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Sore throat medications are available in several options, ranging from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to antibiotics. These drugs must be used according to the cause of the sore throat to be effective in dealing with the complaints that occur
Sore throat can be caused by many things, from viral infections, including COVID-19 infection, strep throat, bacterial infections in the throat, allergies, tonsillitis, acid reflux disease, to exposure to cigarette smoke.
In addition, a sore throat can sometimes also be caused by a dry throat, neck or throat injury, and shouting, laughing, or talking too loudly.
Sore throat can be treated with several types of medicine. However, the sore throat medication must be used according to the cause of the sore throat in order to work more effectively.
Several Choices of Sore Throat Medicines and Their Uses
Sore throat due to irritation or viral infection can generally heal on its own within 5-7 days. However, complaints of a sore throat can sometimes cause discomfort and interfere with daily activities.
To relieve sore throat complaints, there are several types of sore throat medications that can be used, including:
1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
To relieve sore throat due to irritation and inflammation, you can use NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol.
Not only does it relieve pain, this drug can also treat fever complaints that sometimes accompany a sore throat. These drugs can generally be purchased over the counter without a doctor's prescription.
However, if your sore throat does not go away even though you have used the medicine according to the instructions for use, you should consult a doctor to get the appropriate treatment.
2. Lozenges
Tablets lozenges or lozenges are widely sold in pharmacies and drug stores. This sore throat remedy generally contains natural ingredients, such as menthol and licorice, which can relieve pain and itching in the throat.
However, the throat-relieving effect of this sore throat remedy is temporary and cannot completely cure a sore throat.
3. cough medicine
Sore throat often appears accompanied by coughing, both dry cough and cough with phlegm. This persistent cough can exacerbate sore throat complaints and make it more difficult to heal.
Therefore, cough medicine can also be used as a sore throat medicine. There are cough medicines that can be purchased over-the-counter, but there are also those that need to be obtained through a doctor's prescription.
4. Antibiotics
Antibiotics can be used to treat sore throats caused by bacterial infections. However, antibiotics must be taken according to the doctor's prescription and instructions.
If used arbitrarily or inappropriately, antibiotics will not be effective and actually risk causing bacterial resistance or immunity to antibiotics.
5. Mouthwash
Some types of mouthwash, such as mouthwash containing hydrogen peroxide, may be prescribed by your doctor to treat your sore throat.
The sore throat medicine is not only able to clean the mouth, but also inhibits the growth of bacteria in the mouth and throat, and relieves pain in the throat.
6. Stomach acid reliever
Acid reflux disease or GERD occurs when stomach acid rises up into the esophagus. This rising stomach acid can sometimes make you feel sore throat.
To treat a sore throat due to GERD, you can use over-the-counter stomach acid relievers such as antacids.
In addition to antacids, GERD usually also needs to be treated with drugs according to a doctor's prescription, such as PPI drugs and H-2 antagonists that function to reduce stomach acid production.
Relieve Sore Throat with Home Treatment
In addition to using sore throat medicine, there are some tips that you can also do to relieve sore throat complaints, including:
1. Gargle with warm s alt water
You can gargle with warm s alt water to relieve sore throat complaints. The way to make it is quite easy, you only need to mix teaspoon of s alt with 1 cup of warm water. Stir the water until the s alt dissolves, then gargle for a few minutes.
You can gargle with s alt water every 3 hours until the sore throat feels better.
2. Drink warm water
To relieve irritation and sore throat, you can drink more water. In addition, you can also try other drinks, such as water or warm tea mixed with honey or lemon juice.
These drinks can relieve sore throat complaints and prevent dehydration.
3. Take care of air quality
Keep the rooms of the house clean and free from sources of pollution, such as cigarette smoke, dust, air fresheners, or cleaning products that can cause throat irritation.
If the air in the house is too dry, for example due to the use of air conditioning, you can use a humidifier to increase the quality and level of humidity. This can help speed up the healing of your sore throat and prevent it from recurring.
4. Talk less
To recover from a sore throat faster, you need to get more rest and talk less. You can return to your normal speech when your throat feels better and it no longer hurts.
Although generally not a serious disease, you still need to be careful if a sore throat does not go away or is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- Difficulty moving mouth or jaw
- Plegm is yellowish or greenish in color
- Coughing up blood
- Fever
- ear pain
- Skin rash
- Hoarse voice more than 2 weeks
If you have a sore throat accompanied by some of the above symptoms, you should consult with your doctor further to get an examination. After the cause is known, the doctor can give a sore throat medicine according to the cause.
