Cold and flu — what actually helps
Reviewed by the My London Pharmacy clinical team, Michelle Chuku, Pharmacist Independent Prescriber
·29 July 2026
·7 min read
Quick answer
Colds and flu are viral infections of the airways. Colds tend to be milder, while flu comes on quickly with fever, aches and exhaustion. Most people recover with rest, fluids and simple symptom relief. Antibiotics do not help viruses, and for some people at higher risk a clinician may consider antiviral treatment for flu.
Cold or flu: how to tell
Colds and flu are both caused by viruses, but they usually feel different. A cold tends to develop gradually, with a runny or blocked nose, sore throat and sneezing, and it rarely stops you going about your day.
Flu often arrives suddenly and hits harder, with a high temperature, aching muscles, exhaustion and a dry cough. People with flu frequently need to rest in bed, whereas colds are usually milder and centred on the nose and throat. Knowing which you are dealing with helps you judge how much rest and monitoring you need, and how carefully to watch for any complications.
As a rough guide, cold symptoms tend to peak after two to three days and then ease over a week or so, while flu can leave you feeling drained for a week or two, with tiredness sometimes lingering a little longer. Neither pattern is set in stone, and the same virus can affect two people quite differently, so how you feel matters more than trying to label the illness precisely.
How colds and flu spread
Both illnesses spread through droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and by touching surfaces where the virus has landed and then touching the face. This is why they pass so easily through households, schools and workplaces, particularly in the colder months.
Understanding how they spread also points to the simplest ways to reduce the risk: regular hand washing, using and disposing of tissues, and staying away from others when you are unwell with a fever. These everyday habits make a real difference to how far an infection travels.
People are usually most infectious in the first few days, around the time symptoms are at their worst, though the exact period varies from person to person. This is why staying at home when you have a fever, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing your hands well are all worth keeping up until you are clearly on the mend rather than stopping the moment you feel a little better.
What genuinely helps symptoms
For most people, the body clears these viruses on its own within a week or two. The most useful steps support your recovery and comfort:
- Resting and giving yourself time to recover
- Drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated
- Using paracetamol or ibuprofen, if suitable, for fever, aches and sore throat
- Warm drinks, honey and lozenges to soothe a cough or throat
- Saline drops or a decongestant for a blocked nose, for short-term use
These measures do not cut the infection short, but they make symptoms more bearable while your immune system does its work. A pharmacist can help you choose suitable remedies and check they are right for you, particularly if you take other medicines or have a long-term condition.
It also helps to keep expectations realistic. These remedies ease symptoms but do not shorten the illness, and it is normal to feel worse for the first few days before gradually improving. Simple comfort measures, such as inhaling steam from a bowl of warm water to loosen congestion, keeping indoor air from getting too dry, and propping yourself up with an extra pillow at night, can all make rest a little easier while your body does the work of recovering.
Why antibiotics are not the answer
Antibiotics only work against bacteria, so they have no effect on the viruses that cause colds and flu. Taking them unnecessarily will not speed recovery and can contribute to antibiotic resistance, which is why UK clinicians follow NHS guidance to avoid using them for viral infections.
Occasionally a cold or flu is followed by a bacterial complication, such as a chest or sinus infection. In that situation a clinician assesses whether antibiotics are genuinely needed, rather than prescribing them routinely. This measured approach protects you from unnecessary side effects and keeps antibiotics effective for when they are truly needed.
When antiviral treatment may be considered
For flu specifically, an antiviral medicine such as Tamiflu is sometimes considered for people at higher risk of complications, or during periods when flu is circulating widely. Antivirals work best when started soon after symptoms begin, so timing matters and early advice is helpful.
They are not needed by most otherwise healthy people, who recover well with rest and symptom relief. Whether antiviral treatment is appropriate depends on your health, your risk factors and how long you have had symptoms, which a clinician can review with you. For those who are eligible, starting promptly gives the treatment the best chance of helping.
Antiviral treatment is not a replacement for the flu vaccine or for the everyday measures that reduce spread, and it is not something to take routinely. For most people, the safest and most effective approach remains rest, fluids and simple symptom relief, with antiviral treatment reserved for those for whom a clinician judges it appropriate after weighing up their individual risk.
Reducing your chances of catching it
Simple habits lower the risk of picking up and passing on these viruses. Regular hand washing, using tissues and cleaning shared surfaces all help. The annual flu vaccine is offered through the NHS to those most at risk, including older adults, pregnant women and people with certain long-term conditions, and it is the most effective way to reduce the chance of serious flu.
Staying at home when you are unwell, particularly with a fever, helps protect people around you, including anyone more vulnerable to complications. Looking after your general health with good sleep, nutrition and hydration also supports your immune system through the winter.
If you are eligible for the annual flu vaccine, having it each autumn is worthwhile, as the protection it offers changes from year to year and wanes over time. If you are unsure whether you fall into an eligible group, a pharmacist or GP practice can check for you. Keeping rooms ventilated and wiping down frequently touched surfaces during the winter months can further reduce how easily these viruses pass around at home.
Recovery and lingering symptoms
Recovering from a cold or flu is not always a straight line, and some symptoms outlast the illness itself. A cough in particular can linger for two to three weeks after other symptoms have gone, because the airways stay sensitive while they heal. A cough on its own, without fever or breathlessness and slowly improving, is usually part of normal recovery rather than a sign of something new.
Tiredness is also common after flu and can take a while to lift, so it is sensible to return to your usual activities gradually rather than all at once. Eating and drinking well, resting when you need to, and pacing yourself all help. That said, symptoms that are getting worse rather than better, a fever that returns after starting to settle, or a cough that brings up discoloured phlegm alongside feeling unwell, are worth having checked, as occasionally a bacterial complication develops after the initial viral illness.
When to seek medical help
Most colds and flu can be managed at home, but some symptoms need review. Contact a GP or NHS 111 if you have symptoms that are not improving after about a week, a very high temperature, or you feel much worse rather than better.
Seek urgent help, or call 999, for difficulty breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood, sudden confusion, or if a very young child, older person or someone with a long-term condition becomes seriously unwell. These may signal a complication that needs prompt care, and it is always better to seek advice than to wait if you are worried.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a cold or the flu?
Colds usually develop gradually and stay mild, mainly affecting the nose and throat. Flu tends to come on suddenly with a high temperature, body aches and exhaustion that often keep you in bed.
Will antibiotics help my cold or flu?
No. Colds and flu are caused by viruses, and antibiotics only work against bacteria. Rest, fluids and symptom relief are the mainstay, with antibiotics reserved for a bacterial complication if one develops.
What is the best thing to take for flu?
For most people, rest, fluids and paracetamol or ibuprofen for fever and aches are the most helpful. Antiviral treatment is only considered for certain higher-risk groups after assessment.
When should antiviral flu treatment be started?
Antivirals such as those used for flu work best when started soon after symptoms begin. A clinician can advise whether treatment is suitable based on your risk factors and timing.
When should I be worried about cold or flu symptoms?
Seek urgent help for difficulty breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood or sudden confusion, or if symptoms are not improving after about a week or you feel significantly worse.