thanks kirstyb and drleela for your help.

there isn't really pain in the ears so much as pain in the head, and the entire ear-nose-throat area that's all connected. mostly in the head.

drleela, yes, my body feels better when i lay down but my head doesn't really feel any better either way. in fact it might even feel worse when i lie down. hard to tell

in the past i've been very sensitive to drafts, yes, and i have felt quite thirsty. this might've all started because i've had a cold sore for the last few days, and i put some ointment on it to dry it up, so i've kept my mouth shut pretty much all day and all night (i'm self-employed) which has resulted in extremely dry lips and mouth and this is when my throat started to become sore one morning. there isn't really any tongue coating, just the familiar slight-pain when i swallow.

i've just been lying down for the last hour and think i had quite a fever -- hallucinations, paranoia, etc. so perhaps i'm on the road to recovery?

so the belladonna 200 i should take just like anything other homeopathic remedy? put 2 balls into a bottle of water, wait till it dissolves, shake it up and take one average gulp? and then only take more if it comes back?

thanks everyone!