What you take for pneumonia depends on what’s causing it. Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics, viral pneumonia may require antiviral medications, and fungal pneumonia needs antifungal drugs. Most people with mild to moderate pneumonia recover at home with a course of oral medication and supportive care over one to four weeks. Here’s what treatment looks like for each type and what you can do to feel better faster.
Antibiotics for Bacterial Pneumonia
Bacterial pneumonia is the most common type that requires treatment, and antibiotics are the standard approach. If your case is mild enough to treat at home, your doctor will typically prescribe one of a few drug classes. Penicillin-type antibiotics like amoxicillin are a common first choice. Another option is a macrolide antibiotic such as azithromycin or clarithromycin. A third category, called respiratory fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin or moxifloxacin), is sometimes used instead.
Your doctor may combine two of these classes if they suspect an atypical bacterial cause, such as Mycoplasma or Legionella. For straightforward cases, a single antibiotic works just as well as a combination.
Most antibiotic courses last 7 to 10 days. Azithromycin, which stays active in the body longer, can sometimes be taken for just 3 to 5 days. The minimum effective course is five days. Legionella pneumonia is an exception and requires at least 14 days of treatment. Even if you start feeling better after a few days, finishing the full course is important to clear the infection and prevent antibiotic resistance.
Antivirals for Viral Pneumonia
When pneumonia is caused by a virus, antibiotics won’t help. Influenza-related pneumonia can be treated with antiviral medications like oseltamivir (Tamiflu), zanamivir (Relenza), peramivir (Rapivab), or baloxavir (Xofluza). These work best when started within the first 48 hours of symptoms. They don’t cure the infection outright but reduce how long and how severely you’re sick.
COVID-19 pneumonia has its own set of antiviral treatments, which are different from flu antivirals and not interchangeable. Many cases of viral pneumonia, including those caused by RSV or other common respiratory viruses, don’t have a specific antiviral and are managed with supportive care while the immune system clears the infection.
Antifungal Treatment
Fungal pneumonia is far less common and mostly affects people with weakened immune systems or those living in regions where certain fungi are found in the soil. Treatment depends on the specific fungus involved. Itraconazole is often used for infections like histoplasmosis and blastomycosis. Fluconazole treats certain types of candida-related lung infections. Voriconazole is a primary treatment for invasive aspergillosis. For life-threatening fungal pneumonia, amphotericin B, a powerful intravenous antifungal, may be necessary. These treatments typically last weeks to months.
Over-the-Counter Symptom Relief
Regardless of the cause, pneumonia brings fever, body aches, and chest discomfort. Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can bring fever down and ease pain. If you’re already taking a cold or cough medicine that contains a pain reliever, check the label before adding a separate one. Doubling up on the same active ingredient is a common and potentially dangerous mistake.
Cough suppressants deserve some caution. Coughing during pneumonia is your body’s way of clearing mucus and infected material from your lungs. Suppressing that reflex too aggressively can slow your recovery. If a dry, painful cough is keeping you from sleeping, a mild suppressant at night may be reasonable, but talk to your doctor before reaching for one during the day. Medications that thin mucus or keep airways open can also interfere with your body’s natural clearance mechanisms, so these should be used thoughtfully rather than automatically.
Don’t give cough or cold medicines to children under two, and never give aspirin to children.
What Happens in the Hospital
Not everyone with pneumonia can recover at home. Doctors use clinical scoring tools to decide who needs hospitalization. The key warning signs include confusion, very fast breathing (30 or more breaths per minute), low blood pressure, and elevated markers of kidney stress. Being 65 or older also increases risk. If two or more of these factors are present, hospitalization is typically recommended.
In the hospital, antibiotics are given intravenously for faster, more reliable absorption. Common IV antibiotics include amoxicillin-clavulanate, ampicillin-sulbactam, ceftriaxone, or a fluoroquinolone. Oxygen therapy is provided if your blood oxygen levels drop, ranging from a simple nasal cannula to high-flow oxygen or mechanical ventilation in severe cases.
For patients sick enough to need intensive care, a 2023 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that adding a corticosteroid (hydrocortisone) to standard treatment reduced the risk of death at 28 days and cut the likelihood of needing a breathing tube nearly in half. This is reserved for the most severe cases and given under close monitoring.
Breathing Exercises During Recovery
Beyond medication, actively working your lungs speeds recovery. An incentive spirometer is a simple plastic device your doctor may give you, especially after a hospital stay. You breathe in slowly through the mouthpiece, trying to raise an indicator to a target level while keeping a small ball centered in its chamber. The goal is 10 to 15 slow, deep breaths every one to two hours. This helps reopen collapsed areas of the lung and prevent fluid from settling.
Even without a spirometer, deliberate deep breathing helps. Sit upright, inhale slowly through your nose, hold for three to five seconds, and exhale through pursed lips. If you have chest pain or a surgical incision, pressing a pillow against your abdomen while breathing in reduces discomfort.
How Long Recovery Takes
Some people feel better and return to normal routines within one to two weeks. For others, it takes a month or longer. Fatigue is typically the last symptom to resolve, and most people still feel tired about a month after their infection clears. Older adults and those with chronic health conditions generally take longer to bounce back.
During recovery, rest matters as much as medication. Pushing back into a full schedule too early often leads to setbacks. Adequate sleep, staying hydrated, and gradually increasing activity as energy returns give your lungs the best chance to heal completely.
Preventing Pneumonia With Vaccines
The CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccines for two main groups: all children under five and all adults 50 and older. People of any age with conditions that weaken the immune system, cochlear implants, or cerebrospinal fluid leaks are also advised to get vaccinated.
Children receive a four-dose series (PCV15 or PCV20) at 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months. Adults 50 and older who have never had a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine should receive PCV15, PCV20, or the newer PCV21. If you get PCV20 or PCV21, you’re done with one shot. If you get PCV15, you’ll need a follow-up dose of PPSV23 about a year later.
Annual flu vaccination and staying current on COVID-19 vaccines also reduce your risk of viral pneumonia, which can sometimes lead to a secondary bacterial infection on top of the original virus.