When to See the Doctor
You usually don't have to see your doctor if you have signs of a cold or the flu. Most of the time, colds and flu just need to run their course. However, you should call your doctor in these situations:
- Your symptoms get worse.
- Your symptoms last a long time.
- After feeling a little better, you develop signs of a more serious problem. Some signs are nausea, vomiting, high fever, shaking chills, chest pain, shortness of breath or coughing with thick, yellow-green mucus.
When you have these symptoms, doctors look for sinusitis, ear infections and pneumonia. These are bacterial infections that may need antibiotics. Antibiotics do not work for colds.
If you are elderly, have a chronic medical condition or have a poor immune system, see a doctor if you think that you have the flu. Complications from colds or flu viruses can lead to such conditions as ear infections, sinusitis, pneumonia, bacterial infections or even death.
Medical conditions
For some people, colds and flu can make existing medical conditions like heart disease and asthma worse. If you have asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, your symptoms of those conditions may be worse for many weeks even after your cold or flu has gone away.
For children
With children, be alert for:
- High fevers lasting several days or higher than 101 degrees F, or if the child has shaking chills
- Increased throat pain
- Coughing that produces green or gray sputum or lasts more than 10 days
- Chest pain or shortness of breath (rapid breathing)
- Pain in the ear
- Unusual lethargy
- Enlarged, tender glands in the neck
- Blue lips, skin or fingernails
For very young children, look for high fever and abnormal behavior such as acting unusually drowsy, refusing to eat, crying a lot, holding the ears or stomach, or wheezing.
Sinusitis
A doctor may decide to prescribe an antibiotic to help you with suspected bacterial sinusitis. However, most mild infections clear up on their own without antibiotics, so the decision to use antibiotics is up to your doctor. Other medications may help clear out phlegm and clear the sinuses.
More on Cold, Flu and Sinus
How Will I Know If a Cold or Flu Requires Medical Attention?
Are Cold Remedies Enough to Raise Blood Pressure?
In the Encyclopedia:
Acetaminophen
Cough suppressants
Cough
Croup
Decongestants
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