What Are the Usual Treatments for Mastitis?
Mastitis typically responds to antibiotic treatment within 24 hours. The drug of choice, dicloxacillin (Dycill), is taken orally, 500 mg every six hours for seven to 10 days. In women who are allergic to penicillin, alternatives include erythromycin (Ery-Tab) 500 mg every six hours or clindamycin (Cleocin) 300 mg every six hours. (Remember, however, that drug doses vary. Your doctor will determine the correct dosage for you.) Also, removing milk from your breast through continued breast-feeding or pumping helps the infection clear up quickly. If your mastitis does not improve within 48 to 72 hours, you may have an abscess. In these cases, treatment is more aggressive. The abscess has to be lanced (by incision) and drained. This may require a trip to the emergency or operating room. You also need antibiotics. Depending on the severity of the infection, you may be given the antibiotics intravenously rather than orally. After the abscess is lanced, a sample is sent to the laboratory to id
