Why sore throat persist despite taking antibiotic courses?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 27 year old lady. I started having a sore throat two months back. I just thought it was a flu coming. But then, when I noticed that it had been on for two weeks, I decided to take Amoxicillin. I took it but did not finish the course on the last day. I had traveled and forgotten them at home. The sore throat went away but came back a few days later. I took another full course of Amoxicillin and during the course, the sore throat went away. I finished the full course but a few days later, the sore throat came back again. I went to the clinic and the nurse noticed that my throat was inflamed and prescribed Erythromycin. I took it but the sore throat kept on coming back. The nurse then prescribed Ciprofloxacin. I took the full course but still the sore throat did not go away. When I went back to the clinic, the nurse said it was no longer inflamed but I could feel it, but only that the discomfort seemed to be going deep down the throat. It is like each day I can feel it is moving down. It is not a very painful sore throat. I do not take any painkillers. My body temperature and blood pressure are normal and have been normal throughout the period. Right now, I can feel discomfort in my upper part of the chest. Another thing is that the first episode of sore throat occured after I visited my sister who from time to time gets swollen glands (below the ear). What could it be and how can I get well again?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your complaints. Repeated attacks of a low-grade sore throat suggest that it could be chronic pharyngitis. The other common causes of chronic sore throat are due to acidity and gastroesophageal reflux. That means stomach acids pop into esophagus silently and burn the throat in the nights. You should undergo upper GI esophagoscopy and a throat swab to rule out infection. Try taking antacids for a week. Do not take antibiotics. I think this would suffice.