Hi, I haven't gone for a strep test so I couldn't tell you if this is my problem. What I would like to know is what is most effective at relieving a severely painful throat. My tonsils look yellow and spotted like raw chicken skin. I have several white spots on the roof of my mouth and throat that look like pus and are surrounded by dark red patches. I have a fever of 100-101.5, headaches, body aches, chills and sweats, nasal inflammation and drip, cough and ear aches. I am taking 800 mg of ibuprofen 3x daily. I have a brand new bottle of (60) 500mg amoxicillin capsules that I was going to consider taking 1 3x per day for 2wks but I prefer to avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. For the record, I am a 43 year old male in good physical shape currently working on a project in a remote area of Brazil for the next 2 months. Because of the remote location, access to medical care is almost non existent unless it is an emergency. I have teas, salt, water, coffee and honey. Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.