Steaming cup of lemon tea, thermometer reading 98.9°F, tissues, and medicine on bedside table

What Is a Viral Upper Respiratory Infection (URI)?

On March 5, 2012August 28, 2026 By Dr. Scott RennieIn Ear/Nose/Throat, Infectious Disease, Other Diseases and ConditionsLeave a comment

The common cold is a group of symptoms that are caused by one of a large number of viruses. Most viruses only cause the patient to be sick once, but because of the large number of viruses, a person can have a cold multiple times throughout a lifetime. The average adult experiences 3-4 upper respiratory infections per year, while children experience 8-12 colds/year. Transmission: Spread of the infection is from person-to-person, but can also be transmitted by an infected person touching a surface and leaving some virus particles and then an un-infected person touching the contaminated surface. Direct contact is the most frequent way the virus is spread. Most commonly the virus is on the infected persons hands. If a sick person shakes another persons hand and that un-infected person touches their eye, nose or mouth, they can get infected. Inhaling viral particles is another way cold viruses are spread. They can be breathed, coughed or sneezed into the air by a sick person and the virus can be transmitted to another person if they are standing nearby (within a few feet) and the droplets touch the unsick persons eye, nose or mouth. Covering the mouth while coughing reduces the risk of transmission. Symptoms: Possible symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, low grade fever and cough. Usually symptoms last from 3-10 days, but sometimes last longer. Most of the time a cold does not cause a serious illness, however if the virus depress the immune system enough, a secondary bacterial infection such as a sinus infection, ear infection, or pneumonia can result. We usually don’t treat for these kind of infections until the patient has not had resolution for 10-14 days because the infection is likely viral. Influenza virus: Symptoms can be similar to a common cold, but are usually more severe and can include high fever (above 102 degrees), body aches, headaches, etc. The influenza virus is more serious and has even caused death in elderly and young people. Treatment: Most treatments are aimed at relieving the symptoms, but they do not shorten the course of the illness. The body has a series of defenses and fights off the virus over the course of a few days to two weeks. Runny nose/congestion: 1) Benadryl or other antihistamines can be helpful for the nasal drainage 2) Nasal sprays may also be helpful for the nasal congestion 3) Afrin is often helpful but can cause rebound congestion if used more than 3 days in a row. Sore throat: 1) Tylenol, ibuprofen or aleve may be helpful for sore throat pain 2) One dose of oral Dexamethasone has been shown to reduce throat swelling and pain. 3) Tessalon is a medicine that numbs the back of the throat and can reduce the pain Cough: This is controversial because cough is the body’s natural mechanism for ridding the airways in the lungs of mucus. It can be miserable however, so we do treat it in some people. (be aware that cough is very difficult to treat) 1) Humidifying the air is helpful to increase the bodies ability to express the mucus from the airways. Therefore I recommend a steamer in the sick person’s house/room. 2) Robitussin(guaifenesin) or dextromethorphan may be helpful 3) Some people find that codeine cough syrup helps suppress cough Using antibiotics to treat a cold: Antibiotics should NOT be used to treat a common cold because they do not work for viruses. The possible consequences of using antibiotics for a virus include: 1) Allergic reaction to the antibiotic 2) Side effect of the antibiotic such as nausea, heartburn, headache, or diarrhea 3) Allergic reaction to antibiotic such as hives, swelling of the lips or rash 4) Antibiotic resistance – the bacteria that are present within the patients body may become resistant to the antibiotics that are being used and thereby increase the chances in the future a bacterial infection caused by these bacteria might not be susceptible to antibiotics. In fact, there are bacteria in our community now that we have no way to treat. They are resistant to every antibiotic that we have. The “super” bacteria are created by overuse of antibiotics or stopping an antibiotic too early in a person who does have a bacterial infection. I hope that you have found this information useful. Wishing you the best of health,

Scott Rennie, D.O.
Board Certified in Obesity Medicine and Family Medicine

This blog is for educational purposes only and does not constitute individual medical advice. Always consult your own physician before making changes to your health, medications, or treatment plan.

