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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Antibiotics for Tonsillitis?

85 replies

Ohsofedupwiththis · 09/10/2021 16:53

DS is quite poorly this weekend with occasional perk up when ibuprofen has well and truly kicked in.

Tonsils covered in white, high fever (been over 38.5 most of day with alternating calpol and nurofen). Calpol not doing a lot. Nurofen giving him a couple of hours relief but he can't have any more until later tonight. Been crying in pain at times with his head and legs feel like jelly. He is not struggling with light etc so I am not worried about anything more serious.

111 passed us over to pharmacist. I was expecting a prescription of Penicillin but nope, it seems he doesn't need it because he is not struggling to breathe and he has eaten (he had a bit of lunch when nurofen kicked in).

He's now back to fever and shivering and in more pain.

He doesn't have a cold or a cough. I do think it's bacterial tonsillitis (not an expert but from my experience with my 2 DC).

Would you go back to 111?

I'm trying not to be a neurotic mum and it's a while since one of my kids have been poorly. But we have always had antibiotics before.

He's been tested for Covid and it's negative.

Just wondering what others would do as this is the 1st time any of my DC has had a fever during the pandemic and its obviously not as easy to access treatment as before.

OP posts:
SergeiL · 09/10/2021 18:10

@Ohsofedupwiththis it wasn’t aimed at you. Hope he gets better soon.

ThreeLittleDots · 09/10/2021 18:11

This slavish devotion to the NHS is nuts

Lol

SergeiL · 09/10/2021 18:12

@Draggondragon but the specific guidelines on tonsillitis are based on medical research and data. I have read up on this extensively, having been in the same position as OP. Anyways, not going to debate it with you.

Draggondragon · 09/10/2021 18:13

Me either. The NHS is just about better than nothing at all. If you are happy with that then great. I wouldn't be.

Sweettea1 · 09/10/2021 18:15

@PandoraP

DS was hospitalised with tonsillitis. It can become serious and isn’t “just a sore throat”. I would call 111 in your situation.
Same my ds ended up In hospital aswell. Have you not got a walk in centre you can go to would be best If a gp actually checked his throat.
Original poster
Ohsofedupwiththis · 09/10/2021 18:19

Have you not got a walk in centre you can go to would be best If a gp actually checked his throat.

No we don't. It was shut a number of years ago. Now you need an appt for Out of Hours

OP posts:
pompomsgalore · 09/10/2021 18:22

100% go back to 111 your child is suffering and there is help available to him.

With white spots and the other symptoms my dr wouldn't hesitate to give antibiotics whereas in other illnesses you wouldn't get any at all Willy Nilly.

I hope he's better soon as it's hell having tonsillitis

ThreeLittleDots · 09/10/2021 18:22

To be fair, most children with tonsillitis don't require hospital. Sounds like the child has only been poorly for less than a day.

I would think it would be better for them to stay tucked up in bed where they can rest, rather than be taken out for an examination, having to no doubt wait for quite a while to be seen. They may not be given antibiotics anyway, or it may indeed be viral and antibiotics would be useless.

I wouldn't panic, OP. Focus on pain relief for now.

idontgetpaidenoughforthis · 09/10/2021 18:23

@Ohsofedupwiththis

Have you not got a walk in centre you can go to would be best If a gp actually checked his throat.

No we don't. It was shut a number of years ago. Now you need an appt for Out of Hours

Call 111 back then and ask they refer you to out of hours, exaggerate if you have to so you can get him looked at today
Blendabrethin · 09/10/2021 18:35

Yanbu. Onw od mine had a febrile seizure when she had tonsillitus. I myself developed quinzey when I was actually on antibiotics for tonsillitus!

BoredZelda · 09/10/2021 18:35

I’m not a doctor but I have had tonsillitis loads and rarely had antibiotics for it. The reality is, most times it will clear up on its own. At best an antibiotic will make it disappear maybe two or three days sooner. The only time they gave antibiotics was when I was proper ill with it.

