Should I see a doctor for a cold?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Usually no: a cold clears on its own in a week or two, and there is no treatment a doctor can add beyond rest, fluids, and pharmacy remedies. Book an appointment when the NHS thresholds trip: fever over 3 days, symptoms worsening, breathlessness or chest pain, no improvement after 10 days, a cough past 3 weeks, or a cold on top of a long-term condition or weakened immune system. Antibiotics do nothing for viruses. The real reason to go is a complication - sinus infection, ear infection, chest infection - which shows as one-sided face pain, ear pain, or a fever that returns after you started improving. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you tell the difference.
What to do
- Treat at home first: rest, fluids, honey for cough, standard painkillers.
- Give it 10 days: not improving by then is the appointment line.
- Fever returning after improvement? Go in: that pattern suggests a secondary infection.
- Skip the antibiotic ask: they cannot touch a virus.
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