You can treat a cold without seeing a doctor.
Cold symptoms usually come on gradually over 2-3 days and the main symptoms include:
- A blocked or runny nose
- Sneezing
- A sore throat
- A hoarse voice
- A cough
- Feeling tired and unwell
You may also have:
- A high temperature
- Aching muscles
- A loss of taste and smell
- A feeling or pressure in your ears and face
Symptoms of a cold can last longer in young children and they may also be irritable, have difficulty feeding and sleeping, breath through their mouth and get sick after coughing.
The difference between a cold and flu is:
- A cold – Appears gradually
- Affects mainly your nose and throat
- Makes you feel unwell, but you are able to carry on as normal (for example, you can normally go to work).
- Flu – Appears quickly, within a few hours.
- Affects more than just your nose and throat
- Makes you feel exhausted and too unwell to carry on as normal.
How you can treat a cold yourself:
You can treat a cold at home without seeing a doctor and there are things you can do to help you get better more quickly:
DO
- Get plenty of rest
- Drink lots of fluids, such as water, to avoid dehydration
- Eat healthy food (it is common for small children to lose their appetite for a few days)
- Gargle salt water to sooth a sore throat
- Drink hot lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat
- Breath in steam to ease a blocked nose – try sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running.
DON’T
- Do not let children breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water because of the risk of scalding
- Do not give Aspirin to children under the age of 16
- Do not smoke as it can make your symptoms worse.
A pharmacist can help with cold medicines:
You can get cough and cold medicines from the pharmacy or supermarket such as:
- Paracetamol
- Decongestant nasal sprays, drops or tablets
- Vapour rubs to help ease chesty coughs in babies and small children
Always read the information leaflet and get advice from a pharmacist before taking different medications together, to ensure that you are not overdosing on a medicine or that they are safe to take together.
Contact the surgery if:
- You have a high temperature for more than 3 days.
- Your symptoms are getting worse after treatment at home
- Your temperature is very high, or you feel hot and shivery
- You feel short of breath or have pains in your chest
- You are worried about your child’s cold symptoms
- Your cold symptoms do not get better after 10 days
- You get cold symptoms and have you have a long term medical condition, for example diabetes or a heart and lung condition, or you have a weakened immune system.
You will not be prescribed antibiotics for colds because they will not relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery. Antibiotics will only work if you have a bacterial infection and a cold is caused by a virus.
How to avoid spreading a cold:
Cold’s are caused by viruses and are easily spread to other people by germs from coughs and sneezes which can live on surfaces for 24 hours.
To reduce the risk of spread and of catching a cold:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water
- Use tissues to trap germs from coughs and sneezes
- Bin used tissues as quickly as possible.
- Don’t share household items such as towels, cups etc.
- Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth