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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Of viral or bacterial origin, sore throat is a common problem as winter approaches. In some cases, self-medication is enough to relieve pain. What medicines can you take without a prescription? Update with Dr Gérald Kierzek.
Throat lozenges, tablets, syrups… There are many medicines to treat sore throat. In case you can continue to do your daily activities, you have no fever and no other symptoms apart from a sore throat, it is possible to follow a drug treatment in self-medication. According to Leem41% of French people treated their sore throat by practicing self-medication in 2018.
Quickly treat a sore throat with which drugs?
As Dr. Gérald Kierzek points out, before starting any drug treatment in self-medication, “it is necessary to carry out a rapid test for the throat in order to verify that it is not a streptococcus” because “in the event of streptococcal bacterial angina, it must be treated by consulting your attending physician. The pharmacist and the attending physician can perform this test”.
To relieve the pain associated with sore throat, the expert indicates that paracetamol should be preferred, respecting the maximum recommended dose as well as the dosage (3g/day for adults and 60mg per kilogram per day for children, at intervals between 4 to 6 hours). In case of overdose, the latter can lead to serious damage to the liver.
On the other hand, “in case of allergy to paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin should be preferred to treat sore throat in self-medication”, specifies the medical director of Doctissimo.
Good to know: taking NSAIDs is contraindicated from the 6th month of pregnancy, in people with chronic kidney disease, heart failure, liver failure, chicken pox or inflammatory bowel diseases (eg Crohn’s disease).
To relieve the sore throat, it is also possible to take local medicines, available over the counter in pharmacies. Here are a few :
- Antiseptic mouthwashes (chlorhexidine, hexetidine);
- Lozenges to suck (Strepsils, Lysopaïne, Drill…);
- Syrups (in case of mild sore throat and without fever).
If in doubt, do not hesitate to ask your pharmacist for advice.
Fever, vomiting… I don’t wait and I consult!
According to’Health Insuranceif the sore throat is still there after 5 days of self-medication, accompanied by significant fatigue, then it is advisable to consult your doctor in the following days. “In case of fever exceeding 39°C, vomiting, headaches or lymph nodes, consult your doctor during the day”adds Dr. Kierzek.
If you are immunocompromised (HIV infection, current cancer treatment, autoimmune disease), consult your doctor without delay. Do number 15 if you are having difficulty breathing or, in addition to a sore throat, you are experiencing signs of severe dehydration.