Medication for Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever is an infectious disease that affects roughly 400 Americans each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Untreated, typhoid has the potential to cause intestinal perforation, inflammation of your heart and even death.

Identification

• Prescription oral or intravenous antibiotic medications are the most common treatment for typhoid fever.

Types of Medications

• Doctors typically prescribe ciprofloxacin tablets to treat typhoid, but in pregnant women and children, opt for injections of ceftriaxone.

Function

• The medications used to treat typhoid fever kill the bacteria that causes the disease by disrupting the process its cells use to make energy. These antibiotics also inhibit the replication process of the bacteria, preventing the infection from spreading throughout the body.

Time Frame

• Ciprofloxacin treatment usually requires between 7 to14 days to fully eliminate typhoid bacteria, while ceftriaxone requires 4 to 14 days, according to RxList. Typically, use of either drug must continue for two days after the symptoms of typhoid fever subside.

Risks

• The most common side effects of ciprofloxacin are nausea and diarrhea, while ceftriaxone use causes diarrhea and changes in white blood cell levels most frequently, according to RxList. Ciprofloxacin poses a risk for tendon ruptures in some patients, while the most common risk of ceftriaxone is a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Prevention

• There are also two vaccines available to prevent typhoid fever; however, neither is 100 percent effective at preventing the infection, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you are traveling to a country where typhoid is prevalent, it is wise to get vaccinated to protect yourself.