Sore throat remedies that help, and when to see a doctor

A sore throat usually gets better by itself within a week. Until it does, the aim is to make swallowing hurt less and to notice the few signs that need a doctor. This guide goes through the remedies you can use at home and the medicines a pharmacy sells, and says what each one does.

The medicine rules quoted here come from the NHS in the UK. A sore throat behaves the same way in South Africa; where the rules differ between the two countries, we name the country.

Why your throat hurts

Most sore throats are caused by a virus, often the same cold or flu virus that brings a runny nose and a cough. Antibiotics do nothing against viruses. Fewer sore throats are caused by bacteria, most often group A streptococcus, which is what people mean by strep throat. Smoking, smoky rooms and shouting can leave the throat raw without any infection at all.

Looking in the mirror will not tell you which one you have, because white patches on the tonsils appear with viral infections too. The signs doctors use to suspect strep are in our article on strep throat and a viral sore throat.

Home remedies for a sore throat

The NHS lists these steps for adults:

• Gargle with warm salt water. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, gargle and spit it out. Do not swallow it, and do not ask children to do this.
• Drink plenty of fluids and rest.
• Eat cool or soft food that does not scrape on the way down.
• Suck ice cubes, ice lollies or hard sweets. Keep anything small and hard away from young children because of the choking risk.
• Stay away from smoke, including other people's.

A warm drink of lemon and honey is another NHS suggestion for a sore throat during a cold. Honey is not for babies under 12 months.

Sore throat remedies from the pharmacy

For a sore throat the NHS names three kinds of medicated lozenge, sprays, and painkillers you swallow. They ease the pain while the infection runs its course; none of them cures it. The table shows what each type contains and what it does.

Type	Active substances you will see on the label	What it does
Lozenge with a local anaesthetic	benzocaine, lidocaine	Numbs the throat for a while
Lozenge or spray with an anti-inflammatory	flurbiprofen (lozenge), benzydamine (spray or gargle)	Acts on the inflammation in the throat lining
Lozenge with an antiseptic	amylmetacresol, 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol, cetylpyridinium chloride	Acts on germs in the mouth; sucking any lozenge also keeps the throat moist
Anaesthetic spray	lidocaine, benzocaine	Numbs the throat; the NHS notes there is little proof it helps when used on its own

Three things on the label matter more than the colour of the box:

• The maximum number a day. Lozenges are medicines, and the limit is printed on the pack.
• The minimum age. Several throat products are not for children; the pack says from which age they can be used.
• An anti-inflammatory you already take. Flurbiprofen belongs to the same group as ibuprofen. If you take ibuprofen tablets, have a stomach ulcer or asthma that reacts to this group of medicines, ask the pharmacist before you add a flurbiprofen lozenge.

While your throat is numb from an anaesthetic lozenge, let hot drinks and food cool down first, because you will not feel how hot they are.

Painkillers you swallow

Paracetamol or ibuprofen, taken as the leaflet says, eases the pain and brings a temperature down. The NHS puts them on the same list as lozenges. Many cold and flu tablets and hot drinks already contain paracetamol, so check the ingredients before you take a separate paracetamol tablet. Our guide to cold and flu tablets explains how to read those labels.

Do you need antibiotics for a sore throat?

Usually not. The NHS says you do not normally need antibiotics for a sore throat, and a pharmacist or GP prescribes them only when a bacterial infection is possible. In England you can start with a pharmacist, who can help adults and children aged 5 or over. In South Africa, start with your pharmacist or a doctor.

Do not take antibiotics left over from an earlier illness. They may be the wrong medicine, the dose will be wrong, and unnecessary antibiotics help bacteria become resistant.

When a sore throat needs a doctor

See a doctor (in the UK, your GP) if:

• the sore throat has not improved after a week;
• you get sore throats often;
• you have a lump in your neck or mouth, or a mouth ulcer that has lasted more than 3 weeks;
• a child under 5 has a sore throat.

Get urgent advice the same day (in the UK, an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111) if you have a very high temperature or feel hot and shivery, show signs of dehydration, or have a weakened immune system.

Call for emergency help (999 in the UK) if you have difficulty breathing, cannot swallow, or your symptoms are severe and getting worse quickly. In South Africa, use your local emergency number. One-sided throat pain that keeps growing, trouble opening the mouth or a muffled voice also need a doctor straight away.

What a sore throat costs, and how to pay less

A sore throat rarely comes alone. By the second day the basket can hold lozenges, a painkiller and something for a blocked nose. Each online pharmacy sets its own prices and its own delivery charge, so the pharmacy with the cheapest lozenges is not always the cheapest for everything you need.

Two habits keep the bill down:

• Compare by what is inside. Two packs with the same active substance, strength and number of lozenges can differ in price because of the brand on the box. The label tells you whether they match; the comparison shows the price difference.
• Compare the whole basket with delivery. Put the lozenges, the painkiller and anything else you need into one basket and compare the total. Our page on cheap cold medicine shows how a cold-season basket adds up.

CheaperForDrug is a price comparison, not a pharmacy. Comparing is free, with no account and no limit, and prices are checked at the moment you compare. If you want to see why the answer depends on the basket, read about the cheapest online pharmacy for your basket.

Add what you need to a basket and compare the total with delivery.

Sources

• NHS: Sore throat (page reviewed 8 April 2024)
• NHS: Common cold (page reviewed 22 March 2024)

Updated 10 October 2026. This article is general information, not medical advice. Ask a pharmacist or doctor about your own symptoms and the medicines you take.