitis, then only the upper shell of the tonsils will be involved in the inflammation process. At the same time, there is no jump in body temperature, it remains at the level of subfebrile values. In parallel, the person experiences a sore throat and chills. Such tonsillitis can be caused by viruses, therefore, it does not require the appointment of antibacterial drugs. After a few days, the disease will go away on its own. It will be enough to carry out auxiliary therapy – frequent rinsing of the throat, irrigation of the mucous membrane of the tonsils with antiseptic solutions and heavy drinking.
It should be taken into account that catarrhal tonsillitis is not a synonym for the diagnosis of “viral tonsillitis”. The catarrhal form can also be caused by bacteria, but it can be mild and resemble the symptoms of SARS. The carelessness of a person, as well as the lack of antibacterial treatment in this case, will lead to the fact that the disease becomes chronic, which is difficult to treat. Therefore, any inflammation of the tonsils is a reason to consult a doctor.
If a person experiences general weakness and pain in the region of the heart, then most often this indicates lacunar tonsillitis. Lacunae are deep folds in the tonsils. It is in them that a large number of bacteria and pus accumulate. Lacunar tonsillitis is indicated by a membranous whitish coating on the tonsils and in their folds.
A severe course is characterized by follicular tonsillitis, in which the follicles become inflamed and rise above the surface of the tonsils.
The appointment of antibiotics does not mean at all that during the treatment there is no need to gargle. This event helps to cleanse the tonsils of bacteria and their waste products, which means it speeds up recovery.
If you ignore the disease, it threatens the development of serious complications, including purulent lymphadenitis, sinusitis, otitis media, rheumatism, pyelonephritis, arthritis. But the use of antibacterial drugs is associated with a number of problems, therefore, it requires the appointment of prebiotics, which prevents the development of dysbacteriosis. If necessary, the patient is recommended antiallergic drugs.
List of antibiotics for tonsillitis for adults
To determine which drug is needed to treat tonsillitis, you should contact your doctor and donate mucus from the tonsils for bacterial culture. That drug, which is detrimental to one pathogenic flora, may be absolutely useless for the irradiation of bacteria of another species. And with viral tonsillitis, antibiotics are not needed at all.
Amoxicillin
Amoxicillin is the drug of choice for the treatment of tonsillitis in adults.
Amoxicillin is an antibacterial agent belonging to the group of unprotected penicillins.
Its undeniable advantages are:
Rapid absorption in the intestine;
Targeted effect on most bacteria that cause tonsillitis;
The almost complete absence of a negative effect on the normal intestinal flora;
Low price of the drug;
Variety of release forms;
The possibility of treating with amoxicillin not only adult patients, but also children, including infants.
It is worth considering that Amoxicillin has some disadvantages:
Requires careful appointment for the treatment of pregnant women;
Causes side effects and has a number of contraindications;
Amoxicillin, like other drugs of the penicillin group, requires careful use in the treatment of tonsillitis in patients with impaired renal function;
It does not work in the treatment of tonsillitis caused by bacteria that produce beta-lactamase.
Despite all the advantages of Amoxicillin, only a doctor can prescribe it. Depending on the severity of the course of the disease and the age of the patient, the doctor will select the most appropriate dose. Most often, adults and children over the age of 10 years are prescribed 0,5 g of the drug 3 times a day.
Protected penicillins
Sometimes it happens that Amoxicillin does not achieve the desired effect in the treatment of tonsillitis. This is due to the fact that bacteria produce a group of enzymes that are aimed at fighting antibiotics. As a result, the inflammation on the tonsils continues to progress, as the pathogenic flora resistant to the action of drugs multiplies on them.
Antibacterial drugs from the group of protected penicillins can come to the rescue. In addition to the main active ingredient, they contain clavulanic acid. Therefore, if after 24-36 hours from the start of treatment with Amoxicillin there is no improvement in the condition, it is replaced with protected drugs made on its basis. Among them: Flemoxin Solutab, Augmentin, Amoxiclav, Ranoxyl, Ecoclave, Panklav, Bactoclav. Each of them is successfully used to treat purulent lacunar or follicular tonsillitis. These drugs can be used for therapy among different age groups of patients.
Clavulanic acid itself does not have a pronounced antibacterial activity, but in combination with penicillins it allows you to fight resistant strains of bacteria. Moreover, the addition of penicillin antibiotics with clavulanic acid does not increase their toxicity, which makes their administration relatively safe. As for the disadvantages of protected penicillins, this is their high price compared to Amoxicillin. It becomes almost 5 times higher.
The widespread availability of penicillins and their irrational use increasingly leads to the fact that microorganisms acquire resistance to them. This statement becomes true even for drugs protected by clavulanic acid.
The more often a patient takes an antibiotic, the higher the risk that he will develop an allergy to the drug. This forces scientists to develop new types of antibiotics.
Cephalosporins for the treatment of acute tonsillitis
Even if protected penicillins do not give an effect in the treatment of tonsillitis, or the patient is allergic to them, then it is possible to use drugs from other groups, for example, cephalosporin antibiotics.
