Do not ask a doctor for antibiotics for an ordinary cold

Antibiotics for a cold do not make you better any faster than not taking them. For an adult who takes them, the risk of side effects is more than twice the risk of not taking them. If a runny nose with pus has lasted under 10 days, antibiotics have no definite benefit either.

Cost

No money, and you save the money for the medicine.

Benefit

A Cochrane systematic review pooled 6 randomized trials and 1147 people. Compared with a placebo, antibiotics for a cold made no clear difference in the share who had not recovered or whose symptoms persisted (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.60–1.14, and the difference is not significant). The risk of adverse reactions was 1.8 times the placebo group (95% CI 1.01–3.21). For adults it was 2.62 times (1.32–5.18). For children it did not rise (0.91, 0.51–1.63). For acute purulent rhinitis with a pus-filled runny nose lasting under 10 days, antibiotics also had no clear benefit (RR 0.73, 0.47–1.13). Adverse reactions were more common, though (RR 1.46, 1.10–1.94, about 46% higher). The authors' conclusion is that routine antibiotics are not recommended in either situation.

Notes

This edition was issued again in 2025, and the abstract states that the literature search runs through 2013. In China antibiotics are prescription drugs. A pharmacy has to sell them against a prescription. Do not take leftover antibiotics at home on your own either. The benefit is rated moderate, as a judgment: what it prevents is adverse reactions, not death. Also do not ask for an intravenous drip for a cold. See section 6, item 35 (asking for an intravenous drip for a cold or a fever).

Sources · 1

1. Kenealy T, Arroll B (2025). Antibiotics for the common cold and acute purulent rhinitis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 11:CD000247. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000247.pub4