Colds and Flu - Hold the Antibiotics Please

Sneezing, sniffles, a stuffy nose, and sore throat are signs of a cold. Major aches and pains, tiredness, fever, headache, and are signs and symptoms of the flu.

Antibiotics will not cure viral infections such as a cold, most sore throats, cough, the flu, or most bronchitis. If you take antibiotics when you have a viral infection, you increase your risk of getting an infection later that may resist antibiotic treatment. Antibiotic misuse promotes development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics are drugs that fight infections caused by bacteria. Since the 1940's, antibiotics have successfully treated illnesses and reduced death from infectious diseases. Bacteria have become more resistant to antibiotics. If you take antibiotics when they are not needed, you are more likely to carry resistant germs in your nose and mouth. Common antibiotics will not kill these germs. When the bacteria resist common antibiotics, you may need more costly antibiotics, antibiotics by injection, or hospitalization for your illness.

When to Call Your Healthcare Provider

Contact your healthcare provider in any of these three situations:
1. Your symptoms get worse.
2. You start to feel better but then you develop signs such as vomiting, high fever, chest pain, coughing with thick, yellow-green mucus, you feel sick to your stomach, or you start wheezing.
3. Your symptoms last a long time.

What You Can Do

Curb the spread of viral infections by frequently washing your hands and avoiding close contact with others.

Discuss antibiotic resistance with your healthcare provider.

If your healthcare provider tells you an antibiotic will not be beneficial for your illness, take his or her advice. Do not demand an antibiotic for a viral infection such as a cold or the flu.

Take antibiotics exactly as the healthcare provider prescribes. Make sure you finish the entire round of antibiotics. If you do not finish the round of antibiotics, you give harmful bacteria the chance to grow stronger and you increase your risks of acquiring a more serious infection. If you stop treatment too soon, some bacteria may survive and re-infect you.

Take all of your medication even if you start to feel better. Do not skip doses or save some of the antibiotic for the next time you get sick.

Never take an antibiotic that was prescribed for another person. Your healthcare provider will prescribe an antibiotic that is appropriate for your illness. If you take the wrong antibiotic, you may allow harmful bacteria to multiply.

Ask your healthcare provider for suggestions for obtaining comfort while the illness runs its course.

Treating a Cold or Flu

Colds typically last a couple of days to a week. You may feel the symptoms of flu for several weeks. While you are sick, remember to get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and use a humidifer to put moisture in your room.