Q: I am getting sore throat and redness. My family doctor prescribed Althrocin 250 mg, Dolonex and Listerine mouth wash besides paracetamonl tablets. Once in 2 months I get this problem. If I have water outside, it affects my health. Hence, I get tired often and get feverish symptoms too. Kindly let me know the remedy for my problem?

A:Althrocin (erythromycin) is an antibacterial that will kill only those microorganisms that are sensitive to it. Therefore if repeated attacks of sore throat are troubling the patient, it is imperative that the cause is first established which could be (a) viral infection - which would not respond to Althrocin, (b) allergy and (c) resistant bacteria. Next time an attack occurs; please have a throat swab taken to identify the germs (bacteria) and Antibiotic Sensitivity Test (AST) to determine the appropriate medicine. You have not given the frequency of dosing of Althrocin 250 mg i.e. the number of times it was taken, since under dose will not kill the germs. Dolonex (piroxicam) is indicated in musculo-skeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc. Even though it has anti-inflammatory properties since it belongs to Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), its use in sore throat is not appropriate due to its side effects. Among all the NSAIDs (others being diclofenac, ibuprofen etc), piroxicam is not very safe. However the patient can safely take paracetamol (Crocin) for both fever and throat pain.