Antibiotics for cellulitis on the leg

Milder infection may be treated with tablets, while severe illness, rapid spread or difficulty taking oral medicine may require hospital assessment and antibiotics through a vein. A clinician should also look for an entry point such as a cut, ulcer or cracked skin.

Cellulitis is a bacterial infection in deeper skin and nearby tissue. The affected area can become red or darker than the surrounding skin, warm, swollen, tender and increasingly painful. Fever, chills or feeling generally unwell can accompany it.

The visible edge may seem slightly worse early in treatment even when the medicine is starting to act, but continuing spread or worsening general illness needs reassessment. Conditions such as a blood clot or skin inflammation can resemble cellulitis, so diagnosis matters.

Start the prescribed antibiotic without unnecessary delay, take doses as labelled and complete the course unless the prescriber changes it. Elevating the leg when resting may ease swelling. Keep any wound dressing clean and follow the specific skin-care instructions you receive.

Do not squeeze the area or take leftover antibiotics. A clinician may mark the edge of redness to help judge spread. Arrange the advised follow-up, particularly if you have diabetes, poor circulation, lymphoedema, an ulcer or a weakened immune system.

Seek urgent medical assessment if redness or swelling spreads rapidly, pain becomes severe or disproportionate, the skin develops blisters or dark patches, or you have fever with shaking, confusion, dizziness, fast breathing or faintness. These features can signal a serious infection.

Call emergency services for severe breathing difficulty, collapse, or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat after an antibiotic. Contact the prescriber promptly for a widespread rash, persistent vomiting, severe diarrhoea, or failure to improve as expected.

Ask how soon the leg should be reviewed, whether a wound needs cleaning or sampling, and which changes mean treatment should be adjusted. Discuss pain relief, dressings, management of swelling and how to reduce recurrence by treating cracked skin or fungal infection between the toes.