Dealing with Strep Pneumoniae?

So, I was reading somewhere that when you're dealing with strep, the treatment is supposed to last at least 10 days, right? And now I'm just sitting here totally spiraling because my three-year-old was prescribed Amoxil but they only finished "just" seven days of it... Is that actually enough???? 😕

feralorca2 said:I read somewhere that strep throat treatment needs to last at least 10 days, so I'm freaking out because my three-year-old was only given Amoxil for "just" seven days. Is that actually enough???? 😕

Of course it is. Seriously, stop believing everything you stumble upon online. I've treated my own kids—and even myself and other patients, too—for five days max, and look, everyone's still kicking and perfectly fine.

feralorca2 said:I read somewhere that strep treatment is supposed to last at least 10 days, so I'm a bit confused because my three-year-old was prescribed Amoxil for "only" seven days. Is that actually enough? 😕

First off, Amoxil is pretty much the cheapest go-to option doctors throw at you—I know this from firsthand experience with my own son. His pediatrician started him on Amoxil and it didn't work, then he got sick again, so they gave him some other mediocre med, and it just kept going like that until the third attempt when they tried Erythromycin, and even that didn't cut it because the infection had already taken hold and my little guy ended up with pneumonia. He spent 8 days in the hospital. Honestly, I went to his doctor, let her have it, grabbed his medical records, and moved him to a new pediatrician, and now we're finally happy. I mean, couldn't that doctor have just started with Erythromycin in the first place instead of wasting time on two other useless drugs? My son ended up with pneumonia he shouldn't have even gotten; it’s honestly embarrassing how our healthcare system operates sometimes.👎

ps. if you want to actually kill strep, you need the full 10 days of antibiotics; anything less isn't a real treatment. I know this from firsthand experience because back when I was a teenager, I was constantly battling strep and then staph infections—I basically became an expert on the subject just by surviving it. It was a nightmare because in my small hometown, the local doctors couldn't figure out what was actually wrong with me. I ended up being treated for all sorts of random ailments before some specialists at the Mayo Clinic finally got to the bottom of it and sorted me out. The strep stayed in my system for so long that it caused serious damage; there was a point where I couldn't even walk and my dad had to carry me around, which was honestly terrifying. That's why you have to completely eradicate the infection. If you don't fully clear strep or staph, you're looking at massive complications with your heart, kidneys, or joints. In my case, it wrecked my joints to the point where I lost mobility, and even now, whenever the weather shifts here in Florida, I can feel it in my bones. If you're curious about anything else, just ask.

driftingangler27, what you’re describing sounds more like rheumatic fever resulting from a prior Group A strep infection rather than Streptococcus pneumoniae. Isn't it obvious?

They also prescribe Erythromycin for that diagnosis... usually just for those folks with penicillin allergies.

It looks like it’s been a while since anyone posted anything here, but I have a question...
So, here’s the situation:
I have an autoimmune condition called IgA nephropathy, specifically a form of glomerulonephritis (kidney disease). My treatment plan includes Medrol 32mg (a corticosteroid/immunosuppressant).
Because of that medication, my immune system is pretty much compromised—it's significantly weakened. About a month ago, I underwent pulse therapy (high-dose IV Medrol), and I had to get some tests done: nasal, throat, and urine cultures. The urine came back sterile and the throat swab was fine, but my nasal swab showed *Streptococcus pneumoniae*.
I won't get the official results back until Monday, at which point I can take them to my primary care physician, but I was wondering how dangerous that specific bacterium might be in my case, given how suppressed my immunity is right now?

I’m honestly at a loss for who else to ask, so I figured I’d try my luck here. My three-year-old picked up *Streptococcus pneumoniae* at daycare. It actually spread to his eye, too. We cleared the infection in his eye, but now he's still carrying two different bacteria in his nose. Our pediatrician is insisting there's no reason to treat them, arguing that we’re all just carriers of various bacteria anyway, so he won't prescribe an antibiotic. Even though the eye infection is gone, his eyes are still swollen, which I assume is because of those two lingering in his nose. What should I do? Should I push harder for antibiotics, or am I expected to just keep applying Maxitrol to his eyes forever while letting those bacteria live in his nose indefinitely? No one seems to be giving me a straight answer.

goldenmarlin12 said:I’m honestly at a loss for who else to ask, so I figured I’d try my luck here. My three-year-old picked up *Streptococcus pneumoniae* at daycare. It actually spread to his eye, too. We cleared the infection in his eye, but now he's still carrying two different bacteria in his nose. Our pediatrician is insisting there's no reason to treat them, arguing that we’re all just carriers of various bacteria anyway, so he won't prescribe an antibiotic. Even though the eye infection is gone, his eyes are still swollen, which I assume is because of those two lingering in his nose. What should I do? Should I push harder for antibiotics, or am I expected to just keep applying Maxitrol to his eyes forever while letting those bacteria live in his nose indefinitely? No one seems to be giving me a straight answer.

A foolish doctor told us the exact same thing once—then the specialist nearly lost it when he heard her take, telling me to demand Azithromycin syrup for the little guy instead. Treatment lasted only three days. After that, both boys had clean results.
The real issue with why they won't prescribe Azithromycin is that it's their most expensive option—but as a parent, I reacted quite strongly. She didn't get a chance to lecture me on the state of the healthcare system because I told her that if she applied those same standards to herself and her own kids, maybe things would be different. I made it clear that no one is going to skimp on my child, and if she said one more word, I'd file a formal complaint.

Bottom line: insist. The kids remain carriers, which means they continue to spread the bacteria... you'll just end up going in circles forever otherwise.

Just so you know, because I actually trusted her, my boys were constantly sick, congested, and fighting infections from October through May... all thanks to her stubbornness and cutting corners on patients.😠

Yeah, I’ve already been back to our clinic five times, but she just won't budge. To make matters worse, our private doctor actually prescribed Sumamed, yet she insisted on giving him Cefixime instead. It helped him out, sure, and he’s doing fine now, but he still needs that follow-up therapy. She refuses to provide it and keeps trying to refer us to a specialist in Chicago. Honestly, it looks like that’s what’s going to happen, but I think I might have to make a bit of a scene just to get her to actually listen. Thanks for the advice.