I am curious. Does your country recommend staying in bed, drinking hot fluid, taking vitamin c supplements and certain over-the-counter medications? Or do they have some other specific instructions? Are there any very common things your gp prescribes or highlights to do/take? Or is it mainly the same everywhere in the world?
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Do people go to their GP when they have a cold? In the beforetime, I feel like you had a few every year.
No prescriptions. Otc painkillers (ibuprofen and paracetamol). There’s no use going to a doctor with a mild flu though.
It is pretty straightforward:
– Rest and hydration;
– Paracetamol or ibuprofen;
– See a doctor if you really need.
Copy/paste from the national health service (1177):
> *Colds are usually caused by viruses, and in such cases, treatment with antibiotics is ineffective. The body’s immune system handles the healing, and the cold resolves on its own.*
They recommend:
* Rest, but not “rest” as in lying down. It’s good to be up and move about. Just avoid exercising and other heavy physical activities.
* If you have a fever; drink slightly more water than otherwise, to make up for the extra loss.
* If your nose is clogged; try saline solution. If that doesn’t work, try a decongestant nasal spray for a limited time.
* If you throat hurts; try yoghurt or ice cream. Cough drops can also have a soothing feeling if it feels dry.
* Drinking makes mucus less thick and easier to cough up.
> *There are many home remedies claimed to help with a cold. Eating garlic or large amounts of vitamin C is one such remedy. However, there is no research showing that it either helps or prevents colds.*
Source: https://www.1177.se/Stockholm/sjukdomar–besvar/infektioner/forkylning-och-influensa/forkylning/
**Flu:**
> – rest and sleep
>
> – keep warm
>
> – take paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower your temperature and treat aches and pains
>
> – give paracetamol or ibuprofen to your child if they’re distressed or uncomfortable – check the packaging or leaflet to make sure the medicine is suitable for your child, or speak to a pharmacist or GP if you’re not sure
>
> – drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration (your pee should be light yellow or clear)
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you or your child have symptoms of flu and:
> – you’re worried about your baby’s or child’s symptoms
> – you’re 65 or over
> – you’re pregnant
> – you have a long-term medical condition – for example, diabetes or a condition that affects your heart, lungs, kidneys, brain or nerves
> – you have a weakened immune system – for example, because of chemotherapy or HIV
> – your symptoms do not improve after 7 days
Call 999 or go to A&E if you:
> – get sudden chest pain
> – have difficulty breathing
> – start coughing up a lot of blood
**Cold:**
> – get plenty of rest
> – drink lots of fluid, such as water, to avoid dehydration
> – eat healthy food (it’s common for small children to lose their appetite for a few days)
> – gargle salt water to soothe a sore throat (not suitable for children)
> – drink a hot lemon and honey drink to soothe a sore throat
> – breathe in steam to ease a blocked nose – try sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running
> – do not let children breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water because of the risk of scalding
> – do not give aspirin to children under the age of 16
> – do not smoke as it can make your symptoms worse
See a GP if:
> – you have a high temperature for more than 3 days
> – your cold symptoms get worse
> – your temperature is very high or you feel hot and shivery
> – you feel short of breath or have chest pain
> – you’re worried about your child’s cold symptoms
> – your cold symptoms do not get better after 10 days
> – you have a cough for more than 3 weeks
> – you get cold symptoms and you have a long-term medical condition (for example, diabetes, or a heart, lung or kidney condition)
> – you get cold symptoms and you have a weakened immune system (for example, because you’re having chemotherapy)
Tea and sleep I guess. Paracetamol for fever. And stuff like hot drinks with paracetamol
In Bulgaria, people definitely do go to their GP for colds. You’d usually get vitamins, maybe teraflu/coldrex or some similar concoction, and some kind of homeopathy prescribed (the latter of which is honestly wild but they get commissions and it does nothing anyway so.. They prescribe it🙄). You might get antibiotics if the GP thinks it’s more serious.
In Denmark, my GP would laugh me out of the office if I went there for a cold. They’re pretty brutal sometimes. I understand why but it was definitely a culture shock for me.
At most I go to the pharmacy and I ask them for anything they have. I think I’ve never had a cold or flu so severe I’ve got to visit a physician.
Usually doctors would say to drink lots of liquids, like soups, water, juices etc
People would also tell you to drink tea and rub some Vicks on you hah
Our doctors will say paracetamol and rest.
Your mam or granny will say a bottle of flat 7Up haha.
Normally the gp says … Lose weight 🤣😂 jokes – I don’t go to the doctors for colds or flus etc. plenty of over the counter medicine to take, rest and fluids is always the way forward. The only time I’d go to the doctors is if I thought I had a chest infection or something and felt I needed antibiotics
Rest/sleep, tea with honey or some kind of sweet to suck on for a sore throat, steam/shower if you’re very congested, paracetamol or ibuprofen if you have any fever or pain, if you need to throw up or have diarrhea, don’t hold it in and drink plenty of water inbetween.. No use going to the doctor, as they’ll like just say exactly the same. The elderly and immunocompromised get a yearly flu shot.
I had to look it up: Stay home and rest. Air out regularly. Cough into your arm bend. Keep good hygiene.
The GP? We don’t go to the doctor when having a cold. As the saying goes: “A cold last a week if you don’t treat it, and seven days if you do.”
For a flu, you might go if you were already weakened by another condition or old age.
Eh, just rest and wait for it to pass? Not much you can do against viral infections…
> advice and medicine (…) by the national healthcare
Can you elaborate on what that’s even supposed to mean
> Are there any very common things your gp prescribes or highlights to do/take?
You wouldn’t bother your GP with a common cold. If you did, he or she would probably give you a slightly confused look and reiterate the obvious: it’ll resolve by itself in a few days to a week.
My impression is that many foreigners, and particularly ”expats”, have a significantly lower threshold for seeing their GP, and that they experience a culture shock when they find out annual check-ups and prescriptions for the slightest inconvenience isn’t really a thing here.