Do all chest wheezes need antibiotics?

[DarkRainyNovember]

As above shall I just sit it out or do I need antibiotics??my cough isn't bad but when I do cough it feels like stuff is very deep in there?

Absolutely not, unless you've got pneumonia or pleurisy something like that. Overuse of antibiotics is so damaging for everyone

Most chest wheezes don't require antibiotics but do require checking by a health professional as you may need treatment for asthma/viral wheeze

But how do I know it won't develop into one of those?

Antibiotics are not the treatment for a wheeze.

When I say wheeze I mean, when in lying down strange crackling noises are coming from chest.. Wheeze is probably the wrong world

It might well develop into one of those, and that would be when you needed it treating. You don’t need prophylactic antibiotics before it’s actually happened.

If your secretions/chest sounds are sensitive to changes in position, shift with coughing, etc then you’ll probably do fine coughing them up yourself. Keep some paracetamol and/or ibuprofen on board to reduce any muscular soreness of the chest wall which will allow you to keep coughing deeply and effectively, rather than stifling your cough to minimise discomfort.

@DarkRainyNovember you should get checked by a medical professional not by people on line giving opinions.

People on here don't know you or your health, and cannot see/ hear what is going on.

You don't mention any underlying conditions for how long you have had a cough - all of this is important to help understand what is going on.

Whilst it is true that most people don't need antibiotics for viral wheeze, cough etc, those crackles may be the start of an infection. If you gave an underlying health condition, take it seriously and get checked out.

I would call 111 with a crackling sound (like scrunching cellophane?) as that’s what pneumonia sounds like when my kids have it.
Wheezing sounds different.

Speak with a health professional if you are concerned. This is not the arena for seeking advice. Hopefully you feel better soon.

I've had to have antibiotics quite a few times because I have lung problems that make me more susceptible to bacterial infections.

In my experience the wheezing and coughing stuff up is as likely to be inflammation that can be helped with inhalers and/or steroids

For me the warning sign of a bacterial infection secondary to a viral infection is a cough that is getting better than suddenly gets a lot worse

But the best thing you can do is get a GP appointment so someone can have a listen to your chest if you are hearing crackling

@putthehamsterbackinitscage thanks.

I feel ok generally.
The cough isn't persistent but when I do cough it's deep.
I'll see if I can get docs appt tomorrow. The problem js getting an appt is extremely stressful and I start work the moment the lines open. If you don't get in the queue at the precise time it's game over. Then it's one more shot that day.

So it's nice to put feelers out first to gage stuff. I'm not going to follow what people in the Internet tell me but at the same time it's nice to gage opinions.

You need to talk to a medical professional and they can judge. I’ve never had antibiotics in my life, I don’t think.

Do your lungs feel itchy/inflamed, like if you could give them a good scratch it would feel better?

No. I don't (touch wood) feel breathless or ill...

But obviously I'm aware of the sounds and deep cough when it happens otherwise feel OK

Please see a GP. Randoms on the internet don’t know.

Get checked out. You might need antibiotics, you might need an inhaler, you might need steroids, you might need nothing. You need someone who's trained to listen to your chest and figure out what it is.

I had this last week and did an e-consult to request advice and I got a text msg from my practice for an appt that afternoon. Gp listened to my chest and determined I didn’t need antibiotics but prescribed an inhaler for the wheezing .
Do you have e -consult or similar? It might be easier than the awful phone roulette

When you cough up phlegm is it brown/ green/ yellow or dirty looking? This is a sign of infection. Do you have a high temp? If you’re really concerned go see a doctor even just to rule out infection or viral asthma.

Steam inhalation with a few drops of Eucalyptus or similar will help open your airways. Plenty fluids, paracetamol, honey and lemon is comforting and can help if a cough gets dry.

@ShinyBandana similar here - had early signs of a cough moving into my chest about 2 /3 weeks ago - did e consult and got same day face to face appointment.

I did get a prescription for Antib's and steroids as I do have a history of such issues causing asthma to flare And whilst others might consider this unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics, for me it is usually best caught early - last time around (early spring) I ended up much worse and 3 rounds of antibiotics to clear it once the infection took hold.

But I wouldn't jump to saying @DarkRainyNovember needs them - that needs a full picture of overall health etc and a Dr to interpret/ decide on best action.

@J316.. Very pale yellow, sweet (🤢)