Coughs and Colds

All colds and most winter coughs are caused by viral infections. Symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and mild fever. There is usually  more than one strain of virus circulating at any one time, so it is possible to catch more than one cold over the winter, often soon after you have apparently recovered from one episode!

Generally there is no need to see your doctor. We recommend taking fluids to avoid dehydration, paracetamol to treat those aches and pains and any fever and rest at home. Many varieties of cough remedy are on sale at pharmacies; these have little or no proven benefit - one of the reasons why you will rarely see us prescribe a cough linctus!

You can ask your pharmacist for advice. They receive special training to be able to deal with minor illness.