Antibiotics

an-ti-by-OT-iks /ˌæntibaɪˈɒtɪks/

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What it really means

Medicines for bacterial infections, available only on prescription in the UK. GPs will not prescribe them for colds or flu (which are viruses), and pharmacies cannot sell them without a prescription.

Chinese explanation

抗生素：治疗细菌感染的药，在英国只能凭处方购买。感冒和流感是病毒引起的，GP不会为此开抗生素，药店也不能无处方出售。

Example conversation

A: Can I just buy antibiotics for my cold? B: No — they're prescription-only here, and they don't work on colds anyway.

A：我感冒了，能直接买点抗生素吗？ B：不行——在英国抗生素是处方药，而且抗生素对感冒也没用。

What you could say back

No spoken reply needed for this one.

Related phrases

Prescription Cold and flu remedies

Official sources

Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.

Go deeper

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Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team · Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake