Table of contents:
- Various drug options for mumps
- 1. Take pain relievers
- 2. Drink lots of water
- 3. Get enough rest
- 4. Watch your food intake
- 5. Apply the cold compress to the swollen neck
- When to go to the doctor
Mumps or parotitis is an infectious disease caused by a virus that attacks the salivary or salivary glands. This condition causes the glands that are located under the cheeks to swell. Not only is it painful, you can also have difficulty speaking, swallowing or chewing. Fortunately, there are many ways to treat mumps, from taking pain relievers to natural home remedies.
Various drug options for mumps
Mumps is a highly contagious viral infection. The virus that causes the infection is the paramyxovirus. This viral infection causes inflammation and swelling of the parotid glands that produce saliva.
Actually, until now there is no specific antivirus to kill the virus that causes mumps. Various existing treatments, both for mumps for children and adults, are more aimed at relieving symptoms and increasing immunity.
However, treatment needs to be done until the viral infection is completely gone and the body returns to health.
In addition, please note that antibiotics are not effective at treating mumps. The reason is, antibiotics work to fight bacterial infections, not viruses.
In general, parotitis treatment in adults can be done independently at home. Here are some ways to cure mumps that you can try:
1. Take pain relievers
First, you can relieve the symptoms of mumps by taking pain medication. This pain reliever drug works to reduce pain and fever that arises from swelling in the salivary glands.
Pain relievers that you can take as a mumps medicine are paracetamol, ibuprofen, and aspirin. You can buy mumps medicine over the counter without a prescription at a pharmacy or grocery store.
Even without a doctor's supervision, make sure you read the instructions for using the medicine listed on the package. The reason is, the dosage of this pharmacy mumps may be different based on the patient's age.
If a stronger dose of pain reliever is needed to treat the symptoms of mumps, you will need to get a prescription from your doctor.
It is important to be more careful when giving aspirin to people with mumps who are children or adolescents. The reason is, the use of aspirin in children is associated with Reye's syndrome which can threaten the health of children.
So, make sure that you are not giving aspirin to treat mumps in children.
2. Drink lots of water
The most common symptom of mumps is swelling under the cheek accompanied by pain or stiffness in the back of the jaw.
Not surprisingly, many people who get mumps lose their appetite because it is difficult for them to chew and swallow food. Including just drinking water.
If this is allowed, people who are sick with mumps are prone to dehydration. Water intake that is fulfilled properly will help smoothen your body's metabolic system. That way, the immune system can get stronger against viral infections.
There are no drinking restrictions that you should avoid to treat mumps. However, experts recommend increasing water to treat mumps rather than sugary or fizzy drinks.
The reason is, most packaged drinks or juices can stimulate saliva production which actually makes the pain due to swelling of mumps worse.
3. Get enough rest
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises people with mumps to rest at home for at least five days after the parotid gland starts to look swollen.
Adequate rest also plays an important role in strengthening the immune system. During rest, you are also advised not to go outside the home or work temporarily.
How to deal with mumps through bed rest also aims to prevent transmission of the virus to other people. The reason is, the virus that causes mumps will be very contagious even up to a week after the appearance of symptoms, especially after 2 days of the first symptoms appear. During this period, it is very easy for you to pass the virus on to other people.
The spread of the virus that causes mumps can be transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person through direct contact, droplets or splashes of saliva, vomit, and urine.
4. Watch your food intake
Choosing the right food intake can be a powerful natural remedy for mumps.
Not only that, good and controlled food intake can also help reduce the risk of complications and speed up the healing process of this disease. Therefore, do not underestimate the choice of food while you are sick with mumps.
If eating hard foods makes it difficult for you to swallow and eventually you lose your appetite, try eating other foods that are softer. Soup, yogurt, mashed boiled potatoes, rice porridge, boiled rice or scrambled eggs and other foods that are not difficult to chew and swallow may be the right choice.
While treating mumps, as much as possible avoid eating acidic foods, such as fruits that contain citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, etc.) and vinegar. The reason is, acidic foods can increase saliva production.
Abundant production of saliva in your mouth can worsen your mumps symptoms. You are also advised to avoid spicy foods and greasy foods.
5. Apply the cold compress to the swollen neck
Another natural mumps remedy that you can try at home is a cold compress. In many cases, this one method has been proven effective to help relieve swelling and reduce pain.
Not only that, cold compresses can also relieve inflammation and provide comfort to the sore neck area.
The low temperature can help constrict blood vessels and slow blood flow to the site of mumps.
This decrease in blood flow will cause less inflammatory stimulants moving towards the area that is affected by mumps. As a result, it can reduce swelling and pain in the area.
Make sure you don't apply the ice directly to your skin when you apply the cold pack. The reason is, this method can actually cause frostbite and damage to the tissues and nervous system that are on your skin.
The best solution, try wrapping the ice cubes first with a cloth or a thin cloth before applying it to the skin. You can also soak a towel in a basin filled with cold water and ice cubes, wring it out before applying it to your skin.
To deal with mumps that has led to complications, the methods above may not have an optimal healing effect. In many cases, complications from mumps require further treatment. You may be advised by a doctor to be hospitalized.
When to go to the doctor
Most patients recover completely within a few weeks. Generally, people who get mumps will recover within 10 days of being infected. Even so, this disease requires proper treatment.
The use of mumps medications such as pain relievers can reduce symptoms due to swelling of the salivary glands. In addition, simple home remedies like the ones mentioned above can also help the body heal itself faster from infection.
Without proper mumps treatment, infection of the salivary glands can spread and cause complications, such as permanent disability or death. Fortunately, complications from mumps are rare.
That is why, if the symptoms of mumps do not improve even after doing home treatment, do not hesitate to check with a doctor. Later, the doctor will prescribe a mumps medication according to the symptoms being experienced.
Early diagnosis and prompt treatment can help relieve symptoms, avoid complications, prevent transmission of the virus to others, and speed up the healing process.
Either you or someone closest to you is taken to the doctor immediately if you experience the following symptoms:
- Stiffness in the neck
- Unbearable sleepiness
- Very bad headache
- Have seizures
- Fainting
- Abdominal pain, which can indicate pancreatic problems in men or problems with the ovaries in women
- High fever accompanied by swelling of the testicles
The symptoms mentioned above generally appear when the viral infection has spread to other body tissues. Seek medical help immediately to reduce the risk.
