Fever when taking antibiotics

Antibiotics are very serious drugs, despite the fact that they are sold without a prescription in any pharmacy. Taking such drugs should be done only as prescribed by a doctor, otherwise you can face many complications and mistakes. For example, fever when taking antibiotics - is this a normal phenomenon or a pathology? Of course, the answer to this question should be addressed directly to the attending physician, since it depends on the specific disease, the type of antibiotic used, its dosage and many, many other reasons. Nevertheless, let's try to briefly understand the problem.

Causes of fever when taking antibiotics

It is no secret to most educated patients that antibiotics should only be used for infectious diseases caused by bacteria. Such drugs do not work on viruses and fungi.

It is also worth noting that in hospitals, when treating severe and complicated infectious diseases (for example, pneumonia or meningitis), the responsibility for the correct selection and correct prescription of an antibiotic lies entirely with the doctor, who constantly monitors the patient and has the results of the necessary studies and tests. When treating uncomplicated infectious diseases that do not require hospitalization of the patient, the situation is different. Antibiotics can be used independently, indiscriminately, without any treatment regimen, which can not only be of no use, but also very harmful. In the best case, a doctor will be called who, when prescribing treatment, will be faced with a fact: for example, parents themselves ask to prescribe an antibiotic for their child, while not having the slightest idea whether it is really necessary. Unfortunately, many doctors, instead of wasting time and nerves on explanations, simply obediently prescribe the drug. Which ultimately means that its use is absolutely inappropriate.

And yet, let's return to the question of temperature during antibiotic therapy. Why does this happen?

• The antibiotic was prescribed inappropriately: the disease is not caused by bacterial flora, so the drug does not work.
• Any antimicrobial drug is selected taking into account the sensitivity of microorganisms to it. It often happens that a drug is prescribed without sensitivity tests. In such cases, the selected drug simply does not affect the necessary microbes, which means that it was initially chosen incorrectly.
• Incorrect dosage: an incorrectly chosen treatment regimen does not kill the infection – the bacteria simply slow down their development, continuing their harmful effect.
• Antibiotics are not prescribed to reduce temperature: such drugs are designed to kill infectious agents, and not to affect the thermoregulation centers. Special antipyretic agents are used for these purposes.
• Some antibiotics can cause fever as a side effect of taking the medication.
• If the patient initially recovers after taking antibiotics, but then the temperature rises again, there may be a risk of another infection that is not affected by this antibiotic.

Next, we will look at the most common situations involving the use of antibiotics in which fever may be observed.

• If the drug is prescribed appropriately and correctly, then the temperature may decrease only on the third or even fourth day, so if you have a fever while taking antibiotics, you should not worry, you just need to continue the prescribed treatment.
• First of all, it should be noted that antibiotics should not be prescribed to a child all the time. Firstly, it suppresses the child's own immunity. Secondly, the hematopoietic system, liver, and digestive system of the child suffer. Antibiotic therapy in pediatrics is used only in extreme cases, if the bacterial nature of the disease is confirmed. If antimicrobial agents are taken, and the temperature during antibiotics in a child lasts for 3-4 days or more, then the treatment regimen is chosen incorrectly.
• If the temperature rises while taking antibiotics, it may be an allergy to the drugs. Penicillin drugs are especially dangerous in this sense, and usually an allergic reaction appears when the drug is taken again. An increase in temperature can manifest itself as an independent and only symptom of an allergy. As a rule, this occurs 4-7 days after the start of treatment and completely disappears when the antibiotic is discontinued within a few days. In case of an allergy, temperature readings can reach 39-40°C, additional signs include tachycardia.
• If the antibiotic is prescribed correctly, then a temperature of 37°C when taking antibiotics may be associated with the mass death of bacteria due to the start of treatment. The death of microbes is accompanied by the release of a large number of toxins into the blood - the decay products of bacterial cells. Such a temperature during antibiotic therapy is considered normal and does not require its special reduction.
• When taking antibiotics, a temperature of 38°C or lower may persist for some time. The main thing is to monitor the results of blood and urine tests: there should be no pathology in them. Continue the treatment prescribed by your doctor.

Diagnosis of temperature when taking antibiotics

The most common method of determining temperature at home is to touch your forehead with your hand or lips. Of course, this method is not very accurate, but is only a preliminary determination of the disorder. In order to find out the exact readings, you need to use a thermometer. The choice of thermometers is currently quite large: electronic, rectal, ear, oral thermometer, or in the form of forehead strips.

As for diagnosing the causes of fever, the doctor chooses the method depending on the disease, the patient’s age, the magnitude of the temperature readings, the appropriateness of the prescribed antibiotics, etc.

Diagnostics may include:

• objective examination, anamnesis;
• blood test (general and biochemical);
• general urine analysis;
• allergy tests, allergist consultation;
• radiograph;
• functional examination of the digestive system (for example, ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity);
• examination of the cardiovascular system (cardiography, ultrasound examination of the heart and blood vessels);
• sowing biological materials for sensitivity to antibiotics.

The diagnosis is confirmed by detecting the infectious agent in blood cultures.

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Treating fever while taking antibiotics

Whether or not to treat a fever while taking antibiotics is up to the doctor to decide. Of course, to make the right decision, it is necessary to know the reasons for such a reaction.

• If the temperature is associated with an allergic reaction, the antibiotic is canceled or replaced with another. Additionally, antihistamines are prescribed: suprastin, tavegil, etc., at the discretion of the doctor.
• If the increase in temperature is caused by an inappropriate prescription of an antimicrobial drug, then such an antibiotic is cancelled and a more suitable drug is prescribed. These can be antiviral or antifungal drugs, depending on the disease detected.
• If concomitant diseases are detected during diagnostics, then treatment for all pathologies is prescribed, taking into account the reasons that caused them. For example, if you initially treated bronchitis, and subsequently the temperature rose due to the development of pneumonia, then the doctor will definitely review the treatment, and the antibiotic will be replaced by another, more effective one (or even several).

If antibiotics are prescribed correctly and according to indications, and the temperature still persists for some time, then measures should be taken to speed up its stabilization.

It is important to drink enough liquid: warm water, tea, compotes, fruit drinks. Liquid will speed up the removal of toxic substances from the body, and the temperature will normalize faster.

If the readings exceed 38°C, do not rely on antibiotics to bring down the temperature: take an antipyretic, such as paracetamol.

You should not take medications without a doctor's recommendation, since any drug has its own specific use.

Temperature prediction when taking antibiotics

Regarding the prognosis of an increase in temperature during antibiotic therapy, the following can be said: if the antibiotic is prescribed and chosen correctly, then such a temperature will stabilize over time and the patient will be cured.

When self-prescribing and taking antibiotics, the prognosis can be unpredictable. By taking pills on your own, without a doctor's recommendation, the patient assumes full responsibility for possible negative consequences.

In addition, cases with wave-like manifestations of temperature, when temperature indicators of different heights alternate at certain time intervals, have an unfavorable prognosis. This often indicates the development of complications.

Temperature during antibiotics intake can be considered normal in many cases, but sometimes such a situation also serves as a sign of complications. What happened in each specific case - normal or pathological - let a medical specialist decide. The task of each patient is to choose a competent doctor, strictly follow his recommendations and not self-medicate.

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