(HealthDay News) -- An antibiotic isn't appropriate for treating all infections, unless the illness is caused by bacteria.
If the illness is caused by a virus, on the other hand, an antibiotic won't do any good. In fact, using an antibiotic for anything other than a bacterial illness may do more harm than good.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests how to ease discomfort when an antibiotic isn't what the doctor ordered: