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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staff
Bacterial meningitis
Acute bacterial meningitis requires prompt treatment with intravenous antibiotics to ensure recovery and reduce the risk of complications. The antibiotic or combination of antibiotics that your doctor may choose depends on the type of bacteria causing the infection. Often, analyzing a sample of cerebrospinal fluid can help identify the bacteria. If you or your child has bacterial meningitis, your doctor may recommend a broad-spectrum antibiotic until he or she can determine the exact cause of the meningitis.
If you or your child has bacterial meningitis, your doctor may recommend treatments for brain swelling, shock, convulsions or dehydration. Infected sinuses or mastoids — the bones behind the outer ear that connect to the middle ear — may need to be drained. Any fluid that has accumulated between the brain and the membranes that surround it may also need to be drained or surgically removed.
Viral meningitis
Antibiotics can't cure viral meningitis, and most cases improve on their own in a week or two without therapy. Treatment of mild cases of viral meningitis is usually with bed rest, plenty of fluids and over-the-counter pain medications to help reduce fever and relieve body aches. If the cause of your meningitis is the herpes virus, your doctor may also recommend an antiviral medication aimed at this virus.
