Alternative to antiobiotics for Strep?! (infection)
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Went to get treated for cough related illness because I figured I had a bad viral infection.
Was tested for Strep A via rapid test because I previously had a sore throat.
Rapid Test for Strep A came back positive and was told that I have Strep A. I used to carry Strep G.
Dr. ordered a culture. Dr. Told me I need antiobiotics although very reluctant to take them because of IBS- D and dont want to take anything that could make it worse.
Again, todays main symptom is cough and chest congestion with mild nasal congestion. The cough is productive.
I dont even have a fever or a sore throat but I have Strep A? The doctor wasnt emphatic about my reluctance and concern for antibiotics, but I did take a loading dose of 500mg of Zithromax a few hours ago.
Went to get treated for cough related illness because I figured I had a bad viral infection.
Was tested for Strep A via rapid test because I previously had a sore throat.
Rapid Test for Strep A came back positive and was told that I have Strep A. I used to carry Strep G.
Dr. ordered a culture. Dr. Told me I need antiobiotics although very reluctant to take them because of IBS- D and dont want to take anything that could make it worse.
Again, todays main symptom is cough and chest congestion with mild nasal congestion. The cough is productive.
I dont even have a fever or a sore throat but I have Strep A? The doctor wasnt emphatic about my reluctance and concern for antibiotics, but I did take a loading dose of 500mg of Zithromax a few hours ago.
Any idea what could be going on? Thank you
I say get back TO us after 72 hours of "Antiviral Meds" ( Zithromax) and question THEN ?? and wonder about it!! All your symptoms deem it Viral not to be treated as Bacterial.. Many Viral infections are symptomatically violent..incapacitating .. depending on your age group and ability to rebound depends on your underlying HEATH ISSUES!!
BTW~~ Your lack of Fever jumps out to Healthcare provider !! Quoted from YOU~~ I dont even have a fever Strep A results I would question because your symptoms do NOT mirror this result! I'd question the lab for sure!!
I'm a Career profession who dealt with stuff for over 4 decades KNOW all about it! At least your physician recognized the possible ERROR's by the lab. That's not to say, IF you do not follow directions of Zithromax.. You won't develop Bacterial infections!! It's called "Rule out" .. but if your symptoms worsen.. BY all means followup! Antibiotics use can and will affects future responses that curtails treatments when you actually may need them!!
I'm all for questioning things like this.. But at least give initial treatment a chance!! 72 hours could make things better .. or you can followup IF NOT!! !!
BTW~~ Was this physician your regular DR.. or some Dr. (Walk-in-Clinic), who only worked by your antidotal history? BTW~~ IBS indicates your already have a "Hyper-immune system" which often means symptoms can be initially experienced. Look it up
What is Overactive Immune System: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
Reviewed By: Pramod Kerkar, MD, FFARCSI
Overactive immune system is a condition when your immune system starts killing cells and tissues inside your body. While effective immune system is necessary to ensure good health, overactive immune system is a threat in itself. Our immune system is like a line of defense that keeps our body protected against any harmful viruses and bacteria. However, there are times when our immune system can go awry and start attacking our own body tissues and cells. This can result in various other diseases and allergies. This condition when our immune system starts malfunctioning is known as overactive immune system.
Thank you for the fast response. I went to the emergency room as nobody’s open today on the weekends. The first strep test that was rapid came back with a very very faint slight positive so I had them test it again. The second rapid came back after 25 minutes to be more or less fully positive with a clearer definition of line as opposed to the first test only having a very slight faint line that you had to look at a certain angle to see
The ER doctor knows me well as I present to the ER often with IBS. Its usually after eating very fatty foods is what causes my IBS D. The doctor suggested I take a probiotic.
Like I said my main concern right now is my chest congestion and cough which is productive. Could also be that I have strep a and a virus at the same time? Again no fever no bodyaches.
Hey , as a single father I have to find cheap ways to cure everything I am supper daddy , haha . In the beginning of the year I found myself asking a similar question to yours. How can I cure strep without going to the doctors. And I found this one video on youtube that really helped me A LOT. Honestly there are many ways to cure Strep.
Here’s the link that helped me.
[url]https://dausel.co/zKdeZv[/url]
Click on that link above and once you land on the page, click where it says “I am not a robot” and you will be redirected to the youtube video that shows and has helped my kids with strep as well as myself since I caught it from them in the process.
You don't treat Strep with antibiotics to shorten the course of the infection (it doesn't). You treat Step with antibiotics to reduce the risk of immune-mediated Rheumatic Fever, rheumatic heart or kidney disease as a later complication.
Avoid main stream medical advice at your own risk, if you think you know better.
Thank you for the fast response. I went to the emergency room as nobody’s open today on the weekends. The first strep test that was rapid came back with a very very faint slight positive so I had them test it again. The second rapid came back after 25 minutes to be more or less fully positive with a clearer definition of line as opposed to the first test only having a very slight faint line that you had to look at a certain angle to see
The ER doctor knows me well as I present to the ER often with IBS. Its usually after eating very fatty foods is what causes my IBS D. The doctor suggested I take a probiotic.
