How long does strep throat take to clear?

[WiddIytinks]

I've been on Pen V since last Saturday, the course was due to end today but there's still gunk in my throat (it hasn't really changed since last week) so GP has given me another five day course.

I've not felt unwell at any point - only symptoms have been a pain in my throat last Thursday/Friday and the lovely gunky stuff, which to be honest could've been there for ages because I didn't check it until Saturday. No temp or anything and only the slightest occasional scratchiness now.

Is it normal for it to persist after a week of ABs, and if so, how long is it likely to go on for? And have I passed the point where it's likely to cause further problems/spread? Dreading the idea of being ill or still on gut busting ABs for Christmas, we've had four stinkers in a row and really want this Christmas to be lovely and worry free.

Never had this before (afaik) so gunky throat is new territory!

Hopeful bump!

Final bump for the evening crowd!

Still no change gunk-wise despite having taken a full seven day course of the ABs as of ten minutes ago. Still the odd twinge but no other symptoms, although the stomach-related symptoms I always have on ABs are really kicking in now 🤢

Rinsing alternately with Difflam and salt water every couple of hours, too. Just want this gone, along with the worry it's going to develop into something nastier!

Hi pretty sure I have this too but I'm feeling so ill since Thursday night, throat is agony and I've had fever, loss of appetite, sickness, sweating, shivers :(
Finally rang 111 tonight at 20:30 to get advise / possibly and antibiotic prescription as I looked down my throat with a mirror and a torch and my tonsils are all white.
Still haven't had my call back, they said two hours and it's been 6
Alternating cocodamol and inbrupofen and using diflam too.
How did you get antibiotics for yours?

I called 111 last Saturday afternoon and they called back within 2 hours and gave me a code to take to any pharmacy to get the Penicillin. I went to my GP on Wednesday because it didn't look any different and she confirmed it was strep throat. It still looks the same this morning though and now DD seems to have it as well, although like me she has no symptoms other than the throat gunk.

How are you this morning? I would call 111 again if you haven't heard from them, I did have to call back to get the doctor to sign off the prescription for me but they were very good and it was sorted very quickly. It does sound like strep/tonsillitis. Take care and feel better soon 💐

I'm going to call 111 today for my DS1 (9). He finished the antibiotics on Friday morning for a confirmed case of Strep A but hasn't been able to get rid of the headache he's had since the whole thing started. He's seemed generally a bit under the weather still and then last night started running a temperature. Not sure if the Strep hasn't shifted or whether it's something else but seems very coincidental if it is.

Hope you are better soon.

Ds1 had a positive throat swab for Strep A. High temp, headache, sore throat, then the scarlet fever rash. He was noticeably better after 1 day of antibiotics, he had a 10 day course though.

No throat gunk.

What's strange with me is that I had/have no other symptoms (apart from a slightly painful throat, briefly, over a week ago and the occasional scratchiness but even that seems to have gone). Just the yucky stuff in my throat. So the ABs didn't make me feel better because I wasn't feeling ill in the first place!

Thing is they haven't got rid of the throat gunk either so I'm not sure what to make of it. I wasn't swabbed, GP just looked at my throat very quickly and confirmed it. There's every possibility it's been there for a good while, I had covid at the beginning of December and my throat was sore and scratchy then but I didn't actually look at it.

I think at this point my main worry is that it's going to progress into something nastier. But even if the gunk hasn't gone completely, will over a week of ABs still be preventing that from happening?

Throat still looks the same this evening. I'm wondering whether I need to go back to the GP again - it'll be 9 days of ABs tomorrow and I'm half way through the second course.

I got my 111 call back at 15:30 today - that's 19 hours after I first called them. I'd actually given up hope, the Dr was so lovely and apologetic. I get the impression this weekend had been hell for them.
Got an antibiotic prescription but all local pharmacy's shut at 16:00 on a Sunday so won't be getting it till Monday morning. It's pants isn't it. The NHS is creaking and it's a national tragedy. I'm still hopeful that urgent, life and death care is better.
It's a nasty little bug though for sure.. loss of appetite is a major symptom in my opinion. I love my food but the thought of eating anything was just not there. Hope people get well soon, it's so contagious I'm very concerned for DD and DH over chrimbo

Have you started on your ABs @Morielle? Any better today?

