Cut Short Symptoms with Antiviral Drug
You normally fight the flu the same as you do a cold - with rest, fluids, and over-the-counter remedies that make you feel better while the illness runs its course. But if you are over 65 or have a chronic health condition, you are at high risk for complications. That means your doctor may want to prescribe an antiviral medicine to cut short or even prevent the flu. It won't give you immunity, though, so you still need your annual flu shot.
Tamiflu (oseltamiver) is the most effective antiviral drug. It's the one governments are stockpiling in case if a "bird" flu pandemic. But it is expensive - about $10 per pill - and it takes two pills a day for five days to treat the flu. You need just one pill a day for prevention, but you're only protected while you're taking the medicine.
Tamiflu will only work if you take it within 48 hours of your first flu symptoms. So this is the one time where you should consult your doctor as soon as you start feeling sick. Unfortunately, antiviral drugs are similar to antibiotics in that overuse can lead to resistant viruses. This has happened with two other antiviral medicines - Flumadine (rimantadine) and Symmetrel (amantadine) - which are not currently recommended. So you don't want to use Tamiflu as a routine treatment. Leave it to your doctor to decide it it's your best course of action.
If you don't feel better after four or five days, you may have complications like bronchitis or pneumonia, which Tamiflu won't help. Then your doctor will need to prescribe a bacteria-fighting antibiotic.
© FCA Publishing
Excerpt from FC&A's 1,001 Prescription Secrets for Seniors.
