Whether it was placebo or not, it did usually seem to make me feel better.
Those two sentences contradict each other; it is a very irresponsible thing to do. Also, yes, if every time you have a cold, you get antibiotics and they make you feel better, it is placebo.
What's even worse is that unnecessary use of antibiotics can affect someone's gut biome and leave them worse off for months, in some extreme cases years. I have had antibiotics only a couple of times in my life (for bleeding injuries) and I noticed the effect on my gut each time. To think that people create this problem when they don't have to is alarming. I hope for their sake their doctors _are_ prescribing them placebos so it's harmless ignorance.
Walking out of the pharmacy with 8 boxes of antibiotics at a time was a fun experience. I can't remember but in Australia I think it was less than $5 a box without insurance.
Yes there's the saying among doctors, for patients with a cold who want medication (e.g. antibiotics): "You can either wait and feel better in a week, or I give you medication and you feel better in 7 days."
Not necessarily. Azithromycin, a common antibiotic used for upper respiratory infections, has anti-inflammatory effects separate from it's antibacterial effects[1]. So it may make patients feel better even if they have a viral infection. Thus perpetuating the patient's belief that they "needed" antibiotics.