Have Strep Throat And Coughing Up Phlegm. How Long Does Z-pack Takes To Work?

Posted on Sun, 17 Feb 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 Answered on

Sat, 9 Mar 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : How long does it take for a z-pack to work? This is the third day on the 5-day Z-pack and she is coughing up more phlem(green) than before. She has strep throat that is getting worse. She doesn't have a temperature. She doesn't have shortness of breath. Her only ailment is anemia and for that she has occasional iron drips. Otherwise she has been in good health. She had a flu shot.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (1 hour later)

Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic

The benefits of azithromycin can be seen during the antibiotic course for some people but in others the effect is not seen till 1 to 2 days after the course has been completed. As persons age, even in the absence of any significant illnesses, the immune system does not work as well and may take a little longer before it starts to respond effectively.
In addition to the azithromycin, you can try using a mucolytic to decrease the viscosity of the mucus in the chest and help it come up easier. The use of an analgesics and gargling with antiseptic/analgesic gargles would also help ease her discomfort.
If up to seven days after the onset of using it, she is still having significant symptoms with no improvement then it may be best for her to be re assessed.

I hope this helps, please feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar