What should you know about paronychia antibiotics not working?

Paronychia affects the skin beside a fingernail or toenail. Antibiotics may not resolve a pocket of pus that needs a procedure, may not match the organism, or may be unsuitable if the problem is irritation, trauma or another nail condition. Persistent redness and swelling can also extend into surrounding skin as cellulitis. Do not infer a specific infection from an antibiotic response alone; the clinician may need to inspect the nail fold and review how treatment was taken.

Contact the prescriber or a clinician for reassessment, especially if pain, warmth, swelling or discharge is increasing. Take the medicine exactly as directed unless a clinician tells you to stop, and do not share leftover antibiotics. Keep the area clean and dry, avoid biting or cutting the cuticle, and protect it from detergents and repeated wet work. Do not squeeze or pierce a suspected abscess yourself. Bring the medicine name, start date and any allergy or reaction details.

Seek urgent help for rapidly spreading redness, red streaks, fever, severe throbbing pain, marked swelling, reduced finger movement, numbness, or feeling very unwell. People with diabetes, poor circulation or a weakened immune system should seek advice early when an infected nail fold is worsening. Emergency care is appropriate for severe allergic symptoms after an antibiotic, including breathing difficulty, facial swelling or faintness.

Is there an abscess that needs drainage? Could irritation or another nail problem explain this? Is a sample needed? Should the antibiotic or route change? How should I protect the nail fold while it heals?