|
Study: Antibiotics often wrong treatment for sore throat
March 7, 1997
Web posted at: 6:15 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Al Hinman
ATLANTA (CNN) -- Spring is around the corner with its promise of warmth, sun and respite from the cold season and sore throats.
Unfortunately, a new season doesn't mean an automatic end to colds, and people will still be seeking cold relief for months to come.
Will you be one of them? If you go to your doctor for help, what you ask for can make a difference.
Nina Matthews, for example, has been fighting a sore throat and clogged sinuses for about two weeks. "Probably a couple of weeks ago I started taking some of the antibiotics I had left, and the fever went away," she told her doctor.
But according to the latest research, published in this week's British Medical Journal, antibiotics have -- at best -- a marginal effect on how quickly a sore throat disappears.
The only exception: severe cases, such as a strep infection.
"If it's a strep bacterial infection, you treat them with antibiotics," said Dr. Samuel Mickelson, an otolaryngologist. "If not, you take Tylenol, (get) bed rest and wait!"
No cure-all
Mickelson admits that some people will demand antibiotics, but he points out that for some sore throats, antibiotics won't do anything.
"I think people should recognize that a doctor cannot necessarily make them better immediately," he said.
In cases where antibiotics are effective, they must be used correctly. That means take them all, for the full, prescribed time, so that you kill every last one of those nasty bacteria.
Otherwise, the bacteria causing your miserable sore throat can develop a resistance to the antibiotic and return in full force. Then you'll have to switch to another type of antibiotic to hopefully knock them out.
Antibiotic resistance has become such a serious problem worldwide that doctors are being urged to use antibiotics only when they have to.
The latest research on sore throats simply confirms that. So unless your sore throat is really severe and accompanied by a fever, doctors agree the best prescription may be to call in sick from work, stay home and sleep it off.
Related story:
- Flu season gets early, harsh start - December 16, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Strep Throat Fact Sheet
- MedicineNet - Strept Throat
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Colds and Flu
- Infomation on Flu
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.