H0cusP0cus · 09/10/2021 18:41

To be fair, most children with tonsillitis don't require hospital. Sounds like the child has only been poorly for less than a day.

Some don't but some do, my LO was in within a day of becoming ill.
They wanted AB in him quickly so was kept in on a drip.
Ops child hasn't been physically seen so could well need AB as not been checked to see if it's bacterial.

Hamjamwich · 09/10/2021 19:03

I would go straight to children's hospital

Fluffycloudland77 · 09/10/2021 19:07

I always have antibiotics for tonsillitis.

Immaculatemisconception · 09/10/2021 19:15

Look @Ohsofedupwiththis, if you're worried about your child, then make that call. Ignore the "experts" on here, they don't know fuck about your child and they most certainly can't be trusted as health professionals.

Original poster
Ohsofedupwiththis · 09/10/2021 19:21

@Immaculatemisconception

Look *@Ohsofedupwiththis*, if you're worried about your child, then make that call. Ignore the "experts" on here, they don't know fuck about your child and they most certainly can't be trusted as health professionals.
Yeah but I can't just magic a health professional up.

I have went through 111 again and waiting a call back. If that doesn't get him seen tonight then we will see. I don't particularly want to go down the A&E route as I don't think he needs that but I do think he needs to see a Dr tonight.

OP posts:
Immaculatemisconception · 09/10/2021 19:22

A & E if you can't get any joy from 111. I hope you get him seen soon and he's okay.

Mamathebest · 09/10/2021 19:24

If you can clearly see white patches on the tonsils then that can only be cleared by antibiotics. Please don’t leave him as it is and call back. I’ve suffered with tonsillitis for years and it’s never gone away without antibiotics. Doctors say that white patches indicate bacterial infection.

My own son was ill like this a week ago. Called GP who prescribed antibiotics over the phone. Took about 5 days to get better.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 09/10/2021 19:34

I would suggest alternating the calpol and the neurofen, @Ohsofedupwiththis, to try to get some relief for him - give one, then the other two hours later, and so on. I have a friend who was prone to horrible tonsillitis, and I well remember how ill and unhappy she was - I hope he feels better soon.

MrsSkylerWhite · 09/10/2021 19:36

Needs to be looked at. all respect to pharmacists but they’re not doctors . Have you a walk-in centre? Ours is excellent.

Immaculatemisconception · 09/10/2021 19:46

@MrsSkylerWhite

Needs to be looked at. all respect to pharmacists but they’re not doctors . Have you a walk-in centre? Ours is excellent.
She already said their Walk-in-Centre has closed.
user1471592953 · 09/10/2021 20:00

My DC is on antibiotics for tonsillitis now. Given it can be bacterial or viral and unless there’s something to indicate it isn’t bacterial, I can’t see a single good reason not to prescribe antibiotics.

Fortunately my surgery is on the ball and asked to see DC when I described the symptoms (I’d only rung to get direction that I could dose DC with paracetamol and ibuprofen because that is what the NHS website says should be done). Thirty minutes later, white spots in the tonsils were seen. They hadn’t been there when I’d looked earlier in the day.

JoborPlay · 09/10/2021 20:15

They are trying to reduce antibiotic use with tonsillitis. It usually isn't needed. I've had tonsillitis multiple times and only once had antibiotics. Some cases were more severe than others though.

IamJuliaJohnson · 09/10/2021 20:22

I’m interested to see if all these posters going on about ‘tonsillitis not needing abx’ are actually tonsillitis sufferers themselves. It’s pretty brutal once it gets going and can make me feel like a total wreck. Unable to move, get out of bed, or eat. Wrote my child had his removed he had tonsillitis every 4-6 weeks and was very unwell with it, including being admitted to hospital twice.

onlyreadingneverposting8 · 09/10/2021 20:22

Here is the nice guidance - I suspect that your DS needs antibiotics.

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng84/resources/visual-summary-pdf-4723226606