To reduce the pain from a sore throat, gargle with a mixture of warm salt water. It works just as well or better than on a sore throat than throat lozenges and the pain relief lasts for a lot longer. You also don't end up eating a bunch of sugar. The only downside is the salty taste in your mouth afterward. But a quick rinse with some water or juice will get rid of that. Just don't swallow it, you want to let the salt water linger in your throat to reduce the soreness.