Written for Stock My Medicine and clinically reviewed by Hajra Dhanchora, MPharm (GPhC 2216990).
Nothing cures a cold. That's the honest starting point, and it's also useful, because it separates the handful of things that genuinely shorten or soften one from the shelf of things that only feel like they might. Here's what a cold actually is, how long it lasts, what a pharmacist would reach for, and the few signs that mean it's not a cold at all.
How long does a cold last?
Most colds run their course in 7 to 10 days, with the worst two or three days in the middle. The stages are predictable: a scratchy throat and sneezing on days one and two, a blocked, runny nose and headache from day three, then the tail, where the nose clears but a cough hangs on. A cough after a cold can last up to three weeks and doesn't mean the cold has "gone to your chest". You're contagious from the day before symptoms until they've gone, most of all in the first three days. Children get colds more often and more slowly, eight or more a year is normal at nursery age.
Is it a cold or flu?
| Cold | Flu | |
|---|---|---|
| Onset | Gradual, over 2 to 3 days | Sudden, within hours |
| Fever | Rare or mild | Usual, often 38°C or higher |
| Aches and exhaustion | Mild | Severe: you can't get out of bed |
| Nose and throat | The main event | Present but secondary |
| Recovery | 7 to 10 days | 1 to 2 weeks, tired for longer |
The one-line test: a cold lets you get on with a bad day; flu puts you in bed.
Can you get rid of a cold in 24 hours?
No, and anything that promises to is selling. What the evidence does support, modestly, is shortening a cold by a day or so and making the days you have milder. Four things have real data behind them:
- Rest and fluids. Unglamorous and still the biggest lever. Sleep is when the immune system does its work, and being well hydrated keeps mucus thin enough to shift.
- Zinc lozenges started within 24 hours of the first symptom shorten colds by around a day in several trials. Later than that, they do little.
- Honey reduces cough frequency and severity, in adults and in children over one. A spoonful in a warm drink at bedtime beats most cough syrups in the trials.
- A throat barrier spray such as ColdZyme, used from the first tickle, coats the throat so fewer viruses take hold; its makers' trials report a cold shortened by up to a few days when started early.
Vitamin C taken once a cold has started makes no measurable difference. Echinacea's trials are mixed. Antibiotics do nothing, because colds are viral, and a GP won't prescribe them for one.
How to get rid of a cold fast: match the remedy to the symptom
Pharmacy remedies don't shorten a cold, but the right one for the right symptom makes the week bearable. The trick is to treat what you have, not buy the box with the most words on it.
| Symptom | What works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aches, headache, sore throat, fever | Paracetamol or ibuprofen | Take regularly for the first two days rather than waiting for the worst. Don't double up with a "cold and flu" product that already contains paracetamol. |
| Blocked nose | Decongestant spray for up to 7 days, or a saline spray as often as you like | Sprays beat tablets for a blocked nose. Never beyond a week on the medicated one: it rebounds. |
| Everything at once | Lemsip Max or an all-in-one capsule | Paracetamol plus a decongestant. Not with high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes; ages 16+. |
| Stuffy head at night | Olbas Oil on a tissue, or menthol steam | Vapour opens the nose without a drug; steam thins the mucus. |
| Chesty cough | An expectorant | Only for a cough that brings phlegm up. For a dry tickle, honey or a soothing linctus. |
Everything above is in our cold and flu range, and for a throat that's the worst part, our guide to what kills a sore throat fast covers lozenges and sprays.
What doesn't help, and what makes it worse
Sweating it out, starving it, or feeding it: none has any effect. Alcohol dehydrates you and disturbs the sleep you need. Smoking, including someone else's, prolongs the cough. Blowing your nose hard forces mucus into the sinuses; blow one side at a time, gently. And going into work on day two spreads it to everyone who sits near you, because that's when you're most contagious.
How to get rid of a head cold fast: the sinus version
A "head cold" is a cold where the congestion has settled in the sinuses: pressure across the cheeks and forehead, a heavy face when you bend down, teeth that ache. The decongestant spray, steam and staying upright do the most; sleeping with an extra pillow helps overnight. If the pressure is still there after ten days, or comes with a fever and green discharge, that's sinusitis and worth a pharmacist's look.
How to avoid passing it on
Cold viruses travel on hands more than through the air. Wash yours often, catch sneezes in a tissue and bin it, and don't share cups, towels or the remote for the week. Stay off work or school on the worst two or three days if you can; the days you feel roughest are the days you shed most virus. Wipe the door handles, kettle and phone, which is where a household cold does its rounds. Keeping generally fit, sleeping enough and not smoking lowers how many colds you catch in a year, and how badly.
When a cold needs a GP
See a GP if a high temperature lasts more than three days, symptoms are getting worse rather than better after a week, you have chest pain or are short of breath, the cold has lasted more than ten days, or you have a long-term condition such as asthma, COPD, diabetes or a weakened immune system. Call 111 for a baby under three months with a temperature of 38°C, or any child who is drowsy, breathing fast or not drinking. Our pharmacist can advise on which remedies are safe alongside your other medicines.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a cold contagious?
From about a day before symptoms until they've cleared, so up to two weeks, but the first three days are when you spread it most.
Should I take vitamin C?
Taking it every day through winter may shorten colds very slightly; starting it once you're ill doesn't help. A normal diet gives you enough.
Can I exercise with a cold?
Gentle exercise is fine if symptoms are above the neck. With a fever, aches or a chesty cough, rest until they've passed.
Why do I keep getting colds?
There are over 200 cold viruses and immunity to each is short-lived, so two to four a year is normal for adults and far more for children and their parents. Poor sleep, stress and smoking all raise the count; a run of colds with other symptoms, such as weight loss or mouth ulcers, is worth a GP visit.