Tamiflu - Prevent flu, Treat the virus, Ease the symptoms

Discussions about influenza (flu) and its treatment have probably never been more relevant than they are right at this moment in time as the world stares in the face of the latest flu pandemic brought about by the H1N1 strain of the virus. The H1N1 virus is more commonly known swine flu.

This pattern of flu pandemic development isn’t unusual. Three flu pandemics occurred in the 20th century alone. Fortunately the current pandemic strain tends to result in a fairly mild illness in most people who contract it, but flu should not be treated lightly as it can be deadly, particularly for those who have other chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma, the elderly and those who are otherwise immuno-compromised.

Even without flu pandemics, flu spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics and these result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people each year.

So what is Flu?

Flu is an infectious viral illness that is caused by RNA viruses from the orthomyxoviridae family. Pandemics result from the appearance of new strains of the virus in humans. Often new strains occur as a result of an existing flu virus spreading from other animal species to humans or when an existing human strain mutates by picking up new genes from a virus that usually infects birds or pigs.

Most of us will recall concerns in the 1990s surrounding the emergence of bird flu (H5N1 flu). Fortunately this new flu strain did not result in a flu pandemic because it did not develop into a virus that was particularly contagious amongst humans. Swine flu, on the other hand, was declared to have reached pandemic proportions by the World Health Organization on 11th June 2009. This new strain of flu emerged from Mexico in April 2009 and combines genes from human, pig and bird flu.

Flu itself has a number of different symptoms which can often appear quite suddenly and are very distinct from the common cold. Typically the illness lasts for around a week. Flu symptoms include:

• Fever; A body temperature of 100° F or  37.8°C (higher than 100° F)
• Body chills; Even where the environment is warm
• Headache and muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Runny nose; This tends to be more common in children than adults
• Dry cough; Productive coughs where mucus is coughed up are common with colds whereas the coughs associated with flu are dry
• Chest discomfort
• Extreme tiredness
• Stomach symptoms; Again a more common symptom in children rather than adults. Can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea

One of the problems with flu is that it can be very contagious. It is spread from one person to another via tiny droplets that are released into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is also possible to become infected by touching your nose or mouth after you have touched something that is infected with the virus. If you add to this the fact that you can infect others before you even know that you are unwell (a person is contagious for 24 hours before they begin to exhibit flu symptoms) and for a period of 5 days after you have become sick, it’s easy to see how and why flu strains can often spread throughout a population fairly rapidly.

How can Tamiflu help?

Fortunately, Tamiflu (also known as Oseltamivir) is able to help in the fight against flu - both as a treatment for the disease itself and also as a preventative measure.

Tamiflu was developed in the 1990s by Californian based company Gilead, who, in collaboration with the license holders Roche, brought the drug to the market in 1999. When Tamiflu hit the market place, it became the first oral antiviral medication available for both the treatment and prevention of influenza types A and B. Today, it is the number one doctor prescribed flu medicine in the United States (and is approved for use in both adults and children over the age of one).

Tamiflu belongs to a class of drugs known as neurominidase inhibitors. Essentially this means that it works by blocking the function of the viral neurominidase protein. By doing this, Tamiflu prevents new viral particles from being released by infected cells.

For Tamiflu to work you have 48 hours in which to take action from when you or someone in your family first begins to show signs of developing flu.

• For flu treatment: Tamiflu helps to stop the virus from spreading inside the body if it is taken within two days of first experiencing flu symptoms
• For flu prevention: Tamiflu can help stop the flu virus from making you sick, if you have been exposed to someone who already has flu.

And Tamiflu can really help you get better quickly. Studies have shown that adults who take Tamiflu feel better 30% faster than those who don’t. And children have been found to feel better 26 % faster than those children with flu who didn’t take the medication.

Many people, especially those who would be more vulnerable if they contracted flu, receive flu shots to try and stop themselves from getting flu in the first place. Whilst a flu shot is still the best form of protection against flu, it doesn’t guarantee that you will not get flu as you may be exposed to a strain that was not covered by your vaccination. Here, again Tamiflu may be able to help.

So whether it is swine flu or just the regular seasonal flu that is worrying you, remember Tamiflu is there to help you prevent the flu, treat the virus and ease the symptoms.

Dosage

Tamiflu is a prescription medication. The dosage amount is determined by age and weight.

For adults and children over 13 yrs - 1 dose = one 75mg pill

For children aged 1-12 yrs:

 
  
 
 The dosage schedule depends upon why you are taking Tamiflu:

• For flu treatment; One dose twice a day for 5 days
• For flu prevention; One dose once a day for 10 days

It can be taken with or without food (see side effects below).

Side Effects

Generally Tamiflu is well tolerated. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. Taking Tamiflu with a light snack, milk or a meal may help to reduce the possibility of suffering from an upset stomach.

In rare cases, serious skin reactions have been reported. In the unlikely event of this happening to you, stop taking Tamiflu and call your doctor.

It has also been reported that some people with flu who take Tamiflu may be at increased risk of self injury and confusion. This is particularly relevant in children and adolescents. Such patients should be monitored closely for any signs of unusual behaviour and if any unusual behaviour does occur, a health professional should be contacted immediately.

Warnings

Do not take Tamiflu if you are allergic to oseltamivir phosphate or any other ingredients in Tamiflu.

If you are planning to become pregnant, are pregnant or breast feeding, consult your doctor before taking Tamiflu as the effects on the unborn child or nursing infant are not known.

If you have any type of kidney disease, consult your doctor before taking Tamiflu.

Unless advised by your doctor, intranasal flu vaccines should not be administered within the 2 weeks before or 48 hours after taking Tamiflu. This is because there is a possibility that the two products may interfere with one another. This does not apply to those flu vaccines administered via an injection through the skin.