Cough/sore throat. Do I need to see GP?

[tallulah]

Never sure when to see GP & when not necessary. I've had a really sore throat (worse at night) & a tickly non-productive cough since Thursday. No nose problems at all. Thursday I had a temperature & was really really cold. Now biggest problem is really sore throat & voice going. (& coughing, which is driving me mad)

It's so hard getting in to see GP, esp on Mondays. Do I NEED to see her (ie can she do anything/give me anything to make it go away) or is it one of those things that will go in its own time?

I have throat spray thingy, paracetomol, & glycerin cough syrup. Does it need antibiotics or not?

[tabitha]

From memory, I think that unless your coughing up lots of gunky green cattarh or flem, they'll say it's 'just a virus' in which case you're doing all you can already.
Personally, I hate going to the GP because

1. you usually have to wait for hours to be seen, and
   
2. you feel that you're going to catch womething else from another patient.
   Hope you feel better soon

[LIZS]

Sounds as if you are at the tail end of it anyway. Are your glands up ? Have you checked your throat in a mirror - any whitish spots ? A powerful lozenge like Merocaine would help the soreness and they are antibacterial and numbing. Keep taking in fluids, warm lemon and honey, tea etc, gargle with warm soluble aspirin or parcetamol if you can bear it, and spray, then rest your voice as much as possible. If no signs of infection such as spots in throat then I doubt you'd be prescribed anything other than what you already have.

Hope you feel better soon.

[tallulah]

Thank you both. Yes my glands are up- what does that mean?

[LIZS]

It means your body is fighting an infection but that could be either viral or bacterial. Only bacterial would respond to antibiotics though, if viral, treatment is just symptomatic.

[Lonelymum]

I wouldn't bother the GP with this Tallulah unless you still have loads of symptoms say by the end of the week. Sounds just like a virus for which antibiotics don't work.