What are antibiotics?
Antibiotics are a type of medicine that prevent and treat bacterial infections. These include bacterial chest infections and some types of pneumonia. They work by destroying the bacteria or stopping it from growing.
Antibiotics cannot treat viral infections like colds and flu. They also don’t work for viral chest infections.
It can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between infections caused by bacteria and those caused by viruses. This makes it difficult to know if antibiotics will help you or not. Your doctor may need to test a sample of your phlegm or do a blood test to be sure. These tests will help your doctor to find the most suitable antibiotic to treat your infection.
Your doctor will also look for symptoms like:
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a high temperature that gets worse after a few days
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your phlegm being green or brown
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you're not feeling better after three weeks
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your lung condition symptoms are getting worse.
How to take antibiotics
It’s important to take your antibiotics exactly as your doctor tells you to. Antibiotics can be taken as tablets or inhaled as a mist through a nebuliser. But, if your infection is more serious you may need to be given your antibiotics as an injection or through a drip.
Can antibiotics help my lung condition?
The best way to treat your asthma is to take a regular preventer medicine every day as prescribed, usually as an inhaler. You can also use a reliever inhaler when you have asthma symptoms. Antibiotics do not treat the usual inflammation which causes asthma symptoms. But, your GP may prescribe you antibiotics if a bacterial infection, such as a bacterial chest infection, is making your asthma symptoms worse. You may also need oral steroids to deal with your asthma symptoms. Read more about steroids.
Your asthma symptoms should get better because the antibiotics are treating the underlying infection which is making your asthma symptoms worse.
If you have a chest infection caused by a viral infection, antibiotics will not help. Read more about chest infections.
Antibiotics for severe asthma
There are some types of severe asthma that may be treated with on-going antibiotics as an add-on treatment prescribed by a hospital specialist. Find out more about treatments for severe asthma.
Antibiotics do not help to treat COPD because it is not caused by bacteria. Some of the best ways to manage your COPD include:
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stopping smoking
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vaccines including the flu, pneumonia and COVID-19 vaccines
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pulmonary rehabilitation
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using a COPD self-management plan
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having a COPD review with your GP.
If you're having a COPD flare-up and have signs of a bacterial chest infection, your doctor may prescribe you a five-day course of antibiotics. The antibiotics will treat the infection, but they will not treat the COPD itself. Sometimes your doctor may prescribe a rescue pack of medicines to keep at home in case you have a flare-up. Read more about rescue packs.
If your chest infection is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not help your symptoms. Read more about chest infections.
Antibiotics are often used to treat flare-ups of your bronchiectasis, if they're caused by a bacterial chest infection. Usually, your doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics, and you'll need to take them for 14 days. They may need a phlegm sample to prescribe the right antibiotics for your infection.
If you have three or more flare-ups in a year, you may need to take antibiotics for much longer. Long-term antibiotics can help to reduce the number of flare-ups that you have. Your doctor will talk to you about this to make sure it is the right option for you.
Antibiotics are not used to treat pulmonary fibrosis because the scar tissue in your lungs is not a bacterial infection. Once scarring occurs in your lungs, it cannot be reversed. The best ways to manage pulmonary fibrosis include stopping smoking and taking medicines to stabilise or slow down scarring in your lungs. Read more about the causes and treatments of pulmonary fibrosis.
Pulmonary fibrosis can increase your chance of getting infections in your chest and airways. If you get a bacterial chest infection, your doctor might prescribe you a course of antibiotics. They may need a sample of your phlegm to decide if this is the best treatment for you. Read more about chest infections.
Any medication, including antibiotics, can have side effects. In rare cases, some types of antibiotics can cause scarring in your lungs which may cause pulmonary fibrosis. It’s important to talk to your doctor before starting a new medicine to decide whether it's the right treatment option for you. Read more about drug-induced interstitial lung disease.
Antibiotics are the main treatment for bacterial pneumonia. If your infection is mild, you may be able to manage it at home. Your GP will usually prescribe you a five-day course of antibiotics. Speak to your doctor if your symptoms do not improve within three days of starting antibiotics.
