Antibiotics used to treat cellulitis

Tablets may be suitable when the person is otherwise stable, while intravenous medicine and hospital monitoring may be needed for severe infection, rapid progression, significant illness or difficulty taking oral treatment. A clinician must prescribe the specific medicine and route.

Cellulitis is a bacterial infection in deeper skin layers. The affected area is typically red, warm, swollen and painful, often with an edge that is not sharply defined. It commonly begins where bacteria enter through a cut, cracked skin, an ulcer, an insect bite or athlete's foot.

The condition often presents with enlarging skin redness and tenderness; fever or chills may accompany a more significant infection. These symptoms require assessment because several inflammatory and circulation problems can resemble cellulitis but need different care.

Start the prescribed antibiotic as directed, take each dose according to its instructions and complete the planned course unless the treating clinician changes it. Rest and elevate an affected arm or leg when practical to reduce swelling. Use pain relief only if it is suitable for your health and other medicines.

The clinician may mark the redness edge to monitor spread. Check the area without repeatedly pressing it, and attend the advised follow-up even if discomfort begins to ease. Manage entry points such as cracked toe-web skin or wounds as instructed to reduce another episode.

Seek urgent reassessment if redness expands quickly, pain becomes severe or disproportionate, blisters or dark skin appear, swelling increases, fever develops, or symptoms worsen after treatment starts. Infection involving the face or area around an eye also needs prompt attention.

Call emergency services for confusion, faintness, breathing difficulty, cold or mottled skin, extreme drowsiness, or a person who appears critically unwell; these can accompany sepsis. Sudden lip, tongue or throat swelling after an antibiotic is also an emergency.

Ask why the proposed route of antibiotic fits the severity, when the skin should be reviewed and which changes require earlier reassessment. Give a complete account of allergies, kidney or liver problems, pregnancy, diabetes and all current medicines.

Discuss the likely entry point and how to care for it once the acute pain settles. If cellulitis has happened before, ask about foot care, swelling management, wound care and skin conditions that may need ongoing control.