Flu season bad- anyone try Tamiflu?

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Our little town is at epedemic level. We are staying home as much as possible due to the fact we have a 4 month old infant.

My wife and I both got our flushots last November but the CDC is saying they are only 40% effective due to some new strains. I think we both have had mild cases of flu lasting only 2-3 days.

I was wondering if anyone had tried the Tamiflu antiviral medication?

Here's a paragraph from an AP news report about it.

"H3N2 strains are treatable by Tamiflu and other antiviral drugs, but the other, H1N1 Type A strains are more resistant. Of all flu samples tested this year, 4.6 percent have been resistant to antiviral medications. That's up from fewer than 1 percent last year."

So it seems that maybe the stuff works???

 

[billbill1]

Kyle, several years ago, I took the flu shot and got a different strain of flu. The Dr. gave me the Tamiflu and I was much better the next day and completely cured in 48 hours. It does work or at least it did the one time I used it.

 

[hudr]

I had Flu B this year and got some Tamiflu. It seemed to really lessen the time I was actually down. I was told Fenergen is normally prescribed w/ it as the Tamiflu can cause some extra nausea and other gastrointestinal distress over and beyond the flu. And sure enough, the first time I took it I didn't follow any of the instructions (empty stomach, no Fenergen, not even a glass of water) and I was definitely "distressed" a few minutes later. After that though, I was fine. I was only bed ridden most of one day. I still felt like dried, hammered, ummmmm ...stuff... for a couple of days but everyone else I have talked to was down for nearly a week w/o the Tamiflu.

 

[DocHeb]

Tamiflu will decrease the severity and duration of symptoms, but must be started soon after symptoms start (<24 hours is ideal, but up to 40 hours is accepted). Whether to use it or not depends on wanting to spend $100 for treatment that, in most cases, is self-limiting anyways. Very old, very young, debilitated or immune-suppressed people should definitely take Tamiflu.

There are numerous infections that cause similiar symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, muscle aches, nausea.) Screening using nasal discharge testing can correctly identify ~80% of the cases. If Influena is indeed epidemic in the community, there is some logic in not testing and just treating people with these symptoms with Tamiflu

There is some role in giving prophylactic Tamiflu to household members to prevent spread from the initial contact.

Wash your hands, wash your hands.