If you have the flu, the most important things to do right away are rest, drink extra fluids, and decide whether you need antiviral medication. Most healthy adults recover in five to seven days, but the first 48 hours matter most for treatment decisions and for limiting how much you spread the virus to others.
How to Know It’s the Flu
The flu hits fast. Unlike a cold, which creeps in gradually with a runny nose and mild congestion, flu symptoms tend to arrive all at once: fever, chills, body aches, headache, fatigue, and a dry cough. You might feel fine in the morning and completely wiped out by afternoon. A cold rarely causes a high fever or the kind of deep muscle soreness that makes it hard to get out of bed, so if you’re experiencing both, it’s likely the flu.
If you need a definitive answer, your doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic can run a rapid flu test with a nasal swab. Getting tested within the first two days of symptoms is especially useful because it opens the door to antiviral treatment.
When Antivirals Can Help
Antiviral medication works best when started within 48 hours of your first symptoms. Within that window, it can shorten the duration of fever and illness by roughly a day, and it may reduce the risk of complications like pneumonia. Even starting treatment at 72 hours has shown modest benefits in some cases, but the earlier the better.
Antivirals aren’t automatically prescribed for every flu patient. They’re most strongly recommended if you fall into a higher-risk group: adults 65 and older, children under 2, pregnant women (including up to two weeks postpartum), and people with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, or a weakened immune system. People with a BMI of 40 or higher, those who’ve had a stroke, and residents of nursing homes also qualify. If any of these apply to you, contact your doctor as soon as symptoms start, even before test results come back.
Healthy adults and older children without risk factors can often recover without antivirals, but the option is still worth discussing with a provider if you catch it early enough.
Managing Symptoms at Home
There’s no way to make the flu disappear overnight, but you can make the five to seven days more bearable. Over-the-counter fever reducers and pain relievers (acetaminophen or ibuprofen) are the backbone of symptom management. Don’t exceed 4,000 milligrams of acetaminophen in 24 hours, and take ibuprofen with food or milk to avoid stomach irritation. For children under 12, check with a pediatrician on dosing. Never give aspirin to children or teenagers with the flu, as it’s linked to a rare but serious condition called Reye’s syndrome.
Hydration is just as important as rest. Fever and sweating drain your body’s fluids faster than usual, and dehydration makes fatigue and headaches worse. Water, broth, and sports drinks are all good choices. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, and cola, which can increase fluid loss. If you’re too weak to hold a cup, try ice chips, frozen pops, or a straw. For babies, continue breastfeeding or formula; call the doctor if an infant refuses to feed. Older adults and people with kidney problems should ask their doctor about safe fluid amounts.
Beyond that, sleep as much as your body wants. Keep an extra blanket nearby for chills, and use a humidifier if dry air is making your cough worse. Even after the main symptoms resolve, lingering fatigue is common, so don’t rush back to full activity.
How Long You’re Contagious
You can spread the flu starting one day before your symptoms appear and for five to seven days after getting sick. The first three days of illness are the most contagious period. Young children and people with weakened immune systems may remain contagious even longer.
This means you’re already spreading the virus before you know you have it, which is why the flu moves through households so quickly. Once you know you’re sick, stay home from work, school, and public places until at least 24 hours after your fever breaks, without the help of fever-reducing medication.
Protecting Others in Your Home
The flu virus can survive on surfaces for up to eight hours, so a few simple steps go a long way in protecting the people you live with.
- Stay in a separate room. Ideally one with a window you can open. Fresh air circulation reduces the chance of spreading respiratory viruses. If the weather allows, crack the window and let sunlight in, as UV light helps kill the virus.
- Designate one caregiver. Limit the number of people who have close contact with you. Others in the household should keep their distance as much as possible.
- Wash hands constantly. Anyone who touches shared surfaces or helps care for you should wash their hands thoroughly afterward.
- Clean shared surfaces with soap and water. You don’t need special hospital-grade disinfectant. Regular soap or detergent, wiped on and allowed to dry, is effective.
- Don’t worry about separating laundry or dishes. Wash everything normally in the washing machine or dishwasher. Just avoid hugging a pile of soiled laundry against your body, and wash your hands after handling it.
If you have to be near someone who isn’t sick, such as during a car ride, wear a mask and open the windows.
Warning Signs That Need Emergency Care
Most flu cases resolve on their own, but certain symptoms signal that something more serious is developing. In adults, seek emergency care for difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent chest or abdominal pain, confusion or inability to stay alert, seizures, not urinating, severe muscle pain, or severe weakness. A particularly important red flag is a fever or cough that seems to improve and then comes back worse, which can indicate a secondary infection like pneumonia.
In children, watch for fast or labored breathing, ribs pulling in with each breath, bluish lips or face, refusal to walk due to muscle pain, dehydration (no urine for eight hours, dry mouth, no tears), or a fever above 104°F that doesn’t respond to medication. Any fever in an infant younger than 12 weeks warrants an immediate call to the doctor, regardless of other symptoms. For both adults and children, worsening of any existing chronic condition during the flu is reason to get medical attention quickly.