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Antibiotics basics

Summary

Antibiotics treat only certain bacterial infections and do nothing for viruses like colds and flu. When prescribed, take them exactly as directed, never share or save them, and report side effects.

General information, not medical advice. See a clinician about your own situation; in an emergency call 911 (US).

Facts

• id: F1 claim: Antibiotics treat certain bacterial infections (e.g. strep throat, whooping cough, UTIs); some bacterial infections, like many sinus and some ear infections, get better without them. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F2 claim: They do not work on viruses: colds, flu, most sore throats, and most chest colds. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1, S2] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F3 claim: Take them exactly as prescribed; do not share them, save them for later, or take someone else's. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F4 claim: Common side effects include rash, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and yeast infections; serious ones include C. diff infection, severe allergic reactions, and resistant infections. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0

Pointers

• answers: Full official guidance and details beyond this summary where: https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/about/index.html; https://medlineplus.gov/commoncold.html access: open, no account

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/antibiotics-basics.md.