Treatment

Most sore throats go away without treatment, often within a week or so. That's a good thing, because no medical therapy exists for sore throats caused by viral infections. But increasing your fluid intake and getting extra sleep can help speed your recovery.

When you're sick, choose fluids such as water, soups and broths - not sodas or drinks that contain caffeine, which can dehydrate you further. If you find it extremely painful to swallow, try sipping warm broth through a straw or sucking on ice chips. You may also find that Jello slides down easily.

Treating bacterial infections

At one time, doctors automatically treated all sore throats with antibiotics, both to cure the infection and to prevent dangerous complications such as rheumatic fever. Now, doctors are much less likely to prescribe medication because the overuse of antibiotics has led to an increase in antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. What's more, antibiotics such as penicillin do little to hasten recovery from strep throat or to reduce signs and symptoms, and they don't prevent infections from recurring. Be sure your doctor performs a rapid strep test before prescribing any antibiotic for a sore throat.

If your doctor does recommend antibiotics for you or your child, take the entire course of medication, even if you feel better. This helps prevent a partially treated strep infection from coming back, and helps prevent the most serious strep throat complications — kidney damage (glomerulonephritis) and rheumatic fever. Taking the entire course also prevents bacteria from becoming resistant to the medication.

If children on antibiotic therapy feel well and don't have a fever, they often can return to school or child care when they're no longer contagious — usually 24 hours after beginning sore throat treatment.