Antibiotics Used to Treat Staph MRSA

The MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a strain of the staph bacteria that lives on 20 to 30 percent of the population but does not cause infection in all who are colonized with it. MRSA resides on the skin and in the nasal passage, and once you contract an MRSA staph infection it can be very difficult to eradicate the bacteria. While some MRSA is not serious, other cases are deadly. It is important to find an antibiotic that will work for you.

MRSA and Antibiotics

• MRSA is a pesky bacteria that does not respond well to antibiotics. Less than 10 percent of staph infections in general respond to penicillin. MRSA is even more resistant to bacteria. Those who have suffered from chronic conditions such as bronchitis, ear infections and strep throat are more susceptible to acquiring an infection. When you are prescribed an antibiotic for MRSA it is imperative to take the full prescription to kill all bacteria and prevent the infection from returning--resistant to that course of bacteria. Many people stop taking their antibiotics once they feel better but this only exacerbates the problem.

Oral Antibiotics

• Doctors are concerned about how the MRSA strain will evolve and will diagnose and prescribe antibiotics according to how the culture reacts to different antibiotic strains. Many doctors will use sulfa-based medications to fight the infection that include Bactrim and Septra, which are trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole antibiotics. While these are effective, many people are allergic to sulfa drugs. Tetracycline is effective but not used in young children because of its side effects--severe tooth discoloration. Clindamycin, linezolid and vancomycin are frequently prescribed but may become ineffective if the MRSA becomes resistant within that person.

Topical Antibiotics

• Your doctor may prescribe topical creams to alleviate symptoms from boils and lesions. Large boils and abscesses have a high risk of spreading the infection to other body parts or people if pus is distributed. Topical antibiotics are effective to help prevent further colonization of the bacteria. These can also help kill bacteria with sulfa-based antibiotics; many patients who are allergic to the oral prescription may be tolerant to the topical version. Your doctor will tell you whether topical creams and nasal swabs are appropriate for you.

Intravenous Antibiotics

• When an MRSA patient experiences blood infection with bone and possibly heart infection it's extremely serious. A person can go from not feeling well to septic and dying very quickly. If your doctor diagnoses your MRSA as serious, you may be hospitalized with intravenous antibiotics administered. The same antibiotics are used as taken orally, but given in a more effective and direct way to fight the infection through the blood without worrying about absorption. Severe cases even require kidney dialysis if the body has become septic.

Antibiotics for Colonization

• Your home may have someone who is colonized with MRSA bacteria. Non-antibiotic remedies are preferred to get rid of the bacteria colonization, such as bleach baths and tea tree oil applications. Bleach baths use a quarter cup of bleach in a hot bath and will kill MRSA living on the skin and in the anal regions. Tea tree oil can be used topically and as a nasal swab to help kill the bacteria.

  If someone in your home has an MRSA infection (beyond symptom-less colonization) your family doctor may prescribe a round of antibiotics for all family members to help remove the MRSA from the home.