Treating Colds

Adolescents on average get a cold two to four times a year. When your child does have a cold:

• Keep her comfortable with appropriate over the counter medications.
• Push lots of fluids to ensure she doesn’t get dehydrated.
• Call your doctor if you think she is not responding to comfort care, looks especially ill or is in significant pain.

Should You Keep Her Home? It is always tricky to decide whether or not your child should stay home from school or curtail her activities with a cold. If she feels fine, chances are she can go on with her daily routine unless she seems contagious—lots of sneezing, coughing, and a runny nose. If this is the case, it is probably a good idea to keep her home for a day or two so that her classmates don’t get sick.

Colds vs. Flu

The flu differs from the common cold—both are respiratory illnesses caused by viruses—in several ways.

• People with the flu often have headaches and high; those with colds typically don’t.
• The flu also can bring about body aches and total exhaustion.
• Cases of the flu are usually seen in early winter through spring.

Your child will have a better chance of staying flu-free if she gets a yearly flu vaccination.  

Treating the Flu

To treat your teen’s flu, have her:

• stay in bed and rest
• drink plenty of fluids
• take an over-the-counter medication if needed, such as acetaminophen for body pain

Flu Complications: Monitor your sick teen to make sure her flu isn’t getting worse. Watch out for these complications (which often crop up after your child starts to feel better)— complications can turn into a bacterial infection, which can turn into pneumonia.

Contact her doctor if she has:

• high fever lasting more that 72 hours
• shaking chills
• chest pain with each breath
• coughing that produces thick, yellowish-greenish-colored mucus
• wheezing or difficulty breathing
• signs of dehydration

For a comprehensive look at colds & flus, read our all-encompassing Cold & Flu Guide.

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