Antibiotics For Strep Throat (Z-Pak) | HealthInfi

One of the most effective antibiotics used for oral therapy of strep throat (pharyngitis) is Zithromax. The duration of Zithromax use for the treatment of strep throat is 5 days.

Zithromax is sold at the U.S. pharmacies in packs of different sizes. Patients with strep throat do not necessarily buy large plastic bottles with 30 Zithromax tablets. At the U.S. market, you can find Z-Pak containing just six Zithromax tablets. One Z-Pak (six Zithromax 250mg tabs) is sufficient for a course of antibacterial therapy of strep throat in adults.

Zithromax antibiotic can be used to treat strep throat in children of 2 years and older. However, children with strep throat are advised to take oral Zithromax suspension, rather than oral tablets. The daily dose of Zithromax suspension depends on a child’s weight and thus, it should not exceed 12mg per kg of a child’s body weight.

Oral Zithromax suspension can be replaced with oral Zithromax 250mg tablets (Z-Pak) for children and adolescents with body mass over 40 kg.

If the doctor prescribed Z-Pak for strep throat:

• At once two Zithromax 250mg tablets should be taken in the first day of antimicrobial therapy
• A Zithromax 250mg tablet should be taken in the next four days

Often, Z-Pak is prescribed when other antibiotics for strep throat are ineffective. Many patients diagnosed with strep throat are prescribed with Penicillin as «drug of choice.

Advantage of Penicillin-containing antibiotics for strep throat is that they less often cause side effects and cheaper than oral Zithromax 250mg tablets (Z-Pak).

Results of comparative clinical study of two antibiotics for strep throat have shown that Zithromax causes gastrointestinal side effects in 18% of patients, but Penicillin – only in 13%. The most common side effects of Penicillin and Zithromax antibiotics for strep throat are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain.

Penicillin disadvantage is that it is less effective than Zithromax, as well as it should be used intramuscularly for the treatment of strep throat. Because of the necessity of intramuscular administration of Penicillin, the possibility of using this antibiotic for strep throat at home is significantly limited.

A vast majority of patients with strep throat are not able to make by themselves intramuscular injections of antibiotics. Thus, besides purchase of cheap injectable antibiotics for strep throat, they will need to pay a doctor or nurse for the services. While treating strep throat, Penicillin antibiotic should be used three times a day within 10 days. Thus, low price of this antibiotic for strep throat cannot compensate the costs of 30 procedures of intramuscular administration of Penicillin.Read More