Do Not Take Antibiotics for Cough, as an Average One Lasts About Three Weeks

This piece of advice is applicable for those who are worried about a nagging cough. Though, it is advisable to seek medical advice, consuming antibiotics to cure a cough can do more harm than good. The survey by the team from the University of Georgia found that people wrongly expect their cough to be gone in about a week. Doctors also found that patients preferred to take antibiotics with the hope that it would cure their cough. While the use of antibiotics may not hasten the recovery in any way, the serious part is it can create drug resistance as well as cause side effects.

Experts cautioned that the commonly prescribed antibiotic, amoxicillin, does nothing to treat coughs and could be harmful if used when it is not needed.

'I think it is important to understand that if you do get a cough you're probably going to be coughing for about three weeks. There is evidence out there that getting an antibiotic at any point in the course is not going to make it shorter,' researchers said in a statement to a leading news agency.



Source-Medindia