Everybody looks for a home remedy, natural treatments, and alternative treatments to avoid the cost of healthcare; however, with a MRSA infection, treating it without a medical professional is not recommended. This infection is serious with life-threatening complications if not treated properly.
If you have this bacterial infection, it can put others at risk of becoming infected with it, the dangerousness of this infection that a medical professional must diagnose it.
Before the treatment can begin, it must be properly diagnosed, which is done by a blood test, swabbing, or a MRSA DNA test, to distinguish the strain. Knowing the specific strain is important for effective treatment.
Early Stages, Early Treatment!
When your MRSA is diagnosed early, your treatment can begin to avoid the spread to other parts of the body and other people. In most cases with early diagnoses, the first step in your treatment is the use of specific antibiotics, which are effective in treating the type of strain you may have. Simultaneously, your doctor will properly clean and cover the wound that is infected with MRSA to prevent the bacteria to spread.
You might know that proper procedures must be followed to avoid the spread of this infection. If you don’t know the proper procedures/guidelines, read – MRSA Guidelines. If it has already become a deep skin infection, you may need it to be drained or have surgery to remove the damaged skin.
In the early stages, sometimes your treatment can be done at home, under the care of a physician. You might even get an antibiotic pump to administer the medication. What antibiotics are used for treatment? We will discuss this next.
Antibiotics Used For Treatment
Penicillin and methicillin are two antibiotics that MRSA is resistant to. There are some antibiotics that are effective in treating MRSA. The guidelines for antibiotic use include these antibiotics:
- Clindamycin
- Daptomycin
- Levaquin
- Linezolid (Zyvox)
- Minocycline
- Tetracycline
- Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Bactrim DS, Septra, Septra DS)
- Hibiclens
- Doxycycline
- Vancomycin (Vancocin, Vancoled)
Mild infections are usually treated with mupirocin (Bactroban). Some of the antibiotics are reserved only for MRSA to avoid resistant strains developing by these highly adaptable bacteria.
When It Has Spread
When MRSA has spread to other organs, other parts of the body, or to the blood, it can be life-threatening. In these cases, treatment is often done in the hospital. The infection will be treated with antibiotics and there will be a treatment to avoid damage to other parts of the body. When it is in the blood, it doesn’t respond as easily as other staphylococcus (staph) infections and responds to fewer antibiotics.
Symptoms of the infection will be treated. Painful movement from MRSA in the joints may be treated with pain relievers and when in the lungs it may be treated with oxygen. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove damage done by the MRSA bacteria when it spreads.
Administration of Antibiotics
The antibiotics may be given orally, in a shot, or an IV. For some people, they find that a pump works well. A pump will automatically administer antibiotics through an IV to assure drug administration consistency and compliance. It is very important that the full course of antibiotics is taken.
Stopping too soon will allow the stronger, resistant bacteria to survive and multiply. A full course of antibiotics will have the chance to eliminate all the bacteria, even the stronger ones.
Prompt treatment by a medical professional to treat MRSA effectively and successfully.
How Long Is Treatment?
How long antibiotic treatment will last, will be determined by the type of antibiotic and also the route (topical, oral, injection, or intravenously) of administration.
Treatment Options
When a MRSA infection is diagnosed, it will need to be treated promptly with the most effective treatment options.