Amber medicine bottle, oral dosing syringe and measuring cup on a kitchen counter

FDA Says Cold Medicines Are Too Risky for Young Kids

On February 25, 2012August 25, 2026 By Dr. Scott RennieIn Ear/Nose/Throat, Other Diseases and ConditionsLeave a comment

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer

Parents may be left with only love and lots of liquid to give their sniffling babies and toddlers now that the government is declaring over-the-counter cough and cold medicines too risky for tots. The Food and Drug Administration was issuing that warning Thursday to parents of children under 2. It’s a move expected for months: Drug companies last October quit selling dozens of versions of nonprescription cold remedies targeted specifically to babies and toddlers. That month, the FDA’s scientific advisers also voted that the drugs don’t work in small children and shouldn’t be used in preschoolers, either _ anyone under age 6. The FDA still hasn’t decided if OTC decongestants, antihistamines and cough suppressants are appropriate for older children, officials told The Associated Press. Expect a decision on that by spring, the deadline necessary to notify manufacturers before they begin production for next fall’s cold season. For now, FDA’s first official ruling focuses on youngsters under 2, warning that “serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur.” FDA is worried that parents haven’t gotten that message despite all the publicity last fall. They may still have infant-targeted drugs at home, or they may buy drugs meant for older children to give to tots instead, said Dr. Charles Ganley, FDA’s nonprescription drugs chief. “We still have a concern,” Ganley said. “It falls out of people’s consciousness. We’re still in the middle of cold season right now.” Ganley was particularly struck by recent surveys that suggest many parents don’t believe OTC remedies could pose a problem, especially if they’ve given them to an older child without harm. Thursday’s move is a good first step, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner. He petitioned the FDA last year to end use of nonprescription cold remedies by children under 6, a move backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The reason: There’s no evidence that these oral drugs actually ease cold symptoms in children so young _ some studies suggest they do no good at all. And while serious side effects are fairly rare, they do occur. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year reported that more than 1,500 babies and toddlers wound up in emergency rooms over a two-year period because of the drugs. “It’s one thing if you’re curing cancer, but we’re talking about a self-limiting illness,” said Sharfstein. “If there’s really no evidence of benefit, you don’t want to risk the rare problem. Then you’re left with tragedy that you can’t justify.” Specialists are back to recommending old-fashioned steps, such as plenty of fluids and rest, saline drops to loosen stuffy noses, and humidifiers while sleeping. Why is this an issue now? Child versions of cold remedies came on the market decades ago, when scientists thought that what worked in adults would automatically work in children. Scientists today know that is not always the case.

In fact, FDA never formally allowed infant-targeted cold remedies in the first place; Ganley said they evolved through a legal loophole.

But the FDA is investigating an even bigger question: Are OTC cold remedies safe and effective for children under 12? The agency’s advisers last fall called for no use just by the under-6 crowd, but did recommend more research to determine the medicines’ effects in children overall. The drug industry says these medicines are used 3.8 billion times a year in treating children’s cough and cold symptoms and are safe for those over 2. Health groups acknowledge that while low doses of cold medicine don’t usually endanger an individual child, the bigger risk is unintentional overdose. For example, the same ingredients are in multiple products, so using more than one for different symptoms can quickly add up. Also, children’s medicines are supposed to be measured with the dropper or measuring cap that comes with each product, not an inaccurate kitchen teaspoon. An internal FDA working group has a February deadline to recommend to agency leaders any action for 2- to 11-year-olds, Ganley said. The goal is a spring announcement. Meanwhile, the FDA’s advice for children over 2: _If you try these drugs, carefully follow label directions. _Avoid giving a child more than one product. If you do, make sure they don’t contain some of the same or similar ingredients. _Understand that these drugs only treat symptoms. Colds are viruses, and the drugs will not make them go away any faster.

Scott Rennie, D.O.
Board Certified in Obesity Medicine and Family Medicine

This blog is for educational purposes only and does not constitute individual medical advice. Always consult your own physician before making changes to your health, medications, or treatment plan.

