When an illness is viral or self-limiting, antibiotics will not speed recovery, so pushing for them only adds risk. Side effects range from diarrhoea and thrush to allergic reactions, and overuse helps bacteria become resistant.
Clinicians weigh the likely cause, your risk factors, and the evidence before prescribing. Trusting that judgement, or asking for the reasoning, leads to better care than insisting on a prescription.
If you are worried about how unwell you are, focus the conversation on a safety-net plan: what symptoms should prompt you to return, how long recovery should take, and when a back-up prescription might be appropriate. Seek urgent care for warning signs like breathing difficulty or a fast-spreading rash.