Tonsillitis

I've got tonsillitis :frown:

but can't go tot the doctors until after the bank holiday so can't get any anti-biotics for a while, is there anythin I can try that will make it feel better? I've been having soluble asprin nd lotsa water, but it just hurts to do anything else.
Also, any idea on how long it on average lasts once you get treatment?

Reply 1

Spurs

9

Eat some ice cream. I think you get put on a course of anti biotics for 7 days and it will probably be nearly cleared up before you have finished.

Reply 2

lskdgjsj

10

Angel-J

Also, any idea on how long it on average lasts once you get treatment?

Paracetamol is better than aspirin for this. Symptomatic treatment generally consists of ten days of penicillin therapy. After that time, it should be gone. Of course if you have repeated acute tonsillitis after therapy then they might consider a tonsillectomy.

Reply 3

Matt2301

Paracetamol. Lots of it. Drink plenty fluids, try and eat if you can. If you don't eat weight loss after a while can be considerable.

Once you get penicillin, you're looking ta 3 days or so. It lasts up to around 10 days without.

Reply 4

Ataloss

13

If it was really causing you a lot of discomfort - you could always go to a walk-in centre.

Reply 5

icklehc

1

ive got it too at the mo. gargle salt water, drink alot of water, take paracetomol as needed, sleep/rest.

Reply 6

RetiredAccount89

18

svidrigailov

Paracetamol is better than aspirin for this. Symptomatic treatment generally consists of ten days of penicillin therapy. After that time, it should be gone. Of course if you have repeated acute tonsillitis after therapy then they might consider a tonsillectomy.

You sound so sure about this and yet are so off base.

Most tonsilitis is viral for starters.
Penicillin is not a symptomatic treatment, its a causitive treatment. Some good old Aspirin or soluble profen will treat the symptoms - sore throat, headache etc.
And tonsillectomies these days are only if you have LOTS of tonsilitis, or the tonsilitis impedes breathing, or if you get quinsy, or if your tonsils start to affect your sleep (snoring etc).

My advice to the poster - take some painkillers, gargle salty water/tcp, and if its still as bad in a week (or it gets worse) THEN go to the doctor.

Reply 7

L i b

19

Robot Chicken

And tonsillectomies these days are only if you have LOTS of tonsilitis, or the tonsilitis impedes breathing, or if you get quinsy, or if your tonsils start to affect your sleep (snoring etc).

Why's that then?

I got mine removed when I was a young scamp... for a few years it seemed to increase my number of chest infections, but aside from that, no adverse effects.

Reply 8

Matt2301

Robot Chicken

You sound so sure about this and yet are so off base.

Most tonsilitis is viral for starters.
Penicillin is not a symptomatic treatment, its a causitive treatment. Some good old Aspirin or soluble profen will treat the symptoms - sore throat, headache etc.
And tonsillectomies these days are only if you have LOTS of tonsilitis, or the tonsilitis impedes breathing, or if you get quinsy, or if your tonsils start to affect your sleep (snoring etc).

My advice to the poster - take some painkillers, gargle salty water/tcp, and if its still as bad in a week (or it gets worse) THEN go to the doctor.

Why the delay to go to the doctor? I get the dreaded T more often than the average man, and when I do it knocks ten shades of **** out of me, pardon my French. Why delay a visit to the doctor, when Penicillin MAY sort you out right as a trivet with two days?

Reply 9

Happy1

14

Milkshakes are good, theyre cold and soft so they'll feel nice on your throat. Aspirin may help any headaches and pain, whilst strepsils may also help with the sore throat

Reply 10

Angel-J

OP

3

Thanks for all the advice. Went to an out of hours surgery thing this mornin, nd now got some proper drugs to help, hopefully be on the mend soon :smile:

Anyone happen to know how contageous it is, I know there's at least 6 of my friends that are starting to feel rough, and getting sore throats, is it likely that I passed it on to them?

Reply 11

Bexxxx

14

When i last had tonsilitis my antibiotics didnt kick in for about three days! :eek:

Reply 12

RetiredAccount89

18

LibertineNorth

Why's that then?

I got mine removed when I was a young scamp... for a few years it seemed to increase my number of chest infections, but aside from that, no adverse effects.

several reasons.
for starters its a completely unnecessary procedure in most people, which can of course go wrong and have other risks attached with it.
secondly it increases risk of infections like chest infections - both now and certainly in later life.
Another reason is its a good indicator that theres something wrong. take them out and you can lose a diagnostic tool. [less of an impoirtant reason]
i think there was even some research to suggest people with tonsils removed early in life have increased risk of developing allergies.

Reply 13

RetiredAccount89

18

Matt2301

Why the delay to go to the doctor? I get the dreaded T more often than the average man, and when I do it knocks ten shades of **** out of me, pardon my French. Why delay a visit to the doctor, when Penicillin MAY sort you out right as a trivet with two days?

firstly because most tonsilitis is viral, not bacterial. secondly most of the tonsilitis causing bacteria these days are pretty resistant to penicillin anyway (well over 30-40%) so all we do is increase risk of further resistance to penicillin in bacteria.
In most the major studies done it has found that simply giving penicillin to everyone presenting with a sore throat won't reduce the length of their illness significantly. Soluble aspirin type things and antiseptic gargles do (they don't reduce it so much as make you feel much better throughout it).

Reply 14

Ikissmysweetiewithmyfist

I get tonisillitis every other month, and garlgling listerine really works wonders. It stings a little at first but it helps clear up the infection.

Reply 15

Little Girl Red

1

I get tonsilitis all the time. Try gargling with some mouth wash such as Corsodyl and also gargling listerine, as Ikissmysweetiewithmyfist just said above.
Another thing which I found by accident the other day is that if you eat honey, it helps. Honey is a natural antiseptic and will soothe an infection. It wont clear it up, but it will help by making it less sore. Have some on toast or stir it into some hot water.

Reply 16

lskdgjsj

10

Robot Chicken

You sound so sure about this and yet are so off base.

You're quite right; I was thinking of streptococcal tonsillitis.

Reply 17

aisling s.

i absolutely hate them but Original flavour strepsils always work for me, well they used to anyway, i don't really don't get it anymore (grew out of it). Also, barley sugars, which are sugary boiled sweets, and fruit pastilles are nice just to suck on as they help to soothe your throat gently if it's really inflamed - but don't swallow while they're still hard cos it kills!
Ooo! - my dad also swears by gargling with salt water, (that should probably be a last resort!!)

Reply 18

-x- Lici -x-

Paracetamol 200 every 4 hours....but not above maximum allowed...check its 200....if its 500 take it once every 6 hours....

gargle with dispersible asprin.

Reply 19

dan1982

This may sound silly, but if its bacteria, then eating toast helps.
Its fairly hard to do, and hurts like hell but as mothers say it help scrap out any nasties.

Whether its true or not i always found after 10minutes of painful eating it flt better.

Tonsillitis

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