1069

I've just been diagnosed with my third case of strep throat in two months; I wasn't even that sick, I just had a tiny bit of a sore throat and no fever, but I wanted to try out my new medical insurance that just went into effect yesterday, so I went to the doctor.
Well, the doctor looked at my throat and said, "This is definitely not strep; it's barely red, there's no blisters or anything. It's definitely viral."
But she did a strep test anyway (not the rapid test; the more accurate, 24-hour one), and wrote me a scrip for Amoxicillin, which she told me not to fill unless the strep test came back positive, which, she assured me, it wouldn't.

Sure enough, today the lab called back and told me the strep test was positive.
So I went and filled my prescription, but here's the thing: I feel completely better today. I don't feel even one single bit sick (and I barely felt sick yesterday; like I said, I haven't had medical insurance in years, and I just wanted to try it out, on a day that I was actually off from work).
Ordinarily, I never would've gone to the doctor for that tiny little sore throat and sniffle.

So anyway. I started looking on line and I found out that a lot of people are "strep carriers" and carry strep bacteria in their throats all the time, therefore will always test positive for strep, even if they aren't having an active strep infection. The condition (of being a carrier) is apparently not dangerous, and carriers rarely infect others; therefore, no treatment is necessary for the condition of being a strep carrier.

My question is, if one is (currently) a strep carrier, does that necessarily mean that one has always been a strep carrier (because I have tested negative for strep in the past. Like, years ago)?

My other question is, do I really need to take these antibiotics? Because I freakin' hate antibiotics; they tear me up inside.
About six weeks ago, I had strep (real strep, with blisters and a high fever) and was prescribed a 10 day course of penicillin. This didn't clear the infection, and I relapsed immediately upon completing the scrip. I was then prescribed a z-pac (zithromax) which is very expensive and very hardcore, and which seemed to clear up the infection (although completely f'ing up my body in the process).

Anyway, now the "strep" is allegedly back, even though I don't feel sick at all, and I'm really very reluctant to embark upon my third course of antibiotic treatment in two months, given the effect that this sort of medicine has on me (yeast infections, terrible digestive problems, mouth sores, etc).

Has anyone here ever been diagnosed as a strep carrier, or had recurrent strep infections as an adult (I know they're common in children, but not so much in adults)? If one is a carrier, does this condition persist forever?
And does anyone have any advice about this situation- especially anyone who might be in the medical field?
Thanks.

PS I am not immuno-compromised or suffering from any other serious illness to my knowledge.

__________________
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Summerwind

Be careful, 1069. You know by now that I hate doctors and all that goes with it. But in this case I would actually tell you to go back and see if they can give you a more generalized strep test.

Here's why. As a youngster, my mom brought home strep from school; she got it, I got it, dad got it, brother did not get anything more than a sore throat for about a day. BUT about a month later, his acne got really worse, so off the the dermatologist for some face goop, but it didn't work AND then he got a scratch or a cut that got infected when it shouldn't have. Long story short, he didn't get strep throat, he got strep body. And he too had lite sor throat from time to time during that but never enough to get tested.

Secondly if this is more than once recently for strep positive, you should be on something stronger than amoxicillian because you've probably made the strain inside you reisistant to such benign antibotics.

I rarely take the side of going to the doctor, much less returning, much less "get something stronger," so hopefully you'll at least consider it this time when I do think you should.

Summerwind

Oh BTW, my brother's diagnosed so late and it was so bad, he had to be hospitalized for intravenous antibotics.

ARealConservative

She already took the better test - a culture was allowed to grow - and tested positive.

Eventually strep can and likely will manifest into something more severe. post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis is rare in adults but has been known to happen in cases of ignoring strep.

Summerwind

Interesting, my brother's wasn't a swab test at all, not from the throat. Don't know if it was blood or what, but it wasn't from the throat. I think they tested the goo coming out of his acne-like legions and the cut.

Anyway, I still can't believe that if this doctor heard 1069 say she had this numerous times recently, that he/she didn't step up two or three levels on the antibotics. That's the main thing I wish to be remembered about my post.

talloulou

A few years ago I had a sore throat that felt like my entire throat was literally on fire. I went to the drs. and being the nazis that they are they refused to give me antibiotics till a throat culture was done. My dr. is a real "no antibiotics for you" type. Big believer in only using the pills as a last resort. Anyway I left pissed and feeling like I was dying. Three days later I felt all better. That's when the jacka$$ called informing me the throat culture showed I had strep. I told the ****tard, "Well now I'm all better." He said then, "You don't need the antibiotics....good for you."

So I'd say if you feel fine, really fine, don't take the antibiotics. However if every few days or so you start feeling like you have a sore throat and it's sort of a chronic thing that comes and goes then you probably do need some medication and you should probably have your particular strain of strep tested to see which antibiotics kill it best in the lab. But if you feel better and no sore throat recurs in the near future I wouldn't worry no more about it. Could be you really are a carrier who always carries strep bacteria and it wasn't the strep bacteria making you sick, but instead some other virus. In which case there's really no need to take pills for the asymptomatic strep.