Home Care Advice for Sore Throat
- Take Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen as directed on the box every 4 to 6
hours for three days
- Use Zinc lozenge/chloraseptic spray as directed
- Butterscotch candy, cold drinks, popsicles may help
- Soft food diet for 2 days- helps to decrease swallowing pain
- Gargle with salt water (1 tsp. salt/glass) 6x a day
- Avoid acid juices (i.e. orange, grapefruit), which may increase throat
pain
- If not better in 48 hours or if fever develops come in for a throat culture
How to prevent the spread of Sore throats, including Streptococcal Infection:
- Good hand washing
- Separate eating utensils and drinking cups
- Cover mouth if coughing
- Limit direct contact until 24-48 hours on medication or after fever resolves
Come in for evaluation if:
- You are experiencing difficulty with breathing, swallowing, or drooling
- No improvement occurs within 48 hours or if fever > 100.4 F develops
- Sore throat continues longer than 5 days, (you may have Mono)
- You develop a severe ear ache, chest pain, or shortness of breath
- You are unable to swallow your own saliva or unable to drink fluids
- No improvement or condition worsens
- Unable to keep down medication