Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Family Medicine (Expert Forum)
Levaquin prescribed for strep throat?
Answered by
Kevin Pho, MD - Internal Medicine
KevinMD.com
Questions in the Family Medicine forum are answered by Dr. J.M. Keyes. Topics covered include general health issues, adolescence, babies, child health, eating disorders, fitness, immunizations and vaccines, infectious diseases, medical tests and procedures, and senior health.
Levaquin prescribed for strep throat?
by hah21sb, Jan 10, 2007 12:00AM
I went to the doctor yesterday suspecting that I had strep...he did a culture which needs to be sent out but he did feel it was indeed strep.
I am allergic to pcn so he prescribed Levaquin which is not indicated for strep, will this work?
I did speak with him this morning and he assured me that while it it not usually the first choice for strep it would in fact work.
I am still not convinced, I don't like to take antiobiotics in the first place so to be taking one they may not be affective is making me concerned.
What is your opinion? Should I insist he give me something else?
Thanks,
H
I am allergic to pcn so he prescribed Levaquin which is not indicated for strep, will this work?
I did speak with him this morning and he assured me that while it it not usually the first choice for strep it would in fact work.
I am still not convinced, I don't like to take antiobiotics in the first place so to be taking one they may not be affective is making me concerned.
What is your opinion? Should I insist he give me something else?
Thanks,
H
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Pho, MD, Jan 11, 2007 12:00AM
, Jan 11, 2007 12:00AM
Levaquin is overkill for strep throat (akin to using a nuclear bomb to kill a fly), but it should work for strep.
The recommended second choice for strep throat would be erythromycin or another antibiotic from the macrolide family.
This can be discussed with your personal physician.
Followup with your personal physician is essential.
This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.
Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_
The recommended second choice for strep throat would be erythromycin or another antibiotic from the macrolide family.
This can be discussed with your personal physician.
Followup with your personal physician is essential.
This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.
Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_
Member Comments (3)
by Cletus_VanDamm, Jan 10, 2007 12:00AM
I have taken it for strep and it cleared it right up. Thats what they go to medical school for.If your not 100% positive that you have strep, than just wait for your results to come back first!
by caregiver222, Feb 27, 2007 12:00AM
Yup. Levaquin is overkill. The drug has many serious side effects. Get the PDR and read about them. It is a niche drug that shoild be reserved for special cases.
by CaliforniaNurse, Mar 06, 2007 12:00AM
Levaquin in some cases may be overkill. However, there are new strains of strep that are resistant to more traditional antibiotics such as amoxicillin. I recently had strep and took a high dose of Amoxicillin for over 48 hours and only got worse. By the time my doctor put me on Levaquin, I had a very bad case of strep. My doctor started me on 500 mg and had to increase it to 750 because I wasn't responding as well as I should have.
