Sore throat

Sore throat

Sore throats are very common and usually nothing to worry about. They normally get better by themselves within a week.

To help soothe a sore throat and shorten how long it lasts, you can:

• gargle with warm, salty water (children should not try this)


• drink plenty of water


• eat cool or soft foods


• avoid smoking or smoky places


• suck ice cubes, ice lollies or hard sweets – but do not give young children anything small and hard to suck because of the risk of choking


• rest

You can ask a pharmacist about ways of relieving the pain and discomfort of a sore throat, such as:

• paracetamol or ibuprofen


• medicated lozenges containing a local anaesthetic, antiseptic, or anti-inflammatory medicine


• anaesthetic spray (although there's little proof they help)

You can buy these treatments from a supermarket or from a pharmacist without a prescription.

Call your pharmacy or contact them online before going in person. You can get medicines delivered or ask someone to collect them.

Find a pharmacy

You do not normally need antibiotics for a sore throat because they will not usually relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.

They'll only be prescribed if a GP thinks you could have a bacterial infection.

See a GP if:

Call 999 if:

If you have a sore throat you might have:

• a painful throat, especially when swallowing


• a dry, scratchy throat


• redness in the back of your mouth


• bad breath


• a mild cough


• swollen neck glands

The symptoms are similar for children, but children can also get a temperature and appear less active.

Sore throats are usually caused by viruses (like cold or flu) or from smoking. Very occasionally they can be caused by bacteria.

A sore throat can also be caused by:

• laryngitis


• tonsillitis


• strep throat (a bacterial throat infection)


• glandular fever