[header] How to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use [title] Be more patient with your illness. [step] As a patient, it can be hard to have an illness that's causing uncomfortable symptoms and lots of distress; however, many respiratory and intestinal infections clear up within a few weeks and are not life threatening. As such, take the time to assess your symptoms before visiting the doctor. 
This can help avoid unnecessary antibiotic use. [substeps] The rule of thumb is to allow symptoms like mild fever, congestion, running nose and/or cough to run their course, usually about seven to 10 days.