3D anatomy of human ear with labels of outer, middle, and inner ear parts

What Is Otitis Media? Ear Infection Basics Explained

On February 23, 2012August 28, 2026 By Dr. Scott RennieIn Ear/Nose/Throat, Infectious Disease, Other Diseases and ConditionsLeave a comment

Ear infections, which are also known as otitis media are common problems that bring patients into the medical clinic. They affect children more than adults. In fact, about 50% of infants have at least one ear infection by their first birthday. Otitis media often causes fever, ear pain, irritability, temporary hearing loss, and sometimes loss of appetite. Ear infection: called otitis (otitis = ear, media = middle) by medical providers is an infection of the middle section of the ear. Patients often develop after an upper respiratory infection or common cold first. A viral URI can cause swelling in the nose, throat and Eustachian tube (tube that connects the middle ear to the throat and helps equalize the pressure when you go up on an airplane of over a mountain pass). When this happens, fluid may build up in the middle ear and bacteria or viruses can then infect that fluid and cause the ear infection. Increasing pressure can cause the eardrum to bulge (which we can see when we look in your ears) which leads to pain, ringing and sometimes difficulty hearing. Symptoms (not everyone has these): 1) Fever (usually temperature greater than 100.4 degrees F) 2) Pulling on the ear (children) 3) Fussiness or irritability 4) Decreased activity 5) Lack of appetite 6) Vomiting or diarrhea How do we know if there is an ear infection? We can see the ear drum on examination using the otoscope. The eardrum, when infection is present looks red, and often has a bulged look to it from the pressure of the infection in the middle ear. If there is no infection present, there is usually no redness. There can be pressure, however even if no infection is present if the Eustachian tube is swollen (this is called Eustachian tube dysfunction and can also be painful). Treatment: The treatment of ear infections can be different depending on which geographic region you are seen. In Europe, they might monitor the patient for 72 hours without the use of antibiotics. Often the symptoms will improve on their own with the use of anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or aleve along with rest, and sometimes ear drops for pain (if the patient is 2 years or older). In Europe, they treat without antibiotics first because ear infections are caused by a virus about 40-50% of the time and antibiotics will not cure a viral infection. In the United States, however there is a consensus that antibiotics are the initial therapy of choice for ear infections. There is, however an increasing trend to monitor the patient and only treat with antibiotics if the patient is not improving within 72 hours. Other reasons observation may be recommend are: 1) It is not clear whether the patient has an ear infection based on exam 2) The patient is older than 2 years old 3) The ear pain and fever are mild 4) The patient is otherwise healthy There is also an emergency of bacteria that are becoming resistant to the normal antibiotic dosage that we have used in the past, and therefore higher dosages have been recommended over the last few years. We usually recommend an ear drops to help with the pain as well as an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen. The choice of antibiotic is usually amoxicillin for 10 days, except in patients who are allergic, who were treated with antibiotics in the previous 30 days. Azithromycin or erythromycin can be used if the patient is allergic to amoxicillin, however resistance of the bacteria is common (approximately 25-35%). A single shot of ceftriaxone (50mg/kg) IM (max 1 gram/day) has been effective for treatment of ear infections in children who fail amoxicillin but there is controversy over how many doses to administer. A single dose has been approved for treatment of ear infections in the US. If ear tubes are present, we can consider topical ear drops such as ofloxacin or ciprofloxacin but oral is preferred in most patients. Swimming should not be allowed if there is a tear in the ear drum, or if there is any drainage from the ear canal. Surgical treatment for recurrent ear infections can also be an option. A small opening in the ear drum called a myringotomy may be made and a tube to maintain the opening Follow-up: If you are not feeling better within 48 hours of treatment, your symptoms get worse, you develop stiff neck, severe headache, confusion, swelling around the ear, dizziness, vomiting, or unusual sleepiness, please call your health care provider for advice. Complications of ear infections: Possibly complications include rupture of the ear drum, hearing loss or mastoiditis (infection of the mastoid bone of the skull located just behind the outside ear) I hope that you have found this information useful. Wishing you the best of health,

Scott Rennie, D.O.
Board Certified in Obesity Medicine and Family Medicine

This blog is for educational purposes only and does not constitute individual medical advice. Always consult your own physician before making changes to your health, medications, or treatment plan.

Steaming glass cup of honey lemon tea with honey dipper and lemon slice

Help, I have a sore throat! Is it Strep? Understanding pharyngitis

On February 22, 2012August 28, 2026 By Dr. Scott RennieIn Ear/Nose/Throat, Infectious Disease, Other Diseases and Conditions1 Comment

Sore throat is one of the most common problems that people have in the winter when they come to the medical clinic. There are many different causes of a sore throat, including bacterial or viral infections. Although a sore throat usually resolves without any complications, there are times that antibiotic treatment is required. There are very rare causes of sore throat pain that can be serious or life threatening.

