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When it comes to dealing with sore throat caused by acid reflux, the key is treating the root cause of the condition: acid reflux. This, however, does not mean you can’t take over-the-counter medications to quickly alleviate your symptoms.

It can be tough when you experience a recurring sore throat, but it’s even tougher when you don’t know what’s causing it, especially if it’s not your usual suspect of a viral or bacterial infection. Out of all possible causes of sore throat, acid reflux is probably not the first thing you’d think of. Yes, an acid reflux sore throat does exist1, and in this article, we’ll discuss how to identify its symptoms and talk about how you can manage it.

 

 

Symptoms of an Acid Reflux Sore Throat

So how can you tell if your sore throat is caused by acid reflux and not an infection? If your sore throat is accompanied by acid reflux symptoms such as heartburn and a sour or bitter taste in your mouth, then it’s possible that it’s due to acid reflux.

Unlike a regular sore throat, a sore throat caused by acid reflux is associated with a wider range of symptoms1 than regular sore throat, including:

  • Persistent throat pain
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Globus sensation or a feeling of a lump in the throat
  • Hoarseness
  • Regurgitation
  • A sour or bitter taste in the mouth
  • Chronic cough
  • Heartburn

If you're unsure, we recommend consulting your doctor.

Why Does Acid Reflux Cause Sore Throat?

Now that we’ve considered that acid reflux can cause a sore throat, let’s talk about how it happens. It all boils down to what an acid reflux is.

Acid reflux is characterized by the backflow of acidic stomach juices back into the throat and mouth. These juices can, in turn, irritate and damage the throat, leading to sore throat symptoms.

 

How to Treat Sore Throat Caused by Acid Reflux

So if acid reflux is causing a sore throat, the key to treating it is to go straight to the source: the acid reflux itself. Managing acid reflux involves four things: dietary changes, lifestyle changes, management of underlying conditions, and medication.2

Let’s take a look at each one:

  • Dietary changes involve avoiding trigger foods3 such as mint, carbonated drinks, chocolate, onions, tea, alcohol, citrus fruits, coffee, spicy foods, garlic, fried or fatty foods, tomatoes
  • Lifestyle changes involve not overeating, not lying down after eating, limiting or completely eliminating smoking, and limiting your exposure to and properly managing stress3
  • Management of underlying conditions involves getting proper treatment for any medical conditions that may be causing the acid reflux such as hiatal hernia, connective tissue disorders, diabetes, and gastroparesis2
  • Medication involves taking an over-the-counter medicine2 like Sodium Alginate+Sodium Bicarbonate+Calcium Carbonate (Gaviscon) along with any other prescription drugs recommended by your doctor
Formulated with sodium alginate, calcium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate, Gaviscon and Gaviscon Double Action are  clinically proven to help alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux in as little as three minutes and provide up to four hours of relief by neutralizing stomach acid and crea ting a protective barrier over stomach acid, pepsin and bile to keep them from flowing back up the esophagus.

Please note that if you experience acid reflux symptoms more than twice in a single week for several weeks, it could mean that your condition has progressed to gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.1 Please talk to your doctor for more information.

How to Manage Sore Throat Caused by Acid Reflux

Aside from treating acid reflux, you can also take sore throat lozenges like Dichlorobenzyl Alcohol + Amylmetacresol (Strepsils) to help ease the pain and irritation you feel in your throat.

For mild sore throat, you have the following Dichlorobenzyl Alcohol+ Amylmetacresol (Strepsils) variants to choose from:

These lozenges are specially formulated to help relieve mild sore throat in three ways:

  1. By preventing the growth of bacteria and viruses4 that can worsen throat conditions
  2. By triggering increased saliva production, which reduces the feeling of irritation and dryness in the throat
  3. By mildly numbing the affected area, minimizing the discomfort caused by the condition

For severe sore throat, on the other hand, you can take:

With its antiseptic, anthelmintic, at local anesthetic properties5, Hexylresorcinol (Strepsils Max) is specially formulated to be effective against severe sore throat symptoms in patients six years old and above.

Flurbiprofen (Strepsils MaxPro), on the other hand, is specially formulated to relieve the pain, inflammation, and difficulty swallowing6 caused by the condition in patients 18 years old and up. This is the better choice if your symptoms include swelling.

Need to stock up on Strepsils? Shop now.

Aside from taking a sore throat lozenge like Strepsils, understanding the different sore throat causes and treatment options is key to long-term relief.

References:

  1. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Acid reflux & GERD. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17019-acid-reflux-gerd
  2. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). Gastroesophageal reflux disease. NCBI Bookshelf. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441938/
  3. NYU Langone Health. (n.d.). Lifestyle changes for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://nyulangone.org/conditions/gastroesophageal-reflux-disease/treatments/lifestyle-changes-for-gastroesophageal-reflux-disease
  4. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). Spectrum of bactericidal action of amylmetacresol/2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol lozenges against oropharyngeal organisms implicated in pharyngitis. PubMed Central. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6276617/
  5. DrugBank. (n.d.). Hexylresorcinol. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB11254
  6. National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). Efficacy of flurbiprofen 8.75 mg lozenge in patients with a swollen and inflamed sore throat. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27146963/

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