Online Tonsillitis Treatment
Tonsillitis can make eating, drinking, and even swallowing painful, and it is hard to know whether it will go away on its own or needs antibiotics. With Your Doctors Online (YDO), you can talk to a licensed online doctor from home 24/7, who can review your symptoms, let you know if you need a strep test, and send antibiotics to the pharmacy you choose when it is medically appropriate.
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Hi Dr. Nicole, I have swelling of tonsils and sore throat. Can you help me?
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What are the treatment options for tonsillitis?
Treatment for tonsillitis depends on what is causing it. Tonsillitis is usually caused by a virus, and it often gets better on its own. Tonsillitis caused by strep bacteria needs antibiotics.
Here is what your treatment may include:
- Antibiotics: Used when a test shows you have strep. Antibiotics will not help if a virus is causing your sore throat.
- Pain and fever relief: Over-the-counter medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can reduce pain and fever.
- Home care: Rest, fluids, and cold or warm drinks can help you feel better while you recover.
- Abscess treatment: A pocket of pus near the tonsil needs to be drained, which is done in person.
- Tonsil removal (tonsillectomy): Surgery may be considered if throat infections happen often or large tonsils block breathing during sleep.
A doctor can review your symptoms online, let you know if you need a strep test, and send an online prescription to the pharmacy you choose when medically appropriate.
When do you need antibiotics for tonsillitis?
You need antibiotics for tonsillitis when it is caused by bacteria, most often group A strep. Because a virus and strep bacteria can cause similar symptoms, a strep test is needed to confirm it.
Antibiotics may be needed when:
- Your strep test is positive: Anyone with a positive rapid strep test or throat culture needs antibiotics.
- You have no signs of a cold: A cough, a runny nose, or a hoarse voice usually points to a virus. Without them, a sudden sore throat with a fever and swollen tonsils is more likely to be strep and should be tested.
When antibiotics are needed, penicillin or amoxicillin is the first choice. These are usually taken for 10 days, even if you feel better sooner. If you are allergic to penicillin, a doctor may prescribe another antibiotic, such as cephalexin, clindamycin, or azithromycin.
If you need tonsillitis treatment with antibiotics, you can consult a doctor online and receive an online antibiotics prescription when medically appropriate.
These are some of the antibiotics our doctors may prescribe for tonsillitis:
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What is tonsillitis and what causes it?
Tonsillitis is inflammation (swelling) of the tonsils, the two lumps of tissue at the back of your throat. Your tonsils trap germs coming in through the mouth and nose, and sometimes they become infected themselves.
Here is what can cause it:
- Viruses: The most common cause of tonsillitis is a virus, such as the viruses that cause colds or flu.
- Strep bacteria: Group A strep, the bacteria behind strep throat, is the most common bacterial cause.
- Mono: This viral infection can cause swollen tonsils with a whitish-yellow covering, along with tiredness and swollen glands.
Tonsillitis is most common in children over age two and less common in adults. Tonsillitis itself is not contagious, but the viruses and bacteria that cause it are contagious.
What are the symptoms of tonsillitis?
Tonsillitis usually starts with a sore throat. Here are common symptoms:
- A sore throat, which may be severe
- Red, swollen tonsils
- A white or yellow coating on the tonsils
- Pain or trouble swallowing
- Fever
- Swollen glands in the neck
- Bad breath
- Ear pain, headache, and tenderness of the jaw and throat
Young children may not be able to tell you their throat hurts, so watch for excessive drooling or problems eating or drinking.
Get medical care in person right away if you have trouble breathing, start drooling, or have a lot of trouble swallowing. Severe throat pain on one side, a muffled voice, or difficulty opening the mouth can be signs of an abscess.
How do you treat tonsillitis at home?
Tonsillitis treatment at home can ease the pain while you recover, whether the cause is a virus or bacteria. If a doctor prescribes antibiotics, keep taking them while you use these tips:
- Drink plenty of fluids: Warm (not hot), bland fluids or cold drinks can soothe your throat.
- Try something cold: Ice chips and popsicles can ease the soreness.
- Gargle with salt water: Gargling with warm salt water can help your throat feel better.
- Suck on lozenges: These can ease throat pain, but do not give lozenges to children younger than 4 years.
- Use a humidifier: A clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer adds moisture to the air.
- Take a pain reliever: Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can ease pain and fever. For babies younger than 6 months, only give acetaminophen, and never give aspirin to children.
- Rest: Getting a lot of rest helps your body fight the infection.
Talk to a doctor if your sore throat lasts more than two days, or if your symptoms get worse instead of better.
FAQs About Tonsillitis
Can virtual doctors treat tonsillitis?
Yes. With Your Doctors Online, a doctor can review your symptoms online, tell you whether your tonsillitis may be caused by strep, and give you a lab requisition for a strep test when you need one. Because symptoms alone cannot confirm strep, antibiotics can be sent to the pharmacy you choose when a test shows strep. You can also get a doctor’s note for work or school.
How to cure tonsillitis in 4 hours?
You cannot cure tonsillitis in 4 hours. Viral tonsillitis needs time to clear, and with antibiotics, tonsillitis symptoms due to strep will often get better within 2 or 3 days. To ease the pain within a few hours, you can take acetaminophen or ibuprofen, gargle with warm salt water, and have cold drinks or ice pops.
How to get rid of white spots on the tonsils?
White spots on the tonsils are treated based on what is causing them. White patches or streaks of pus on the tonsils are common with strep throat, which is treated with antibiotics after a positive test. They can also appear with viral tonsillitis and mono, which do not need antibiotics. Taking amoxicillin when you have mono can cause a pink, measles-like rash, so it is best to find the cause before starting any treatment.
Why do I keep getting a sore throat that comes and goes?
A sore throat that keeps coming back can be caused by repeated infections, allergies, smoking, or secondhand smoke. If you keep getting tonsillitis, a doctor can check whether strep is the cause, and frequent infections may be a reason to remove the tonsils. Talk to a doctor if your sore throats keep returning.
What happens if tonsillitis is not treated?
Viral tonsillitis usually gets better on its own. Tonsillitis caused by strep can lead to complications if it is not treated, such as abscesses around the tonsils, ear infections, sinus infections, a kidney disease, or rheumatic fever. Treating strep with antibiotics decreases the development of complications.
When should someone seek medical attention for tonsillitis?
Talk to a doctor if your sore throat lasts more than two days, swallowing is painful, or you feel very sick or very weak. A fever of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher is also a reason to get checked. Get medical care in person right away if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, or if a young child starts drooling.
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