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PHARMACIST-REVIEWED GUIDE · PAKISTAN
Tell flu from a common cold, choose the right medicine, and use home remedies that actually help.
✓ Reviewed by Arhum Nadeem, Pharm-D · ✓ Based on NHS & WHO guidance · ✓ 3–4 hr delivery in Lahore
Medically reviewed by Arhum Nadeem, Pharm-D (8 years’ experience as a pharmacist) · Last reviewed: 17 October 2026
Flu vs cold: the main difference is how fast and how hard it hits. Flu starts suddenly, with fever, chills, body aches and exhaustion that can keep you in bed for days. A cold comes on gradually and mainly affects the nose and throat, with sneezing, a runny or blocked nose and a mild sore throat. Both are caused by viruses, so antibiotics don’t help either one, but flu is more likely to cause serious complications such as pneumonia. Simple home remedies for cold and flu, rest, fluids, honey and steam, ease symptoms while you recover.
Key points
| Symptom | Common cold | Flu (influenza) |
|---|---|---|
| How it starts | Gradually, over a day or two | Suddenly, often within hours |
| Fever | Rare or mild | Common; often 38°C to 40°C, with chills |
| Body aches | Mild | Common and often severe |
| Tiredness | Mild | Severe; you may be unable to get out of bed |
| Headache | Uncommon | Common |
| Sneezing | Common | Sometimes |
| Runny or blocked nose | Common | Sometimes |
| Sore throat | Common | Sometimes |
| Cough | Mild to moderate, hacking | Common; can become severe |
| Complications | Rarely serious | Can lead to pneumonia or hospital admission |
Symptoms alone can’t always tell them apart. A rapid test at a clinic or lab can confirm flu or COVID-19, which can look very similar.
In Pakistan, flu cases usually rise in the colder months, from around November to February. In Lahore this overlaps with the smog season, when polluted air irritates the nose and throat and can make cold symptoms feel worse or last longer. If your “cold” is really smog irritation, symptoms usually improve on cleaner-air days. See our smog protection guide.
No medicine cures a cold or flu; these ease the symptoms while your body fights the virus. Prices are Divine Medicines prices checked in October 2026 and can change.
| Symptom | What helps | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fever, headache, body aches | Paracetamol or ibuprofen | Panadol 500 mg (about Rs 35 per strip), Brufen 200 mg |
| Blocked nose | Saline spray; a decongestant for a few days if you have no heart or blood pressure problems | Norsaline-P nasal spray (about Rs 128), Arinac (ibuprofen + pseudoephedrine) |
| Runny nose and sneezing | An antihistamine | Softin 10 mg (loratadine; usually non-drowsy) |
| Sore throat | Painkiller, gargle, honey | See our sore throat guide |
| Cough | Depends on dry or chesty cough | See our cough syrup guide |
Check combination tablets. “Cold and flu” products such as Panadol CF often already contain paracetamol. Don’t take them with extra Panadol, or you could take too much paracetamol, which can damage the liver.
Antiviral medicine for flu (oseltamivir) needs a prescription. It works best when started within 2 days of symptoms, so people at high risk should see a doctor early.
Order with home delivery across Lahore, or ask our pharmacist on WhatsApp which product suits your symptoms.
Taking vitamin C regularly may slightly shorten colds for some people, but starting it after symptoms begin makes little difference. Zinc may help a little if taken early. Neither replaces rest, fluids or a flu vaccine.
These groups benefit most from a yearly flu vaccine and should see a doctor early if flu symptoms start.
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Get medical help straight away if you or your child has:
Also see a doctor if a fever lasts more than 3 days, or if you are in a high-risk group. In Pakistan, a fever that won’t settle can also be dengue or malaria, which need a blood test.
Nazla zukam (cold) aahista aahista shuru hota hai, chheenkein aur naak behti hai, bukhar kam hota hai. Flu achanak shuru hota hai, tez bukhar, jism mein dard aur bohat kamzori hoti hai. Dono virus se hote hain, is liye antibiotic faida nahi deti. Panadol, zyada pani, aaram aur saline spray se aaram milta hai. Saans lene mein mushkil, seene mein dard, ya 3 din se zyada bukhar ho to doctor ko dikhayen. Har saal sardi se pehle flu ki vaccine lagwana behtareen bachao hai.
Flu usually starts suddenly with fever, chills, body aches and severe tiredness. A cold starts slowly and mainly causes sneezing, a runny nose and a sore throat. A rapid test can confirm flu.
Most people feel very unwell for 3 to 7 days, but a cough and tiredness can last up to 2 weeks.
For most healthy adults, paracetamol or ibuprofen with rest and fluids. People at high risk should see a doctor early about antiviral treatment, which needs a prescription.
No. Both are viral, and antibiotics don’t work on viruses. A doctor may prescribe them only if a bacterial complication, such as pneumonia, develops.
Allergies cause itchy eyes and sneezing that last for weeks and come back in the same season, without fever or body aches. A cold usually clears in about a week.
Ideally every year before winter, around September to November, so you are protected when flu season starts. Ask your doctor or pharmacy about availability.
This article is for general information and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Always read the pack leaflet and follow the dose on the label or prescription.
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