Over-the-counter remedies

Over-the-counter – or OTC – remedies can be bought from your pharmacist without a prescription. They don’t treat the flu virus, but can help you get some temporary relief from the symptoms.
The most common OTC remedies used to relieve flu-like symptoms include:

analgesics – such as paracetamol and ibuprofen – can help to relieve aches and pains, and reduce fever. Aspirin should never be given to children under the age of 16 years to relieve flu symptoms due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome.
antihistamines can help alleviate symptoms such as a runny nose and watery eyes. However, some antihistamines can cause drowsiness.
expectorants work by thinning mucus so that it can be more easily coughed up. They are usually recommended for chesty coughs.
cough suppressants can help stop coughing. They are usually recommended for dry coughs that are not producing mucus.
decongestants are used to treat a blocked, stuffy nose and work by reducing nasal congestion.

Some OTC remedies can have negative side-effects. Please see your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Always tell your pharmacist if you are taking any prescription medications before taking OTC treatments as these may interfere with your other medications.

OTC remedies do not fight the flu virus

Although OTC remedies may ease some flu symptoms, they do not attack the flu virus. Only prescription antivirals are clinically proven to shorten the duration and reduce the severity of flu.

Think you have flu?

If you have flu-like symptoms, use the symptom checker to see if you have flu or just a cold.

If you think you or a family member has flu, it’s important to act fast! See your doctor within 48 hours of symptom onset, so you can get the most effective treatment available.

"I would describe flu as something that makes you feel very, very ill. You get a headache, aching bones, and are generally fed up"

"When I get flu symptoms I feel like a train has run over me"

"I felt very sick and, during the first week, I had high temperature. Flu was very different to a cold. I went back to work after two and a half weeks. Then I suffered a setback for another week"

"I run a guesthouse; flu would be a real pest for me. I couldn’t cook, I shouldn’t cook, and I wouldn’t cook, so I would need to get a lot of extra help in. It would cost me a lot more money. So flu’s a real problem, a right downturn"

"I work on my own and when I can’t work, I have to try not to infect my little children, so they avoid getting the flu as well"

"I feel a little numb, like I’m in another dimension. Because in general I have sore throat, headache, I feel all clogged-up. Usually a sensation like I’m floating in the air"

"Shivers, sweats, makes you ache. Last time I had flu I was off for two weeks"

"I think that I would probably be concerned that I would pass flu onto my children, who might not be able to deal with it as well as I would"

"Flu makes you feel like you’ve been hit over the head with a baseball bat. You don’t feel like you can get yourself out of bed as all your energy is drawn from you"

"I was incapable of working. It just wasn’t possible at all… and my flu dragged on for more than a week"

"I have no strength. It annoys me because I can do nothing, it seems like I’m wasting my time"

"Flu’s like being hit by a truck because you feel completely gone. There is no energy left in your body. You are suffering from high temperature. You’re sweating a lot and you feel really unwell"

"First of all infinite tiredness, then I feel like sleeping and don’t want to eat"

"I felt really miserable because my muscles and my bones were aching. Well, I can hardly describe it, I just felt really awful, absolutely miserable"

"It’s like there’s something huge treading on your head, like a deafening noise that destroys the eardrums"

"The fever was constantly rising – I immediately measured my temperature as soon as I got home. It was 41°C and it kept rising and I was wondering what’s going on. I was really scared! Everything was hurting and it all happened so fast. Flu came out of the blue"

"I always feel like my limbs have iron weights tied to them and I’m going to fall over any minute, a really stuffy runny nose and feel antisocial"

"I was totally dependent on others! I was incapable of doing anything at all"

"The real flu knocks you for six – you just don’t want to move or do anything. It’s not very nice"

"Not being able to go to work. Not being able to do the things I have to do at home and the commitments that I have day by day"