Painful swallowing of saliva is mostly due to the presence of acute inflammation in the throat, more commonly due to acute pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, peri-tonsillitis, peri-tonsillar abscess, acute epiglottitis and other diseases. Most of the above diseases are caused by bacterial infections, viral infections, or a combination of bacterial and viral infections. The common triggering factors include cold and flu, prolonged heavy smoking and drinking, excessive consumption of spicy and stimulating food, irregular life, prolonged late nights, and heavy pollution in the work environment. For bacterial infections, most of them are treated with antibiotics, preferably penicillin or cephalosporin antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, cefuroxime, cefdinir, etc. If it is a viral infection, the lighter ones can heal on their own, and some need to use antiviral drugs orally as appropriate, such as antiviral oral liquid and Vicodinil tablets, etc. If it is a mixed bacterial and viral infection, the above drugs are needed. If it is a mixed infection of bacteria and virus, then all the above mentioned drugs need to be taken. If the patient has obvious fever, general malaise and other general discomfort symptoms, oral antipyretic and analgesic drugs and corticosteroids can be taken in appropriate amounts. If the patient has obvious symptoms of dyspnea, it may be acute epiglottitis, which is best treated with intravenous fluids. If the patient still cannot be relieved by treatment and it gets worse, it is necessary to carry out relevant emergency resuscitation measures. Therefore, for patients with painful swallowing saliva, it is generally not recommended to use drugs for treatment on their own. If there is no significant improvement in 3-5 days of medication, it is best to go to the hospital to ask the doctor to check, if necessary, to check the blood routine, and then do an electronic nasopharyngoscopy, after a clear diagnosis, and then symptomatic treatment.