Can you get strep throat antibiotics online in Florida?
Clinically reviewed by Pedro Alvarez, PA-C, Florida-licensed Physician Associate (PA9113765) · Last reviewed 2026-10-17
The short answer
Yes, for adults in Florida, in two situations. We prescribe antibiotics for strep throat when a test confirms it, or when your answers (and a throat photo, if you send one) meet strict clinical criteria. If they don’t, we’ll recommend in-person testing instead, and you won’t be charged. The check comes first and is free. If you qualify, a $79 message visit follows: a licensed Florida provider reviews your case, usually within 2 to 4 hours during business hours, and decides whether an antibiotic is right for you. The first-line antibiotic, amoxicillin, costs about $6.15 for the full course at Cost Plus Drugs.
How strep is different from a regular sore throat
Most sore throats are viral and get better on their own. Strep throat is a bacterial infection, group A streptococcus, and it is the one common kind of sore throat that antibiotics help.
Clues that point toward strep: a sore throat that came on fast, pain when swallowing, a measured fever, swollen and tender glands at the front of the neck, and white patches or streaks of pus on the tonsils. Clues that point toward a virus instead: a cough, a runny nose, hoarseness, pink eye or mouth ulcers along with the sore throat. When those viral features are there, strep is unlikely, and an antibiotic will not help.
How Goza decides: a test, or strict criteria
US guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the CDC say strep should be confirmed with a test before antibiotics, because symptoms alone cannot reliably tell strep from a virus. The UK’s national guideline (NICE) takes a different approach: it uses a clinical score, such as the Centor score, and lets the clinician consider an antibiotic without a test when the score is high. Goza’s protocol is adapted from that approach, for adults only, with stricter limits.
So there are two ways to be treated at Goza:
- You have a positive strep test from this illness. A rapid test or culture from a pharmacy, retail clinic or urgent care, with your name, the testing site, the type of test and the result. You upload the record with your visit.
- No test, but your answers meet strict criteria. You answer structured questions about a measured fever, cough, your neck glands and your tonsils, plus questions that rule out look-alike illnesses. The score has to be high, nothing can point to a virus, and none of the exclusions can apply. Even then, you choose: treatment on the criteria, or a test first. A test is the more certain way to know, because some sore throats that meet the criteria are not strep, and antibiotics you don’t need can cause side effects, so the choice is yours to make with that in mind.
Meeting the criteria means your provider may treat you. It never means a prescription is guaranteed. Your provider, not the form, decides, and your provider, not you, chooses the medicine.
How the visit works at Goza
- The free screen. You answer questions about your sore throat, about 5 minutes. If it shows online care isn’t right for you, the visit ends there: no charge, no card entered.
- If you qualify, the $79 visit. You finish your health history, choose a pharmacy and pay the $79 visit fee. The fee pays for your provider’s evaluation; it is the same whether or not an antibiotic is prescribed.
- A Florida-licensed provider reviews your case, usually within 2 to 4 hours during business hours. Visits are accepted around the clock; providers review from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern on weekends.
- A decision. Your provider either prescribes an antibiotic, sent to the pharmacy you choose, or decides you need to be seen in person and tells you.
- Follow-up. You can message your provider through your Goza thread during treatment, and we check in with you during the first week.
Ready to start? Start a strep message visit. The free screen comes first.
Which antibiotic, and what it costs
Guidelines put penicillin or amoxicillin first because group A strep has never developed resistance to them. At Goza the first-line choice is amoxicillin 500 mg twice a day for 10 days. The alternatives below are for people who cannot take it. Your provider chooses, based on your allergy history and other medicines.
| Medication | When it is used | Course | Cost Plus Drugs price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amoxicillin 500 mg | First line, no penicillin allergy | Twice a day, 10 days | $6.15 |
| Cephalexin 500 mg | Mild, non-immediate penicillin allergy only, never after hives or anaphylaxis | Twice a day, 10 days | $6.93 |
| Azithromycin | Immediate-type penicillin allergy, provider’s choice; resistance is possible | 500 mg day 1, then 250 mg daily for 4 days | $5.84 |
| Clindamycin 300 mg | Alternative when the others are not an option; carries a higher risk of antibiotic-associated colitis | Three times a day, 10 days | $8.35 |
Prices are what Cost Plus Drugs charged at the quantity your prescription is written for, checked 12 September 2026, before $5.25 standard shipping. Goza does not sell medication or set these prices; you can use any pharmacy.
What you pay in total: the screen is free. If you qualify, the $79 visit plus $6.15 for amoxicillin comes to about $85.15 before shipping. Members pay $49 a month, which includes two visits a month ($59 per visit after that), so a member’s strep visit costs only the medication.
