A bitter pill to swallow?

CAMILLA FOSTER FINDS OUT IF YOU SHOULD TAKE ANTIBIOTICS FOR A COLD AND WHAT THE IMPACT OF DOING SO MIGHT BE

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WHEN you're dealing with a nasty cold that won’t go away, antibiotics might seem like a quick fix.

Yet a recent survey of around 400 pharmacists by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) shows that 79% said they turn down requests for antibiotics to treat minor illnesses like colds at least once a day.

In addition, a quarter said patients frequently return partially used antibiotics, while 37% were aware of patients regularly hoarding antibiotics for a later date.

With this in mind, we want to know if you should take antibiotics for a cold - and are there any potential consequences of doing this?

What is the common cold and what causes it?

“The common cold is a viral infection that primarily affects the upper respiratory tract and it’s caused by various viruses, with rhino-viruses being the most common,’ says Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice.