Often chest infections do not need any medical treatment. But in some cases, antibiotics are needed. Only bacterial infections respond to treatment with antibiotics — they will not help viral infections. If you are prescribed antibiotics you must take the full course even if you feel better after 2 to 3 days.
Amoxicillin is a penicillin antibiotic. It is used to treat bacterial infections, such as chest infections (including pneumonia) and dental abscesses. It can also be used together with other antibiotics and medicines to treat stomach ulcers.
Often viral cases of pneumonia begin as congestion and cough with or without fever in the first few days. When a doctor listens to the lungs and finds breathing sounds are not clear on either side of the chest, a viral cause over bacterial is even more highly suspected.
Chest infections are common, especially after a cold or flu during autumn and winter. Although most are mild and get better on their own, some can be serious or even life-threatening.
These symptoms can be unpleasant, but they usually get better on their own in around 7 to 10 days. The cough and mucus can last for up to 3 weeks.
Bronchitis usually clears up without treatment in around 3 weeks. See a GP if your symptoms last longer than 3 weeks. You may need antibiotics if your bronchitis is caused by a bacterial infection.
Antibiotics aren't recommended for many chest infections, because they only work if the infection is caused by bacteria, rather than a virus. Your GP will usually only prescribe antibiotics if they think you have pneumonia, or you're at risk of complications such as fluid building up around the lungs (pleurisy).
If you have a bacterial chest infection, you should start to feel better 24 to 48 hours after starting on antibiotics. You may have a cough for days or weeks. For other types of chest infections, the recovery is more gradual. You may feel weak for some time and need a longer period of bed rest.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
The most significant difference between the two is that a cold is a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract while bronchitis is a lower respiratory infection that affects the bronchial tubes, the airways that carry air to your lungs.
Treatment. Acute bronchitis usually gets better on its own—without antibiotics. Antibiotics won't help you get better if you have acute bronchitis. When antibiotics aren't needed, they won't help you, and their side effects could still cause harm.
It could be a sign of something more serious, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, so stay at home and call your doctor right away.
Early symptoms are similar to influenza symptoms: fever, a dry cough, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. Within a day or two, the symptoms typically get worse, with increasing cough, shortness of breath and muscle pain. There may be a high fever and there may be blueness of the lips.
While there is no medication that treats acute bronchitis specifically, certain over-the-counter medicines may provide some relief from symptoms: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin.