The invention of antibiotics in its time was a real breakthrough in the treatment of infectious diseases. Diseases that previously claimed a huge number of lives and caused pandemics, retreated in front of penicillin and its analogs, and then in front of other antibacterial drugs. But some time passed, and antibiotics showed completely different qualities. More precisely, they revealed the negative consequences of the frivolous attitude of people towards the drugs of this group.

The high effectiveness of antibiotics in infections has created them a reputation as almost a panacea, which is able to cope with almost all infectious diseases. It is not surprising that patients with colds and flu — the most common illnesses — were among the first to take advantage of the supposedly obvious benefits of antibiotic therapy.

Today, taking antibiotics for colds is a circumstance that can rightfully be called the main "headache" of doctors. Patients are not sufficiently informed about the mechanisms of the development of SARS, influenza and other diseases caused by infections of the upper respiratory tract. This leads to the fact that with a cold, antibiotics do an order of magnitude more harm than good.

In addition, antibiotics do not eliminate the symptoms characteristic of SARS and flu — headache, fever, body aches, nasal congestion, and others. Therefore, even if the doctor prescribes antibiotics for influenza (for example, in the event of a bacterial infection), in addition to them, he usually advises taking symptomatic means that alleviate the manifestations of the disease - antipyretic, painkillers, vitamin, and other drugs.

Conclusion: the decision to treat a cold or flu with antibiotics should be made solely by the doctor and have good reasons (bacterial complications). Antibacterial agents for diseases caused by viruses, not only will not bring relief but also lead to a delay in prescribing the correct therapy and significantly slow down recovery.