When to call the doctor: Since it’s tough to know your sore throat is caused by a virus or bacteria, I encourage you to call your doctor if one or more of the following are present: temperature > 101 degrees F or 38 degrees C, season is late fall, winter or early spring, you don’t have a cough, the age of the patient is between 5-15 years old, recent exposure to someone with strep throat, difficulty breathing/swallowing, your voice sounds muffled, they have a stiff neck or difficulty opening their mouth.

Causes of sore throat: Viruses are the most common cause of sore throat, but bacteria are another common cause. The causes of sore throat depend on the age of the patient as well as the season and geographic location. Many different viruses can cause swelling and throat pain. Most common viruses that cause sore throat also cause the common cold, but others include influenza, adenovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus (the cause of mononucleosis).

Symptoms of viral pharyngitis: Usually with a viral infection, the patient will have runny nose, nasal congestion and can even have irritation and/or redness of the eyes, cough, hoarseness, skin rash and even diarrhea. Viral infections can also cause fever that makes you feel miserable. A high fever does not mean that your you have a bacterial infection.

Group A streptococcus – (GAS): The bacteria that causes strep throat. Other bacteria can also cause sore throat, but group a strep is the most common. Up to 30% of children with sore throat will have strep throat. Winter and early spring are the most common times of the year when it occurs. It is the most common in school-age children and their young siblings.

Symptoms of Strep Throat: Sudden development of fever (temperature > 100.4 degrees F), headache, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, swollen glands in the neck, white patches of pus in the back or sides of throat, small red spots on the roof of the mouth. A cough and cold are not usually seen with strep throat.

Diagnosis: Most of the time the cause of the sore throat is a virus and does not require treatment with antibiotics. It is, however important to recognize and treat kids with strep throat to prevent complications of strep throat which can cause rheumatic fever. There are two types of tests that can help diagnose strep throat. One is a rapid strep test and the other is a throat culture. Both of these tests require a swab of the back of the throat to look for the strep bacteria. The throat culture is more accurate, but it takes 24-48 hours to get the results back. The rapid test isn’t quite as accurate but the benefit is that you know the results before going home from the clinic.

Treatment: The treatment of sore throat depends on the cause; strep throat is treated with antibiotic while viral pharyngitis is treated with rest, pain relievers and measure to make the patient more comfortable while the body heals. It is important to monitor for dehydration because some children with sore throat are reluctant to drink or eat due to pain.

Strep throat is usually treated with an antibiotic such as penicillin or similar antibiotic. After 24 hours of treatment, children can return to school most of the time. If they are having trouble swallowing or eating, they should not go to school and should be re-evaluated. The antibiotic is usually continued for a full 10 day course.

Anti-inflammatory medications such as naproxen, ibuprofen, dexamethasone or prednisone can be helpful to reduce the pain of sore throat. Oral rinses such as salt-water gargles, sprays, lozenges, and sipping warm liquids can also be helpful for sore throat pain.

Complications of strep throat: Most of the time strep throat itself isn’t dangerous. It can, however lead to serious complications such as the spread of the bacteria to the sinuses, skin, blood and middle ear. Strep throat can also lead to Scarlet fever (illness with rash), inflammation of the kidney (post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis), and even Rheumatic fever, which is a serious condition that can affect the heart, joints, nervous system and skin.

I hope that you have found this information useful. Wishing you the best of health,

Strep is one of the harder calls to make over video, since nobody can swab a throat through a camera. I went into that in the trouble with diagnosing strep throat and ear infections by telemedicine.