Cefadroxil is a first-generation cephalosporin. Already 1,5 hours after its introduction into the body, the maximum concentration of the main active substance is observed, which is its undoubted advantage. It is enough to take the drug for the treatment of tonsillitis 1 time per day at a dosage of 1-2 g, which depends on the severity of the course of the disease. The course of treatment can be 10-12 days.
Another advantage of Cefadroxil is that it is able to destroy bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics from the penicillin group.
As for the disadvantages of cephalosporins, they include:
The presence of side effects that occur quite often are insomnia, rash, vaginal candidiasis, dizziness, colitis, tremor and cramps of the limbs;
The high price of drugs. For example, to undergo a ten-day course of treatment, the patient will have to pay about 1000 rubles;
The drugs should not be combined with aminoglycosides and polymyxin-b, as this will lead to disruption of the kidneys;
Cephalosporins should not be used to treat tonsillitis in pregnant and lactating women.
A similar drug from the group of first-generation cephalosporins is Cefalexin. It is prescribed for the treatment of chronic and acute tonsillitis. The therapeutic course is 7 days, you need to take the drug every 6 hours for 1-4 g. The doctor selects a more accurate dosage.
Before prescribing first-generation cephalosporins, it is necessary to make sure that the patient is not allergic to them, since it is the use of these drugs that is associated with a high risk of allergic rashes.
Antibiotics for the treatment of tonsillitis in children
Tonsillitis is a disease that is often diagnosed in childhood. Moreover, those children who attend preschool educational institutions are most vulnerable to infection, but such a diagnosis is not uncommon among schoolchildren.
Inflammation of the tonsils provokes a sore throat in a child, causes an increase in body temperature, and makes regional lymph nodes painful. Naturally, the disease cannot be ignored.
Most often, children are diagnosed with bacterial tonsillitis, which requires the appointment of antibacterial drugs. Children may be shown taking drugs from the group of penicillins, macrolides or cephalosporins. This will be able to determine the pediatrician, self-medication is unacceptable!
Oxacillin for the treatment of tonsillitis in a child
Oxacillin is a penicillin antibiotic. It causes the dissolution of bacterial cells and their death. The drug begins to act very quickly, already 30 minutes after its administration, the maximum concentration of the main active substance is observed in the blood. The dosage is selected by the doctor, the drug is taken every 4-6 hours. The average dose of the drug for 1 time is 0,25-0,5 g, depending on the severity of the course of the disease. In severe infections, it is possible to increase the daily dose to 6 g.
Oxacillin is prescribed for children in the following dosage:
Newborns – 90-150 mg / kg / day.
Up to 3 months – 200 mg / kg / day.
Up to 2 years – 1 g / kg / day.
From 2 to 6 years – 2 g / kg / day.
The course of treatment of tonsillitis lasts 7-10 days.
Oxacillin has all the advantages and disadvantages of penicillin drugs. It is detrimental to bacteria that produce penicillinase, but has little effect on almost all gram-negative bacteria.
The drug is available not only in the form of injections, but also in the form of tablets. Oxacillin can be used in combination with Ampicillin, which expands the spectrum of antibacterial activity.
The disadvantages of the drug include the fact that it can cause side effects, among which the most common are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, oral candidiasis, enterocolitis, vaginal candidiasis. It is also possible to develop an allergic reaction in the form of urticaria and skin itching.
Tonsillitis in childhood is always associated with high body temperature and sore throat. To alleviate the condition of the child, in addition to antibiotic therapy, it is necessary to carry out symptomatic treatment. With a sore throat, the drug Tantum Verde copes well. It can be used as a spray or in the form of lozenges. During the acute stage of tonsillitis, Tantum Verde is injected into the throat every 2 hours.
Macrolides
Erythromycin is the macrolide drug of choice. It is effective for treating streptococcal and staphylococcal tonsillitis, but does not have a detrimental effect on some other common bacteria. Therefore, before starting treatment, it is necessary to clarify the type of pathogen.
Erythromycin is prescribed for children who are allergic to antibiotics of the penicillin group. In a combination of Erythromycin with sulfonamides, its action will be enhanced. A single dose for children is 0,25 g. The drug should be taken every 4 hours, 40-60 minutes before meals. If the child is less than 7 years old, then the dose is calculated based on the formula 20 mg / kg.
Taking Erythromycin is associated with the development of side effects, among which nausea and diarrhea are most common. It is indigestion that is the main side effect of taking macrolides in general and Erythromycin in particular. The main active ingredient is detrimental not only to pathogenic flora, but also to beneficial bacteria that live in the intestines.
It is worth noting such a disadvantage of Erythromycin as its high cost compared to penicillin drugs.
Erythromycin is also prescribed in the case when the patient has bacterial resistance to penicillin drugs. The effect of taking Erythromycin is quite high, so the therapeutic course lasts no more than 7 days.