How long to wait till you go to the doctor about a cold?

About 12–14 days from now if you feel the same way, I’d be worried. If the sore throat lasts more than 6days I’d call the Dr.

really that long?
There are no white dots, no gross coloured nasal discharge (sorry) I guess i just have to grin and bear it – the sandpaper throat is the most annoying.

Drinking tea with honey may help the sore throat. Using a vaporizer particularly when you sleep can also help with the throat. If your nose is stuffy, you are probably breathing through your mouth more than you realize which can cause your throat to be really sore.

Personally, I would wait 8 to 10 days from the point you’re at now. If it’s a cold, there really isn’t anything the doctor can do. @optimisticpessimist gave you good advice for helping your symptoms. Hope you feel better soon!

A doctor cannot do anything at all to make a cold feel better or go away. A doctor is pretty much worthless in this regard.

The longest cold I’ve ever had was 3 weeks, and I didn’t see a doctor for that. I’d only go to the doctor if I suspected infection, and even then, I’d wait a good month at first.

Most problems go away, and doctors shouldn’t be visited for colds, generally.

Forever. I don’t want to pay like $55 or whatever much for some doctor to tell me that it’s just a cold, and it’ll pass.

Does this sound like an infection?
Are there sure signs to know if it’s an infection?
I guess I’m just being extra paranoid as I’m a singer, and yes I know I should know but we always seek help from others who have had a similar experience… we like the reiteration.

@tan235 I often get sore throats (shoulda had my tonsils out——or so I think) and the one OTC that works for me is Tylenol Cold Sore Throat Pm & AM

No, this does not sound like an infection. It sounds like a common cold. It could be strep throat, but I’m not a Dr and I can’t see through my computer to your throat.

Rest, hydrate & nourish. I’d take some OTCs and I always add in some zinc and some Sucrets.

thanks @SpatzieLover , i have no white dots – it’s just a little red, i think i may be over reacting, which lets face it is probably all a cold is, is my body over reacting to a little bug.
cold be gone!

I’m just finishing with a wicked cold. I had a sore throat for 6 days and that spread to my sinuses and my ears.

The only time I’d venture to the doctor is if I had a high fever (over 104) that didn’t ameliorate with tylenol and lasted longer than 3 days, if I became chronically dehydrated even with adequate water intake, or developed a cough that didn’t start getting better (ever so slowly) after two weeks or three weeks.

If symptoms haven’t cleared up by the two week mark, you probably have a bacterial infection and should see a doctor.

The doctor probably won’t even see you unless it’s been over 2 weeks. If the same symptoms persist after 2 weeks, you’ll most likely need antibiotics to clear it up. Until then, unfortunately the most you can do for it is take lots of cold medicine.

Well, I don’t have insurance so I let it ride out no matter the length, unless I just know it’s not the cold anymore.
When I took my youngest to the pediatrician for a well check up visit, he had a cold for almost a month! They said by that point it was probably a sinus infection and prescribed an antibiotic…but within a day he got better.

Several people I work with have had a nasty cold that turned into bronchitis. The symptoms are very similar to yours. 2 people went to their doctors after missing 3–4 days of work. Both were prescribed Z-pack antibiotics and both missed 3–5 more days of work. The people who did not go to a doctor and didn’t take an antibiotic also missed 7–10 work days. Most bronchitis is caused by viruses, and therefore antibiotics would not affect it. I think sometimes doctors prescribe antibiotics “just in case” or because their patients insist.

All that said, everyone is different. If it relieves your mind to see a doctor, it may well be worth it and you won’t be stressed about the “what ifs” like you are now.

8+ days and no sign of getting better probably requires an antibiotic. Sore throat for four days plus congestion is not typical cold. A typical cold starts with a sore throat then around 48 hours there is a lull, the throat gets better, and then about 12 hours later the congestion starts, by day 4 the congestion really sucks. Was that the pattern? Is your throat actually cleared up pretty much? If so, that cold will last 7 days most likely. If it started on a Friday, the following Friday you should be done with it altogether.

By the way hot tea and hot soup is for the stuffy head part of a cold, not for very sore throats. Hot causes additional inflammation and irritation. Near room temp is fine though.

I would not go to the doctor about a cold at all, unless I was still ill after 2 weeks without any improvement. Unless the sore throat was so sore I wasn’t able to swallow anything at all.