Updated for 2026: There Is a New Guideline, the First Since 2012
This post went up in 2012, the same year the infectious disease society last wrote formal guidance on strep throat. In October 2025 they finally revised it, so the timing here is almost comic. Here is what is different. The headline change is that scoring is now formally part of deciding who gets tested. Centor, McIsaac, or FeverPAIN, in adults and in children three and up. Before, scoring was something many of us used out of habit and clinical sense. Now it is written down (1). Worth being honest about the strength of that: the recommendation is conditional and the certainty of evidence behind it is rated very low. It is a sensible way to organize thinking, not a law of nature. The four things the score is asking about have not changed. Fever. Tonsillar swelling or exudate. Tender, swollen nodes in the front of the neck. And absence of cough, which is the one people forget and the one that carries a lot of weight. A cough pushes the odds toward a virus, hard.
Treatment Has Barely Moved, and That Is Remarkable
Group A strep has never developed penicillin resistance. Not once, not anywhere, in seventy odd years of use. Penicillin V for ten days, amoxicillin for ten days, or a single intramuscular shot of benzathine penicillin remain the answer (1). The ten days matters and it is where treatment quietly fails. You will feel better in two or three days. The course is not about how you feel, it is about preventing rheumatic fever, and stopping early is the common reason that protection is lost. If you carry a penicillin allergy label, cephalexin or cefadroxil are reasonable, but not if your reaction was the immediate kind, hives, swelling, wheeze, within minutes to hours. Macrolides and clindamycin are the fallbacks, with the caveat that resistance to both is real and varies a great deal by region (1). This is also the point where I would send you to read about getting a penicillin allergy label removed, because most of them are wrong, and this is exactly the situation where carrying a wrong one costs you the best drug.
Testing Got Better
The rapid antigen test you are used to runs around 86 percent sensitivity and 96 percent specificity. The newer molecular point of care tests come in between 93 and 99 percent sensitive (2). Practically: a positive rapid test is trustworthy, and a negative one in someone who really looks like strep is worth a second thought.
The Honest Limit of a Video Visit
I want to be straightforward, because this is the condition where patients are most often frustrated with me. I cannot swab your throat through a camera. I also cannot feel your neck. Two of the scoring elements are things I am partly taking your word for or judging from a photograph, which is not the same as an exam. What that means in practice is that I can tell you whether you are likely enough to have strep to be worth testing, and I can sort out the large group who clearly have a virus and need nothing. What I cannot do is confirm strep from here. If your score is high, you need a swab, and that means going somewhere. What helps me most is a well lit photo of the back of your throat, taken with a phone flash and a spoon handle, and a straight answer about whether you have a cough.
When It Is Not Strep and Not Minor
Some throat problems are emergencies and they announce themselves. Drooling, or being unable to swallow your own saliva. Noisy breathing. Being unable to open your mouth fully. A voice that sounds like you are talking around a hot potato. Swelling clearly worse on one side, pushing things across. A stiff neck. Any of those, stop reading and go be seen. Those patterns suggest a peritonsillar abscess, epiglottitis, or worse, and none of them get better with a prescription sent to a pharmacy.
The Bottom Line
No cough plus fever plus swollen glands plus pus on the tonsils is worth a swab. Cough and a runny nose almost never is. If you are treated, finish all ten days even though you will feel fine by day three.
Sources
1. Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis. Updated October 14, 2025. https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/streptococcal-pharyngitis2/ 2. Management of Sore Throat: Time to Update. American Family Physician. 2024;109(4):301-302. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2024/0400/editorial-sore-throat.html
Related Reading
Am I Truly Allergic to Penicillin? When to Use Telemedicine vs. Urgent Care: How I Spot the Sick One Scott Rennie, D.O.
Board Certified in Obesity Medicine and Family Medicine

This blog is for educational purposes only and does not constitute individual medical advice. Always consult your own physician before making changes to your health, medications, or treatment plan.

Transparent human head with highlighted red inflamed sinus cavities and visible brain and skull structures

Sinusitis (Sinus Infection): What You Should Know Now

On February 21, 2012August 28, 2026 By Dr. Scott RennieIn Ear/Nose/Throat, Infectious Disease, Other Diseases and Conditions2 Comments

