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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffPneumonia treatments vary, depending on the severity of your symptoms and the type of pneumonia you have.
- Bacterial. Doctors usually treat bacterial pneumonia with antibiotics. Although you may start to feel better shortly after beginning your medication, be sure to complete the entire course of antibiotics. Stopping medication too soon may cause your pneumonia to return. It also helps create strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
- Viral. Antibiotics aren't effective against most viral forms of pneumonia. And although a few viral pneumonias may be treated with antiviral medications, the recommended treatment generally is rest and plenty of fluids.
- Mycoplasma. Mycoplasma pneumonias are treated with antibiotics. Even so, recovery may not be immediate. In some cases fatigue may continue long after the infection itself has cleared. Many cases of mycoplasma pneumonia go undiagnosed and untreated. The signs and symptoms mimic those of a bad chest cold, so some people never seek medical attention. The symptoms generally go away on their own.
- Fungal. If your pneumonia is caused by a fungus, you'll likely be treated with antifungal medication.
Dealing with your symptoms
In addition to these treatments, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter medications to reduce fever, treat your aches and pains, and soothe the cough associated with pneumonia. You don't want to suppress your cough completely, though, because coughing helps clear your lungs. If you must use a cough suppressant, use the lowest dose that helps you get some rest.
When hospitalization is needed
If you have severe pneumonia, you'll be hospitalized and treated with intravenous antibiotics and possibly put on oxygen. If you don't need oxygen, you may recover as quickly at home with oral antibiotics as in the hospital, especially if you have access to qualified home health care. Sometimes you may spend three or four days in the hospital receiving intravenous antibiotics and then continue to recover at home with oral medication.
Follow-up treatment
Your doctor will most likely schedule a follow-up X-ray and an office visit after your initial diagnosis and treatment. By that time your infection should have cleared, but it's important for your doctor to see you, even if you're feeling better. Follow-up appointments and X-rays are especially important in smokers.
If you're not feeling better, the follow-up visit is an opportunity for your doctor to determine whether your course of treatment isn't working and order more tests to get more information about your condition.
- Pneumonia. The Merck Manuals: 00The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec05/ch052/ch052a.html. Accessed March 25, 2009.
- Pneumonia fact sheet. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2060321&content_id={08C669B0-E845-4C9C-8B1E-285348BC83BD}¬oc=1. Accessed March 28, 2009.
- Durrington H, et al. Recent changes in the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. British Medical Journal. 2008;336:1429.
- Pneumonia. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=4294229&ct=3052571. Accessed March 28, 2009.
- Menendez R, et al. Treatment failure in community-acquired pneumonia. Chest. 2007;132:1348.
- Singh S, et al. Long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids and the risk of pneumonia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A meta-analysis. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009;169;219.
- Chong C, et al. Pneumonia in the elderly: A review of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, microbiology and clinical features. Southern Medical Journal. 2008;101;1141.
- Chong C, et al. Pneumonia in the elderly: A review of severity assessment, prognosis, mortality, prevention and treatment. Southern Medical Journal. 2008;101;1134.
