Should I Take Antibiotics for a Cold?

You may have heard that a course of antibiotics will help you feel better when you have a cold. Despite what much of the public believes, however, there are several reasons why you should not take antibiotics for a cold. First of all, antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections, and thus they are not a useful weapon for combating a cold. Further, using antibiotics for a cold can put you at risk for allergic reactions, and can cause your body to become resistant to future antibiotic treatment. Rather than using antibiotics for a cold, you should take over-the-counter cold medicine, drink fluids, and get plenty of rest.

The central reason that you should not take antibiotics for a cold is that this type of drug is useful only in fighting bacterial infections. Colds, along with many other common illnesses such as the flu, most sinus infections, and bronchitis, are caused by a viral infection, not a bacterial one. Consequently, taking an antibiotic will do little to make your cold disappear, making it a treatment approach that is basically pointless.

If using antibiotics for a cold is ineffective in the best case scenario, in the worst case scenario these drugs can actually be dangerous. Antibiotics can cause an allergic reaction in some people, producing symptoms such as stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and skin rash. Since antibiotics are essentially useless against viruses, those who take them when they have a cold may be unnecessarily putting themselves at risk for an allergic response.

Perhaps the strongest argument against taking antibiotics for a cold is that if you take these drugs when they are not needed, the existing bacteria in your body can build up a resistance to them. If you go on to develop a bacterial infection in the future, you may find that your body no longer responds to antibiotic treatment. You might need to be admitted to the hospital so that you can be treated with usually expensive alternative drugs. Further, you may spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria to those around you, causing them to become seriously ill.

As unpleasant as colds may be, therefore, you should avoid taking antibiotics unless your doctor has determined that your illness is bacterial rather than viral. Instead, try treating your symptoms with an over-the-counter cold medicine. Keeping yourself hydrated and getting lots of sleep can also help ease cold symptoms and put you on the road to recovery.