Treatment Strep throat is treated with antibiotics. Penicillin is the preferred medication. Oral penicillin must be taken for 10 days. Patients need to take the entire amount of antibiotic prescribed and not discontinue taking the medication when they feel better. Stopping the antibiotic early can lead to a return of the strep infection.
Scarlet fever is treated with the same antibiotics as strep throat.
Without treatment, the symptoms of strep throat begin subsiding in four or five days. However, because of the possibility of getting rheumatic fever, it is important to treat strep throat promptly with antibiotics. If rheumatic fever does occur, it is also treated with antibiotics. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as steroids, are used to treat joint swelling. Diuretics are used to reduce water retention.