Like I said my main concern right now is my chest congestion and cough which is productive. Could also be that I have strep a and a virus at the same time? Again no fever no bodyaches.
The brand of the rapid strep was Quickvue.
It's possible you might have both a viral infection and strep, or you might be a carrier of Strep A.
As for the "quickie strep" testing, that's a test for the presence of the strep Group A antigen-if it's positive it indicates the presence of the bacteria in the sample. The touted advantages of this test are that it may detect the presence of the bacteria in numbers too small to be picked up on culture, and results are available in minutes where cultures require an overnight incubation period.
Thing is, the directions in the Strep A antigen test must be followed explicitly for the results to be valid. For direct antigen testing using the method used in the quicky strep tests, the test results (such as red line indicating a positive result, PLUS a second red line for the "control", which must be present to indicate that the test was done properly, the reagents used were ok, etc) must be interpreted according to the instructions in the kit's package insert. A questionable result (such as a faint, indeterminate line, or smearing of that line) may indicate something wrong with the test kit (possibly expired)operator error, or possibly a weak reaction from low amounts of the antigen.
The other issue you mention is the matter of time limits in which any test result can be read. All direct antigen testing has instructions stating that test results must be read within a time limit (usually around 2-4 minutes) after which any observed results are not valid. Positive test results will generally come up well within that time limit, but the instructions state to hold the test for that time limit to ensure the validity of negative results. The instructions state to disregard any color changes, or other observations occurring after that time limit.
So the "more or less positive line"appearing on your strep test result after 25 minutes cannot be considered a valid result.
The hard to read positive result occurring within the time limit might well be given the benefit of the doubt by the physician, who wouldn't want to miss a case of strep throat, and they'd likely have given you the antibiotics kind of on a "just in case"basis. If they/you were concerned about strep, and the results were questionable, a culture to confirm the presence of the bacteria in your throat would be the thing to do.
They will often prescribe a Z pack (Zithromax) for bronchitis and chest infections in any case, even if they're likely viral in origin, and you mentioned in another post they prescribed that for you during your visit to the urgent care (??). Perhaps that will cover your chest congestion and productive cough if that isn't getting better-I'd contact them back with your new symptoms and run this by them.
It's possible you might have both a viral infection and strep, or you might be a carrier of Strep A.
As for the "quickie strep" testing, that's a test for the presence of the strep Group A antigen-if it's positive it indicates the presence of the bacteria in the sample. The touted advantages of this test are that it may detect the presence of the bacteria in numbers too small to be picked up on culture, and results are available in minutes where cultures require an overnight incubation period.
Thing is, the directions in the Strep A antigen test must be followed explicitly for the results to be valid. For direct antigen testing using the method used in the quicky strep tests, the test results (such as red line indicating a positive result, PLUS a second red line for the "control", which must be present to indicate that the test was done properly, the reagents used were ok, etc) must be interpreted according to the instructions in the kit's package insert. A questionable result (such as a faint, indeterminate line, or smearing of that line) may indicate something wrong with the test kit (possibly expired)operator error, or possibly a weak reaction from low amounts of the antigen.
The other issue you mention is the matter of time limits in which any test result can be read. All direct antigen testing has instructions stating that test results must be read within a time limit (usually around 2-4 minutes) after which any observed results are not valid. Positive test results will generally come up well within that time limit, but the instructions state to hold the test for that time limit to ensure the validity of negative results. The instructions state to disregard any color changes, or other observations occurring after that time limit.
So the "more or less positive line"appearing on your strep test result after 25 minutes cannot be considered a valid result.
The hard to read positive result occurring within the time limit might well be given the benefit of the doubt by the physician, who wouldn't want to miss a case of strep throat, and they'd likely have given you the antibiotics kind of on a "just in case"basis. If they/you were concerned about strep, and the results were questionable, a culture to confirm the presence of the bacteria in your throat would be the thing to do.
They will often prescribe a Z pack (Zithromax) for bronchitis and chest infections in any case, even if they're likely viral in origin, and you mentioned in another post they prescribed that for you during your visit to the urgent care (??). Perhaps that will cover your chest congestion and productive cough if that isn't getting better-I'd contact them back with your new symptoms and run this by them.
Thank you so much for this well written response. This was at the local emergency room. During the 2nd rapid test, I looked at the test result window which showed a line for control but not one for the positive line. Then about 15 minutes later a purple squiggle showed up not even close to where the positve line would have been.
Then about 10 minutes after thats when the positive line appeared. The doctor then came in and said “well looks like its indeed strep!”
So I am going to follow up with my PCP tomorrow. My chest has gotten better and I have barely any nasal congestion. Just feeling tired and weak frim lack of food, stress and sleep. I did take my second bdose of z pack a little while ago. As stated before I was a carrier for strep G which is an odd one nonetheless.
I had a chest xray done too and came back negative for pneumonia and for bronchitis. The dr and nurse both listened to my lungs and said I wasnt wheezing and didnt sound too congested. They gave me steam to inhale and it helped alot. I despise taking antibiotics if I dont have to n
My throat culture came back negative, so I guess the rapid test was inaccurate!!!! What a joke
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