And how's your DS @AllGone?

Mine still looks exactly the same as it did nine days ago. I have health anxiety at the best of times and I'm convincing myself it's going to turn to iGAS or sepsis. Then my rational brain tells me that it's not got better but neither has it got worse. And I have no other symptoms (apart from the ones I'm convincing myself I have - if I'm a bit warm I'm convinced I'm getting a temperature, if I'm a bit shaky I'm convinced it's sepsis and not the third coffee I just drank, etc).

Usually it's massively better within a day of antiobiotics OP. I was sick for 10 days then a day of antiobiotics and much better. DS was sick for only a day (vomitting, temp, rash, horrible sore throat) and much better within a day of AB and completely fine two days later.

I called 111 yesterday
was told a GP would call back re antibiotics within an hour
finally got call back 24 hours later - advising me to now ring my gp !!
they are having a hellish time

I had this - a virus that the family had and then what appeared to be viral tonsillitis. It didn't go so had Penicillin, which didn't work, then amoxicillin which cleared all the gunk from my sinuses.

I had strep throat a few months ago. Excruciating throat pain, high fever, white patches and pus all over throat. After 4 days of no improvement on pen v, they changed it to a different one called clarithromycin and it was significantly better with 24 hours and totally gone (aside from fatigue) in 3 days.

The weird thing is the lack of other symptoms for me, apart from that slight pain almost two weeks ago and a bit of scratchiness. No temperature or anything.

I think if it's still the same tomorrow I'll call GP again and see if I need to change ABs (on second course of pen v now, was 7 days originally but was prescribed an extra 5 which finish on Thursday).

If it's not getting worse and I have no other symptoms could it just be taking its time to clear though? In fairness it could've been there for ages - I only looked at my throat last Saturday because I read something about strep A and remembered the pain I had on the Thursday. I had covid in early December so it could even be a hangover from that.

I just need someone to tell me to stop worrying I think!

I do think you should go back and get checked tomorrow, if you need more antibiotics I think you would want to continue rather than have much of a gap

Todays drama was not being able to get my prescription anywhere and in the end settling for amoxicillin instead. Have had 2 so far and of feeling much better yet, still nailing ibruprofen and cocodamol 4 times a day to be able to function.
Apparently there was a government minister on tv this morning saying there was no shortage of antibiotics - well that's bollocks

The GP saw DS on Monday. He has swabbed his throat again to see if the strep is still hanging around. However, he thinks DS has probably cleared the strep and now has some other virus. Fortunately, DS is much happier today and I'm hoping he's on the mend.

DS2 has a temperature and headache now and I have a sore throat! It's never ending!

I've had a sore throat since Friday. Ds is better abd finished hus antibiotics. I felt dreadful Saturday and still feel really rough, my throat is very raw and red. I also have a painful cough, apparently strep throat doesn't cone with a cough though?

Been back to the GP today - and the reason it hasn't cleared is because it's tonsil stones, not an infection. How on earth did the GP I saw last week not see that?! So I've been on two courses of ABs (and endured the vile side effects) for absolutely nothing.

Fuck sake!

Hope everyone here is feeling better 💐

I seem to have the exact same thing. I had a viral thing 8 days ago, achey joints and a sore throat with white stuff. It all went but I've been left with a very mild sore throat on the right side when I swallow and my right tonsil looks a bit swollen. Currently abroad seeing family until Jan 2nd but wondering what I can do. Totally fine apart from this mild pain when I swallow. How are you getting on now?

I've had a 5 day course of ABs, but it hasn't helped. Throat ranges from mildly irritated to sore and dry, occasionally really bad cough. Voice still half gone too.

How are you getting on have the tonsil stones cleared, I’ve had scratchy throat and white in tonsils since the beginning of December and had 5 days penicillin v and now on 10 day course no other symptoms of illness other than scratchy throat. And a week and a half sore throat at halloween. But had tonsil stones in the past and this looks different more like lines of white.

They're still there! And look exactly the same. I actually managed to get a photo (grim). GP insists they're stones and nothing to worry about. They do feel scratchy occasionally but other than that no symptoms and they've not got worse in the month or so since I first noticed them.