How long does penicillin take to shift a severe sore throat - Been taking it now for 3 days and still in pain?

Question

How long does penicillin take to shift a severe sore throat - Been taking it now for 3 days and still in pain?

Answer 1

Most studies suggest that penicillin makes you feel better about a half day faster than if you went untreated, but that difference goes away if you take Tylenol or some other analgesic. That is, the treatment isn't directed at the four or five days you have symptoms but at preventing the later complications of strep throat.

Answer 2

If your sore throat is due to Streptococcus, you should feel improvement within 24 - 36 hours. Penicillin has no effect on sore throats due to viral infections. Often overlooked in adolescents is a germ called Arcanobacter haemolytica that responds better to macrolides like erythromycin, Biaxin or Zithromax. But my rule of thumb for children and teens was that a sore throat that does not respond to penicillin in three days is likely due to mono unless proven otherwise. (But the mono test does not become positive until you are ill for about a week.)