What treatments work for tonsillitis?
You won’t usually need any treatment for tonsillitis. Your body will fight off the infection. Resting, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking painkillers may help you feel better while this happens. If you get repeated attacks of tonsillitis, you may want to think about having your tonsils removed. • Taking painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin, or ibuprofen should help you feel better. But don’t give aspirin to children under 16. • Doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics for tonsillitis if the infection is caused by bacteria. But antibiotics have side effects. • Antibiotics don’t work against viruses, which are a common cause of tonsillitis. • Children who have their tonsils taken out may get fewer throat infections in the short term. But this benefit may not last. • There haven’t been any good studies on whether adults benefit from having their tonsils out. We’ve looked closely at the research and put the treatments into categories, according to whether they work.
