What is sore throat

What is sore throat?

Sore throat comes in all sorts of variants, ranging from an unpleasant feeling to moderate pain or even severe pain. Sore throat is not pleasant, but can almost never hurt. Usually sore throat will resolve itself within 10 days. throat constantly overloaded (by smoking, singing, yelling, talking a lot). There are different types of pain killers and medicines that can help with sore throat.

Symptoms of sore throat

The symptoms of sore throat can vary. Sore throat can feel as a slight irritation, but also as a pain - and everything in between. If you have a slight sore throat, you experience an unpleasant feeling in your throat. or swallow.
If the sore throat is caused by a sore throat, your throat in the back is likely to be very red. You may also see whitish spots or thick mucus in your throat. Furthermore, the glands in your neck may be swollen and sensitive.

Causes of sore throat

Sore throat can be caused by various pathogens:

a cold virus (this is usually the cause)

a bacterium (this is less often the cause)

the Pfeiffer virus (this is rarely the cause)

an STD, sexually transmitted disease (this is a very rare cause)

Sore throat can also be caused by other causes or bad habits. For example: smoking, breathing in dry air, always clearing the throat or shouting a lot or (too) loudly.

Prevent sore throat

Is your sore throat caused by wrong behavior or unhealthy habits? Then try to change that. You often cannot prevent a sore throat from pathogens. Once you have a sore throat, it is wise to drink enough and to take a rest. To soothe or reduce the pain you can also suck on a licorice or acid. You can also opt for special lozenges. Sucking can ease the pain. But a sore throat does not heal faster.

Tips for sore throat

Drink something regularly, such as cold water

take enough rest

Talk as little as possible, then your throat will get a rest

Take a licorice or acid to suck up or take special lozenges

Note: always look carefully at the packaging to see what exactly is in the lozenge. Some lozenges contain NSAIDs. These are anti-inflammatory pain killers that you cannot use indefinitely. Moreover, they have side effects. It is therefore not advisable to use lozenges with NSAIDs. If in doubt, ask your BENU Pharmacy for advice.

Treat sore throat

You can often combat sore throat with painkillers. Some are freely available, others only through your (family) doctor. In the following cases you should always contact your doctor:

in trouble

with a wheezing or screaming breath

if drinking or swallowing fails

at drool

if you can no longer open your mouth properly

if you become more and more sick

for complaints on one side of your head (such as earache)

if you have a chronic illness or are using fixed medication (because then your resistance may be lower)

if you are unsure whether you can use anti-inflammatory pain killers (NSAID)

if you still have a fever after 3 days

if the sore throat lasts longer than 10 days

Do you have any other symptoms that concern you? Then also contact your doctor.

Which medicines can you use for sore throat?

The following medicines can help with sore throat. Light painkillers are freely available. Heavier painkillers can only be obtained on prescription from your doctor or specialist. Your BENU Pharmacy has various types of painkillers and can advise you on which painkiller best suits your situation.

In your BENU Pharmacy: pain killers with sore throat

Paracetamol

Paracetamol has both analgesic and fever-reducing effects.


Anti-inflammatory pain killers (NSAIDs)

These drugs have analgesic, fever-reducing and anti-inflammatory properties. They have more side effects than paracetamol. Therefore, anti-inflammatory pain killers (NSAIDs) are not the first choice for sore throat