Why Goza scores before it prescribes
Goza computes a clinical score (Centor, as in the UK national guideline) from your structured answers before prescribing without a test; the provider — never the patient — selects the medication; and a free screen tells you, before you pay, if online care isn’t right for you.
When a sore throat needs to be seen in person instead
Some sore throats are not for telehealth. Call 911 if you have severe trouble breathing, swelling of your lips, tongue or throat, sudden swelling of your face, confusion, a seizure, new weakness or numbness on one side, new trouble speaking, or fainting. Go to an emergency department now if you are drooling or cannot swallow your own saliva, cannot swallow liquids, have a new muffled “hot potato” voice, cannot open your mouth, or have rapidly growing swelling on one side of your throat or neck. These can be signs of an abscess or airway problem that a message visit cannot handle.
If you are already on an antibiotic and have a measured fever of 100.4 °F or higher with symptoms getting worse after about 48 hours, or throat or neck swelling that is getting worse, be seen in person the same day.
Going back to work or school
Stay home from work, school, or daycare until you are fever-free and have been taking the appropriate antibiotic for at least 24 hours. That is Goza’s deliberately conservative rule; the CDC’s guidance is 12 to 24 hours on antibiotics plus no fever. Either way, nobody can promise you are “no longer contagious” at a fixed hour.
Finish the course, even when you feel better
Most people start to feel better within a day or two of starting an antibiotic that works. If you are not better in about 48–72 hours, or you get worse at any time, message us. If an antibiotic is prescribed, take it exactly as directed for the entire prescribed duration, even when the sore throat is gone.
Antibiotics can cause diarrhea. Mild loose stools are common. Watery, frequent, bloody or persistent diarrhea, or diarrhea with fever or significant belly pain, needs same-day in-person care, even if it happens after the antibiotic is finished.
About Goza
Goza is a Florida telehealth practice. Visits are reviewed by Florida-licensed providers under a Florida-licensed medical director. We treat adults 18 and over who are physically in Florida, we prescribe only non-controlled medications, we never refill automatically, and we send every prescription to the pharmacy you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get strep antibiotics online without a test?
Sometimes. We prescribe antibiotics for strep throat when a test confirms it, or when your answers (and a throat photo, if you send one) meet strict clinical criteria. If they don’t, we’ll recommend in-person testing instead, and you won’t be charged.
What does the $79 pay for?
Your $79 pays for your provider’s evaluation. Your provider decides whether an antibiotic is right for you, and the fee is the same either way. If your provider decides you need to be seen in person, they will tell you. The screen before payment is free: if it shows online care isn’t right for you, you are not charged.
Can I choose which antibiotic I get?
No. Tell your provider about any allergy and what happened when you took the medicine; your provider chooses the antibiotic.
Do I need a video call?
No. A message visit is enough: you answer the questions, upload a throat photo if you can, and your provider reviews them. A $99 video visit is available if you would rather talk.
What if I am allergic to penicillin?
Tell your provider exactly what happened when you took it. A mild rash years ago and hives or throat swelling are treated very differently: cephalexin can be an option after a mild, non-immediate reaction, while azithromycin or clindamycin are the choices after an immediate reaction. If the reaction is unclear, your provider will ask more rather than guess.
Can my child be treated through Goza?
No. Goza treats adults 18 and over. Children with a sore throat and fever should be seen by their pediatrician or an urgent care, where a rapid test can be done on the spot.
Ready to be seen?
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Strep throat · message visit
$79 Members: 2 visits a month included
Florida-licensed provider review within 2–4 hours in business hours · no video call · no insurance needed
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical Guidance for Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis (healthcare providers), last updated 18 November 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/group-a-strep/hcp/clinical-guidance/strep-throat.html (opened 2026-10-07)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Strep Throat (patients), last reviewed 15 January 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/group-a-strep/about/strep-throat.html (opened 2026-10-07)
- Shulman ST, Bisno AL, Clegg HW, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis: 2012 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2012;55(10):e86–e102. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/55/10/e86/321183 (opened 2026-10-07)
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Sore throat (acute): antimicrobial prescribing. NICE guideline NG84, published 26 January 2018. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng84 (opened 2026-10-16; recommendations 1.1.3 and 1.1.10)
- Cost Plus Drugs, medication prices at the prescribed quantities, as verified on goza.health/services/strep-throat/ on 12 September 2026. https://costplusdrugs.com
- Florida Statutes §465.1895, Testing or screening for and treatment of minor, nonchronic health conditions (pharmacist test-and-treat; streptococcus is listed). http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0465/Sections/0465.1895.html (opened 2026-10-16)
- Goza strep throat clinical protocol v3.0, signed 2026-10-07 (internal; eligibility rule, formulary, return-to-school rule, follow-up schedule).
