Swine Flu

Tamiflu is proven to be a safe and effective treatment for swine flu. This lucid article answers some of the most obvious questions that may crop up in your mind regarding the safety and efficacy of Tamiflu for the prevention and treatment of wine Flu.

What is Tamiflu oseltamivir?

Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is an oral antiviral drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and prevention of flu. Marketed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche (Roche), Tamiflu is found to be effective against both Influenza A and Influenza B viruses. In April 2009, when the swine flu virus emerged, the FDA approved the use of Tamiflu to prevent and treat swine flu also. People who are exposed to the flu virus may take Tamiflu to prevent infection and those who are already hit by the virus may take Tamiflu to stop the further spread of the virus inside the body as well as seek relief from swine flu symptoms.

Tamiflu for swine flu treatment

Tamiflu belongs to a group of medicines called neuraminidase inhibitors. The medicine aims at attacking the virus inside the body so that it does not spread further. As a result, the symptoms and duration of an influenza infection gets considerably reduced. To get the most effective results from swine flu treatment, Tamiflu should be taken within two days of experiencing the flu symptoms. The standard recommended dosage of Tamiflu for swine flu treatment is one Tamiflu 75mg capsule twice daily for five days. Tamiflu stops the further spread of the swine flu virus and also reduces the span of the disease. Besides, Tamiflu is also shown to reduce the intensity of swine flu symptoms such as fever, headache, chills, body aches and muscle pain.

Precautions to take while having Tamiflu

Listed below are precautions you must take while using Tamiflu for swine flu treatment -

• Since Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is a prescription medicine always take Tamiflu after consulting a doctor.
• Inform your doctor if you suffer from allergies or have a known sensitivity to any of the components of Tamiflu.
• Inform your doctor about your medical conditions especially if you are suffering from heart, liver, kidney or lung disease.
• Tamiflu should be taken with caution in women who are pregnant, planning to get pregnant or breastfeeding.

Major and minor side effects of Tamiflu

Like any other prescription medicine, Tamiflu comes with certain side effects. However, most Tamiflu side effects are mild to moderate and are not likely to affect everyone who takes the medicine. Some of the most commonly reported minor side effects of Tamiflu are nausea and vomiting. These are noticed in the first two days of the treatment and are considerably reduced when Tamiflu is taken with food. Other Tamiflu side effects in adults include abdominal pain, diarrhoea and bronchitis. Children may get abdominal pain, ear problems such as middle ear infection and conjunctivitis.

Some of the rarely noticed major side effects of Tamiflu are unstable angina (chest pain), anaemia and unexplained rash. In very rare instances, cases of self-injury and delirium have also been reported in patients with flu. Please report to your doctor if you face any major side effects or if any of the Tamiflu side effects become particularly bothersome.