If your infection is more severe, you may need to be treated in the hospital. You may need to have antibiotics and fluids put through a drip in your arm. Read more about treating pneumonia.
Cystic fibrosis causes sticky mucus to build up in your lungs, increasing your risk of getting bacterial infections. Taking antibiotics can help prevent new infections and manage long-term infections. You may be given antibiotics that can be taken by mouth or inhaled using a nebuliser.
If you have a flare-up, you may also need to be given antibiotics directly into your veins. Your doctor may need to take a phlegm sample to help them decide which type of antibiotics are right for you. Read more about the different type of antibiotics used to treat cystic fibrosis.
If you're struggling with the symptoms of your lung condition, your doctor can help you to find the right treatment. You can also call our Helpline for support and advice on whether antibiotics can help your symptoms.
Do I need antibiotics for an asthma attack or flare-up of my lung condition?
Asthma attacks
Antibiotics cannot help with asthma attacks, and guidelines do not recommend routinely prescribing antibiotics after an asthma attack.
You should only be given antibiotics after an asthma attack if there's strong evidence that you have a bacterial infection, for example a bacterial chest infection or pneumonia.
Find out what to do in an asthma attack.
Lung condition flare-ups
Antibiotics are commonly used to treat flare-ups in COPD, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis. If you have signs of a bacterial chest infection, antibiotics can help to improve your symptoms. It’s important to take your antibiotics as prescribed and finish the course even if you're feeling better.
If you have COPD or bronchiectasis, your doctor may prescribe you a rescue pack of drugs to keep at home in case you have a flare-up. This will include:
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steroid tablets
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antibiotics.
It’s important to only start your rescue pack if you're having a flare-up. Your self-management plan will help you to know when to use your rescue pack. You can download a free copy of our self-management plan for COPD.
It's also important that you regularly check the expiry date of your rescue pack and make sure you ask for another one if your medicines are out of date.
Is it safe to take antibiotics when you have a lung condition?
Most of the time, it’s safe to take antibiotics if you take them properly and follow your doctor’s advice. But sometimes they can cause side effects. These are usually mild and will go away after you have stopped taking them.
Side effects include:
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being sick
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feeling sick
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bloating and indigestion
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diarrhoea.
Talk to your GP if side effects are a problem for you or you get any additional symptoms. They can see if there is a different type of antibiotic you could use instead.
You should also check with your GP or pharmacist if any antibiotics you’ve been prescribed are safe to take alongside any other medicines you are taking. This includes medicines you take for your lung condition. The NHS has more information about taking antibiotics alongside other medicines.
Allergic reactions to antibiotics
Some people (around 1 in 15) have an allergic reaction to antibiotics, particularly to penicillin. This is usually a mild allergic reaction and can be treated using antihistamines. It's important to tell your doctor about your allergies before they prescribe you any antibiotics.
In rare cases (around 1 in 200,000), some people have a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. The risk of a severe allergic reaction is higher if you have a history of asthma, eczema, or hay fever.
A severe allergic reaction can have similar symptoms to your lung condition, like coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
Call 999 if:
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your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
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you're struggling to breathe (you may have a wheeze or noisy breathing)
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your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
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your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
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you're very confused, drowsy or dizzy.
These could be signs of a severe allergic reaction.
Antibiotic resistance
In the past, a lot of antibiotics were prescribed ‘just in case’. We now know that using antibiotics too often can stop them from being effective. This is called antibiotic resistance.
In cases where your doctor feels that you have a mild infection that your body might beat without antibiotics, they might give you a delayed prescription. You should only take this if you don’t start to feel better after a few days.
Never take antibiotics if you do not need them. For example, if you have a viral infection. If you do need antibiotics, it’s important to take them exactly as directed by your GP and make sure you finish the course. The NHS has more information about using antibiotics safely.
Get support
Call our Helpline for support with your condition. Get advice on your medicines, symptoms or travelling with a lung condition, or just call us to say hello.