This is the time of year when many people are getting sick with a cold or flu and then develop nasal congestion and pressure. How do you know when you have a sinus infection? Do you need to see a doctor? This will attempt to help answer those questions. Sinusitis: Swelling of the lining of the sinuses and nose. The sinuses are the hollow areas within the facial bones that are connected to the nasal openings. The sinuses are lined with mucous membranes, similar to the inside of the nose. Symptoms: Nasal congestion, purulent discharge, dental pain, facial pain, especially if it’s worse when bending forward. Other signs include fever, fatigue, cough, ear pressure/fullness, bad breath and headache. When to get help immediately: High fever > 102.5, sudden severe pain in the face or head, double vision or difficulty seeing, confusion or difficulty thinking clearly, swelling or redness around one or both eyes, stiff neck or shortness of breath. Diagnosis: Highly predictive symptoms of a sinus infection include purulent rhinorrhea and nasal congestion with facial pressure/pain. The diagnosis is supported by the sensation of ear fullness, cough, difficulty smelling and headache. Symptoms that may suggest a bacterial sinus infection include: worsening of symptoms after initial improvement of symptoms. It is generally not possible to distinguish between viral and bacterial sinus infections in the first 10 days of illness even based on history, examination or radiology studies. Most of the time radiologic tests such as x-rays or CT/Cat scans are not indicated for acute sinus infections. These radiological tests may show sinus fluid levels in both viral and bacterial sinus infections but it cannot distinguish between the two. In general acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is the most common type that we see in the medical clinic. It is a symptomatic inflammation of the nasal passages and paranasal sinuses lasting less than 4 weeks. There are different classifications of sinusitis that are based on the length of symptoms. 1) Acute rhinosinusitis: symtpoms for less than 4 weeks 2) Subacute rhinosinusitis: symptoms for 4-12 weeks 3) Chronic rhinosinusitis: symptoms persist greater than 12 weeks 4) Recurrent acute rhinosinusitis: 4 or more episodes of ARS per year with resolution of symptoms in-between these episodes. A sinus infection can be either viral or bacterial. Viral sinus infections usually last 7-10 days and most sinus infections are this type. Bacterial sinus infections usually (75%) go away on their own as well, but can take a month or more. In rare cases, patients with a bacterial sinus infection can develop a complication called orbital cellulitis. It is very challenging for the doctor to determine whether a sinus infection is viral (like a common cold) or bacterial. Antibiotics may be helpful for the bacterial kind of sinus infection but won’t help the viral infection. Even though about most of the sinus infections are viral, 85-98% of the patients with sinus infections in the US are prescribed an antibiotic when seen in the clinic. Acute bacterial infection occurs in only 0.5 to 2.0 percent of patients with sinus infections and virus is causing the symptoms 98-99.5% of the time. How do you get a sinus infection? Viral sinusitis begins with direct contact of the virus into the eyes or nasal mucosa by respiratory droplets from someone else. Symptoms usually develop within the next day after exposure from someone else. Bacterial sinus infections occur when bacteria secondarily infect the inflamed sinus cavity. Most of the time this is a complication of a viral sinus infection but can also be a complication from with allergies, mechanical obstruction of the nose, swimming, intranasal cocaine use, impaired mucociliary clearance due to cystic fibrosis, or immunodeficiency. You are more likely to develop a sinus infection if you smoke or you already have an impaired respiratory tract such as in cystic fibrosis. Treatment: Since viral sinus infections usually resolve within 10 days, most of the time we use medications to treat symptoms with these symptoms without the use of antibiotics. An exception would be in the case of a patient who is getting worse after initial improvement or patients with severe symptoms are who are clearly worsening or are immunocompromised. For viral sinusitis, treatment aims to relieve the symptoms of nasal pressure/obstruction and runny nose. The medications do not shorten the duration of the illness in viral infections. Options for treatment include: 1) Analgesics such as ibuprofen, naproxen or Tylenol 2) Topical steroid nasal spray such as Flonase, Rhinocort or Nasonex 3) Oral decongestant such as Sudafed or anti-inflammatory medication such as prednisone 4) Antihistamines such as Benadryl, Zyrtec, Allegra or Claritin 5) Zinc preparations have been used, but if sprayed in the nose they way cause difficulty with smell are not recommended. 6) Nasal saline rinses Treatment of bacterial sinus infections may include antibiotics, however 40-60% of patients with bacterial sinus infections will clear their infection without antibiotics. Antibiotics: Studies have shown nearly identical results in adults with the use of amoxicillin, Bactrim or erythromycin compared to other antibiotics. Most of the time we use Amoxicillin, either 875mg twice a day or 500mg three times a day for 10-14 days. If someone has an allergy to penicillin, Bactrim, doxycycline or other antibiotics might be chosen. There are some strains of S. pneumonia bacteria that are becoming resistant to amoxicillin. I hope that you have found this information useful. Wishing you the best of health,

Scott Rennie, D.O.
Board Certified in Obesity Medicine and Family Medicine

This blog is for educational purposes only and does not constitute individual medical advice. Always consult your own physician before making changes to your health, medications, or treatment plan.