Sore throat
For a pregnancy-safe sore throat, focus on hydration, rest, and home remedies like gargling with warm salt water, sipping honey and lemon tea, and using lozenges with local anesthetics (like benzocaine) or antiseptics (like menthol). Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) are generally safe, but always consult your doctor before taking any medication, avoiding NSAIDs like ibuprofen and decongestants in the first trimester.
To soothe a child's sore throat, offer plenty of fluids, soft foods like yogurt or soup, and cold treats like popsicles, while using pain relievers like children's ibuprofen or acetaminophen as directed (never aspirin for kids). For older kids (over 4), salt water gargles and lozenges help, and honey (over age 1) can soothe, but always ensure hydration, rest, and avoid smoke irritants, seeing a doctor for severe symptoms.
The most common cause of a sore throat, also called pharyngitis, is a viral infection, such as a cold or the flu. A sore throat from a virus goes away on its own. Strep throat, also called a streptococcal infection, is a less common type of sore throat. Bacteria causes it.
In addition to the soreness, you may have symptoms like a cough or runny nose. Most sore throat symptoms go away within three to 10 days.
A viral sore throat often comes with cold symptoms like a cough, runny nose, and hoarseness, while a bacterial one (strep throat) usually hits suddenly with severe pain, high fever, no cough, and white spots/pus on tonsils, but only a doctor's test (strep test) can confirm, as symptoms overlap and look similar.
Throat lozenges, numbing sprays, and ibuprofen work quickly to reduce symptoms.
Red flags for a sore throat that need urgent care include difficulty breathing or swallowing, severe pain (especially on one side), drooling, inability to open your mouth fully, stiff neck, confusion, high fever with shivering, dehydration signs, or blood in saliva, as these can signal serious issues like airway obstruction, severe infection, or rare conditions needing immediate attention. See a doctor if it lasts over a week, recurs often, or if you have night sweats, unexplained weight loss, or a weakened immune system.
Five common signs of strep throat are a sudden, painful sore throat, fever, swollen tonsils (often with white patches or pus), swollen, tender neck glands, and sometimes tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth (petechiae), often appearing without typical cold symptoms like coughing.
Use the following to ease the symptoms of a sore throat:
Many different viral illnesses can cause sore throat. Some common ones are rhinovirus (common cold), flu, adenovirus, and coronaviruses, like COVID-19. These typically lead to redness and rawness in the back of the throat. One virus that really mimics strep throat is the Epstein-Barr virus, the virus that causes mono.
How Can I Help Soothe My Child's Cough and Sore Throat?
Take a sip of salt water, without swallowing. 3. Tilt your head back and gargle with the salt water for 10-15 seconds, before spitting it out into a sink.
You may take: Cough drops (throat lozenges), such as Halls, Ricola or Cepacol. Guaifenesin (Mucinex, plain Robitussin) for a dry cough. Afrin nasal spray.
How to sleep with sore throats
Viruses, like those that cause colds or flu, are the most common cause of sore throat. These viruses are not strep throat. Other causes of sore throat include: The bacteria group A Streptococcus, which causes strep throat (also called streptococcal pharyngitis).
If you have strep throat, your throat and tonsils may appear red, sore and swollen. You may also have white patches, spots or streaks of pus on your throat and tonsils. In addition, you may develop tiny, red spots on the roof of your mouth called petechiae.
You should also see your provider if your sore throat lasts more than three days or is getting worse. “A viral sore throat usually starts to improve after a couple of days,” Bazzi says. “A long-term sore throat is often a sign of something more serious.”
Stage 1 of a sore throat, often the start of a cold or flu, involves early symptoms like a tickle, scratchiness, or mild pain in the throat, possibly with sneezing, usually appearing 1-3 days after infection, and can be managed with rest, fluids, saltwater gargles, and OTC pain relievers, but see a doctor if it's severe, lasts over a week, or comes with a high fever or trouble breathing.
In most cases, your sore throat will improve with at-home treatment. However, it's time to see your doctor if a severe sore throat and a fever over 101 degrees lasts longer than one to two days; you have difficulty sleeping because your throat is blocked by swollen tonsils or adenoids; or a red rash appears.
Other health conditions that can cause sore throat are reflux, tonsil stones, muscle tension, and mononucleosis, also known as mono. Acid reflux can cause heartburn and if the acid reaches the throat it can also lead to throat discomfort.
Salt-Water Gargle
Gargling warm salt-water is a simple but powerful remedy for sore throats. It works by reducing inflammation, and killing harmful bacteria in the throat. To create your salt-water remedy, simply mix ¼ to ½ teaspoons of salt into a cup of warm water.
You can also use a heating pad if available. If you are using a cloth and warm water, soak the cloth in the warm water, wring out the excess water and fold it into a size that fits comfortably on your neck.