To ask gp for different painkillers

[SuziSecondLaw]

Posting here for traffic, but please please please help me.

This is just details, can skip this.. woke with sudden bad sore throat when swallowing on right side 5 days ago, also had chills, fever, body aches, huge swollen glands in neck etc, called 111 2 days later as couldn't eat or sleep due to throat pain, sent photo of throat, they said strep or tonsillitis, gave me antibiotics. Today (2 days after that) called 111 again as no improvement in throat at all. Went to see a doctor he said possibly tonsillitis and glandular fever (at this point pain has swapped sides but actually even worse), he's prescribed me different stronger antibiotics, and full strength cocodemol.

Here's the issue, the cocodemol does NOTHING 😩

I have tried everything and nothing even vaguely dulls the absolute searing agony every time I swallow. It's unbearable. What can I do?? Is there anything stronger I can take? Should I ring Dr yet again tomorrow and ask for anything?

I've tried: paracetamol, ibuprofen, Co codemol, difflam, gargle salt, gargle tcp, that numbing throat spray, all the lozenges.. Ermm I think that's everything. But nothing touches it, not even slightly. Please say I've missed something magical?!

Naproxen helped me massively when I had a throat infection so hope it helps

It's difficult to know when to go to A&E in most situations. But I'm the kind of person that puts off going to the gp as I don't want to waste their time. So hearing the Dr say that was just not nice 😔

Definitely on the mend. Just feels like a normal sore throat. Ibuprofen practically gets rid of it completely, amazing. Feel like a new woman 😁

Thank you all!

Glad to hear you're on the mend.

Just checking as you mentioned being prescribed naproxen earlier, you shouldnt take this with ibuprofen, its one or the other for these. Unless you've very specifically been instructed to by a doctor of course but I've that would be unusual.

You can normally take either naproxen or ibuprofen with paracetamol/co-codamol, just not each other. If you have been mixing, don't panic just stop doing it, speak with your gp if you think you have got any side effects but over very short period would normally get away with it.

The Dr was completely in the wrong. My child ended up with sepsis from tonsillitis and he was already on antibiotics. Another time, his throat was almost completely blocked by his tonsils (and already on abx) so again we went to a&e. They gave steroids to help. You were not unreasonable to go.

Phew! Glad you're feeling a bit better. Make sure you don't take the naproxen and ibuprofen though.

It's ok, I'm not taking the naproxen, there's no need, my throat doesn't even hurt anymore. It's mad!!

Maybe the antibiotics are working finally?

Maybe! 😁