Pink Eye- Medical Advice Please

[chefsteph07]

Ok, all you medical guru's...

My 12 yr old stepson was just dx last night at an urgent care w/ strep and pink eye...he is supposed to be with us this weekend, and we are planning a day trip a few hours away on Saturday...he has been put off school for the rest of the week, but does anyone know how long pink eye is contagous? He has been sick since last weekend, and has been going to school (don't get me started on his mother's wonderful decisions). I told DH last night that I really don't want him over here anyway, exposing us and my 4 yr old while confined in a car all day. I know he was given Augmenten for his strep, but I don't think he was given anything for his eye. I think I"m gonna tell ss mom that we are going to have to pass on the weekend. What do you all think?

 

[krzymomof4]

Pink eye is contagious for as long as the eye is matting and tearing. If he was given drops for it, it shouldn't take very long.

 

[etteluap70PC]

If he is taking all his medicing as directed it should clear up fairly quickly. My kids are usually much better in 48 hrs.

 

[tlag1986]

My DD gets pink eye easily and it takes 24-48 hours after her eye drop medication for it not to be contagious.

Concerning the Strep I would say you should cancel your weekend activities with him just because Strep is worse than the pink eye. If he was given Penicillin to take as well as a shot in the office I would say okay, but without the extra in the office he could still be contagious for a little while.

Augmentin is a wonderful drug, but it is not the drug of choice with Strep Penicillin is unless your DSS is allergic to Penicillin.

I hope that is not as confusing as I read it. You can PM me if you have any questions.

 

[babywings76]

I was usually told that after 48 hours on eye drops or ointment, it's okay to return to school. But if it's still really gunky and watering, I'd be concerned it needs more time or a different antibiotic.

 

[Jessamary]

Strep is worse than the pink eye.

That's what I was going to say. The pink eye is gone as fast as it came, as long as you use the medication. Strep, well...it can get tricky. Call his doctor (or your child's peditrician) and ask how long it's contagious while on medication. Just play it by ear. I seem to remember (and I could be wrong) that strep is usually more contagious before you know you have it, so you guys could be okay. But check with the docs.

 

[chefsteph07]

Well, I know that strep is usually not contagous after starting the meds, but he probably still feels really crappy. I know I've had it before and it was not fun! My dh had it and was sick for almost a week. I know strep is serious, so we already cancelled having him this weekend. Considering he had been at school all week we felt he should stay at home and rest.

 

[tlag1986]

If untreated, strep throat can sometimes cause complications such as kidney inflammation and rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can lead to painful and inflamed joints, a rash and even damage to heart valves.

If children on antibiotic therapy feel well and don't have a fever, they often can return to school or child care when they're no longer contagious — usually 24 hours after beginning treatment. But be sure to finish the entire course of medicine. Stopping medication early may lead to recurrences and serious complications, such as rheumatic fever or kidney inflammation.

If you or your child has strep throat, your doctor will likely prescribe an oral antibiotic such as penicillin, amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox), azithromycin (Zithromax), clarithromycin (Biaxin), clindamycin (Cleocin) or a cephalosporin (Keflex, Ceclor). I am not sure why he was prescribed Augmentin, but it could be due to an allergy.

Do not for any reason stop the antibiotic early finish the entire dosage amount. We have super bugs now because parents stop giving their children the antibiotics when they feel better. Not to mention many of the bugs are medicine resistant, because they mutated to be able to fight off the medication that was never finished. This means the next time you get the same medication for the same disease it does not work they only get worse.