Tonsillitis means inflammation of the tonsils, which are two oval-shaped tissues at the back of the throat. In addition to swelling, the symptoms of tonsillitis are sore throat, difficulty swallowing, stiff neck, fever, headache, and yellow or white patches on the tonsils that indicate infection. Bacterial or viral infections are often the cause of tonsillitis. Treatment of tonsillitis depends on the cause and frequency of the disease.
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Method 1 of 2: Trying Home Remedies
Step 1. Get plenty of rest at home
People are often off work for 1-3 days, depending on the severity of the infection. This can be followed by taking a "quiet week" break, which is going to work often, but postponing social obligations, homework, and other events until you feel better. Speak in the softest voice and as little as possible while in recovery.
Step 2. Drink fluids and eat easy foods to relieve pain and discomfort
You can make a soothing mixture to help relieve the pain of tonsillitis. Mix lemon juice (1 tablespoon), honey (1 tablespoon), cinnamon (1 teaspoon), and apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon) mixed with hot water and drink if needed. Water also helps prevent additional dryness and irritation of the tonsils.
- Hot tea, warm broth, and other warm liquids can be soothing to the throat.
- In addition to hot drinks, cold ice sticks can also relieve throat discomfort.
Step 3. Gargle with warm salty water
Mix 1 teaspoon of salt in 236 ml of warm water. Gargle with this salty water, spit it out, and repeat as needed to soothe a sore throat caused by tonsillitis.
Step 4. Get rid of nuisance substances in the surrounding environment
It is important to minimize irritating substances that can aggravate tonsillitis, such as dry air, cleaning products, or cigarette smoke. Also try using a cool air humidifier (air humidifier) that adds humidity to the room.
Step 5. Try lozenges
Many lozenges contain a topical anesthetic, which can help relieve pain in the tonsils and throat.
Step 6. Consider “alternative medicine”
Always consult your doctor before trying the following alternative medicines, to make sure they are safe for you considering your medical condition. This medicine is not recommended for children and adolescents. The options that can be considered are:
- Papain. This is an anti-inflammatory enzyme that can help reduce inflammation of the tonsils.
- Serrapeptase. This is another anti-inflammatory enzyme that can help with tonsillitis.
- Slippery elm plant extract in lozenges. These tablets have been shown to help relieve pain.
- Andrographic. This plant is intended to treat the symptoms of fever and sore throat.
Method 2 of 2: Get Professional Treatment
Step 1. Confirm the diagnosis with a throat swab culture
If you believe you have tonsillitis, it's important to see your family doctor or emergency room doctor (if you can't see your family doctor on the same day) for a throat swab test to confirm the diagnosis. The biggest concern with tonsillitis is if it is caused by group A streptococcal bacteria. This inflammation requires medical treatment with antibiotics, because treatment failure can lead to dangerous complications later in life.
- The good news is, seeking immediate medical attention can usually cure the infection without complications.
- Tonsillitis can also be caused by other things, such as a viral infection. This inflammation is not always caused by streptococcal bacteria; however, it is best to check with a doctor to prevent this and stay in a safe position.
Step 2. Make sure to get adequate fluid and calorie intake
One of the most important things your doctor will want to know if you have tonsillitis is whether you can consume adequate fluids and food each day. The main thing that will get in your way are swollen or sore tonsils that hurt when you eat or drink.
- Your doctor will recommend controlling your pain with medication so you can continue to eat and drink.
- In cases of severe swelling of the tonsils, doctors can give corticosteroid drugs that can reduce swelling.
- If you can't eat or drink, your doctor will prescribe intravenous fluids and calories to help you, so that corticosteroids and painkillers can work and reduce the pain and swelling of the tonsils so you can take food and drink by mouth.
Step 3. Take painkillers
In most cases of tonsillitis, your doctor will recommend acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) if needed to control the pain. Both of these drugs are freely available at your local pharmacy; follow the dosage recommended on the bottle.
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol) tends to be the better choice because it can treat fever as well as pain. Most cases of tonsillitis are the result of an infection, so acetaminophen can also help reduce fever.
- However, you should be careful with acetaminophen, it is often added in medicines, which makes it easy to overdose. Be sure to keep track of the total dose and avoid taking more than 3 grams per day. Do not drink beer while taking acetaminophen.
Step 4. Take antibiotics as directed by your doctor
You may need to take penicillin for 10 days if your doctor concludes that bacteria is causing tonsillitis.
- Ask for alternative antibiotics if you are allergic to penicillin.
- Finish taking antibiotics even if you feel better. Ignoring the remaining treatments can result in tonsillitis symptoms reappearing, getting worse, or complications may develop later in life if you do not complete the prescribed treatment.
- Ask your doctor what to do if you forget or miss a dose of antibiotics.
Step 5. Seek tonsillectomy
If antibiotics don't help or if you have chronic or frequent tonsillitis, a tonsillectomy may be a last resort. Tonsillitis often occurs when a person has had the infection several times over a period of one to three years.
- Doctors perform a tonsillectomy to remove two tonsils from the back of the throat. In addition to being a last resort treatment for tonsillitis, tonsillectomy can also treat sleep apnea or other breathing problems associated with enlarged tonsils.
- Doctors usually complete this surgery within a day, but patients completely recover in about 7-10 days.
- In the United States, the criteria for tonsillectomy are usually 6 or more tonsil infections during 1 year, 5 infections for 2 consecutive years, or 3 infections per year for 3 consecutive years.
