How to treat the common cold at home

Treating your symptoms will not make your cold go away, but it will help you feel better.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) help lower fever and relieve muscle aches. Aspirin can also treat a cold, but it may have potential serious side effects, such as stomach bleeding. So it's best to avoid using aspirin. Aspirin should never be used in children and teens due to the risk of Reye syndrome.

When taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers:

OTC cold and cough medicines may help ease symptoms in adults and older children.

Many OTC multi-symptom cough and cold medicines use more than one medicine.

To treat individual symptoms:

Here are other things you can do to help relieve a cold:

Drink plenty of fluids, get enough sleep, and stay away from secondhand smoke.

Wheezing can be a common symptom of a cold if you have asthma.

Do not ask your provider for antibiotics to treat a common cold. Keep in mind that antibiotics kill bacteria. They will not treat a common cold, which is caused by a virus.

Many home remedies are popular treatments for the common cold. These include vitamin C, zinc supplements, and echinacea.

Although not proven to be helpful, most home remedies are safe for most people.

Wash your hands often. This is the best way to stop the spread of germs.

To wash your hands correctly:

To further prevent colds:

Try treating your cold at home first. Call your provider right away, or go to the emergency room, if you have:

Also contact your provider if:

Barrett B. The common cold. In: Goldman L, Cooney K, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 329.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage. Manage common cold. www.cdc.gov/common-cold/treatment/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/colds.html. Updated April 24, 2024. Accessed June 18, 2024.

Cohen YZ. The common cold. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 58.

Lopez SMC, Williams JV. The common cold. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 407.



Review Date: 2/2/2023
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Editorial update 03/04/2024.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
© 1997- adam.comAll rights reserved.
A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.