Question

Antibiotics are heavy medications, should we take it if we have cold and cough??

Answer 1

If your cold and cough is accompanied by high fever and chills then there’s a possibility that you may be suffering from a bacterial infection which needs antibiotic treatment.

• Viral infections should not be treated with antibiotics because they are ineffective on viruses. In fact, if you take antibiotics for viral infections, it increases your chances of developing a bacterial infection which might be resistant to those antibiotics. Read more about how bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics.
• Common cold or flu with runny nose and green mucus is a sign of viral infection. There’s no need to take any medicines if you rest well and try some natural remedies for common cold.
• You may start feeling better within two weeks if you have common flu. But, if suddenly your symptoms become worse then you may have developed a secondary bacterial infection because of weakened immunity. This is a characteristic feature of secondary infections, which should be treated with antibiotics.