http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15772727

I’m sure the medicos here will back up the article.

Even if they did work you shouldn't take them unless you are a person at risk e.g. elderly or pregnant, lowers the natural defense your body gets from fighting it off itself

Plus increases the chance of resistant strains of bacteria developing.

Being asthmatic, I have to take respiratory problems seriously. If my GP thinks I need ’em, I take ’em.

There are indeed a lot of misconceptions.

There are some groups of people in whom I will always give antibiotics (either there and then, or as a standby option) eg COPD patients, because these groups are less able to fight off infections and are more likely to succumb and require hospitalisation or develop complications.

This past week, I've had teenagers in who've had a cough or cold for a single day and think they need antibiotcs. Certainly, the older generation also feel they need antibiotics. I seem to have to explain that an infection appears viral and hence doesn't require antibiotics but this seems to confuse them (despite this being a well-off area).

Despite this, I've had a friend who was 25, ignored his cough (thought it was viral), deteriorated and turned out to have pneumonia. He then went on to develop respiratory failure and ultimately died. Had he bothered to see someone sooner, he might still be alive today.

Lesson: see your doctor anyway. Just don’t expect a prescription. At times walking away with peace of mind is enough.

If I phone the doctor up with a cough, they'll tell me to phone back in a week if I'm worse. It's nearly impossible to actually see them.

Um, no. I'd class it as "Don't ignore that cough, especially if you're getting worse."

I find that a lot of "common knowledge" or "folk knowledge" has gone. People used to be able to manage simple coughs and colds without resorting to seeing the doctor.

My personal favourite is that a GP can tell if your ailment is viral or bacterial just by looking at you. It's amazing! They take one look at you and pronounce that you're ill by way of a virus and thus there's no point the public purse shelling out on antibiotics. They're geniuses!

</facetious post>.

I would imagine that GPs know “what’s going around” locally so if you are presenting the same symptoms as everyone else, then it’s going to be a pretty sure bet that you’ve got the same.

My GP told me you could tell if a cough was viral or bacterial by the nature of what you coughed up. Nice chewy green snot = bacterial; clear runny snot = viral.

That used to be a rule of thumb but TBH it's not always clear cut and certainly not what I use as my diagnostic criterion. You can still have a viral illness and cough up green sputum.

My former bro-in-law (an anaesthetist) always told me the Dr's job is to distract the patient while they get better.