Tamiflu

Question: How long until Tamiflu starts to make you feel better from swine flu? Hi, me, my husband & my daughter have swine flu and my Daughter and husband were both extremely sick yesterday and were given their first dose of tamiflu last night. They both seem extremely well today. Is this possible to make them feel so much better so soon? Thankyou.

Answer: Tamiflu reduces the duration of the flu by 2 0r 3 days, for mild cases. It is possible that they make you feel better sooner than usual but to clear up your infection completely, take Tamiflu for the full course of treatment.

Question: I have swine flu and have just finished a course of Tamiflu. How long before I start to feel better? I have swine flu and have just finished a five-day course of Tamiflu antibiotics. Up to now, I haven't noticed any change in my condition. In fact, I'd say I feel worse than when I started taking the pills. Typically, how much time should pass before a person starts to feel better from taking Tamiflu?

Answer: If you have been feeling nauseous, have had diarrhoea or vomiting this is probably side effects from the Tamiflu (which is an antiviral not an antibiotic). Also, if you didn't start taking the Tamiflu within 48 hours of the onset of your flu symptoms then it's possible you are still getting over it. Tamiflu can only reduce the duration of symptoms by an average of one day if taken within that time frame. You might feel washed-out for a couple of days afterwards anyway. Another possibility is that you didn't have flu, so if your symptoms haven't changed at all since taking the Tamiflu then go back to your doctor.

Question: How long after you have taken Tamiflu is it still effective? When my 9 year old caught the flu the first week in March, our entire family took Tamiflu. My son kicked the flu in record time and the rest of us avoided it completely. It is now almost two months after the fact: How long do we we have immunity from the Tamiflu? My husband travels a lot and I am hoping with the swine flu that is all over the news, he will have some protection.

Answer: That fact that you have already take the cure, has some profound effects. First, your liver filters chemicals such as these from your body in a matter of hours. 2 months is a very long time. I advise that you do not take this flu therapy until you actually catch the flu again. The problem is that once a vaccine is taken, like antibiotics, viruses can adapt and become unaffected by such medications. Thus you have to make sure that you finish the whole course of antibiotics. This is the same for the swine flu. The good news is that we have 2 cures for this virus. If you show symptoms, visit your doctor and he will advise you on the best course of action. Generally, your husband should be unaffected since this virus affects teenagers more then adults.

Question: How long does it take for a tamiflu capsule affect the body after consumed? I take the tamiflu pill and is the 3rd day one in morning and one at night. I took the last pill for the day at 8.30pm sharp then 2 hours later i cough out some fluid i think i accidentally spit out the tamiflu cause my mouth was to much of flu fluid in my mouth. I just wondering will my body be able to absorb all the tamiflu and will it cause the flu to be back. I did take it in the morning. Thanks

Answer: There's no specific data on how long it really takes for Tamiflu to work, at least 75% of an oral dose reaches the systemic circulation as with the active ingredient of Tamiflu, oseltamivir carboxylate. So literally, your body won't absorb all the Tamiflu.

Question: How long will my daughter be contagious with the flu after taking Tamiflu? She started her first dose of Tamiflu on Wednesday and she feels 100% better. I have to work this weekend and will need to take her to a sitter. Will she still be contagious?

Answer: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm check out this site for info but from what I have read on many sites, your child will be contagious until after the coughing stops. You do realize that you can spread it as well since you are your daughters primary care giver. Good luck.

Question: What does it mean now that there is a tamiflu resistant H1N1 virus strain? Is it a bad thing that there is a tamiflu resistant H1N1 virus strain? And what does it mean now?

Answer: The answer to your question is there in this blog, hope it might help you :) Goto : health-careblog.blogspot.com/

Question: What if you don't take Tamiflu during the first 48 hours of the flu? What happens if you don't take Tamiflu during the first 48 hours of the flu? Can Tamiflu still be effective at reducing the severity and duration of the flu if taken after the first 48 hours?

Answer: It may decrease the symptoms some but is most effective when started early in the illness.

Question: Will my contraceptive pill still work after taking tamiflu last week? I finished the tamiflu treatment for suspected swine flu last week and was wondering, will the pill still be effective for having sex without a condom?

Answer: any form of antibiotics stops the pill from working for atlest a week, put id go for 10 days just to be sure

Question: What's the percent chance of dying from swine flu if you take tamiflu? I want to know my chances. I know it's 7% if I don't take tamiflu. It's pretty much inevitable that I'm going to get it being that a dozen people in my area already have it. I'll try to stay inside I guess.

Answer: Well, percentagilly speaking, and as a renowned expert in statistical excellence (USCSE member) you would have a 50/50 chance of surviving with the added boost of Tami flu. On the one hand, based on the probability of death by swine flu versus the probability of surviving based on physiogionimic changes from the assimilation of enhanced histamine blockers, you would most certainly be opening yourself up to, quite simply, the toss of a coin.

Question: Is it safe to take cough syrup while on Tamiflu? Just being safe..I have 2 Tamiflu pills left to take tomorrow but I have a terrible cough and can't sleep.

Answer: If you want to be 100% sure, read the instructions on the package (side-effects + heath issues warning). Cough syrup is medicine which could be probably combined with anything without any unexpected issues. On the other side - cough is virus-based illness and Tamiflu is basically antivirotic (virus fighting) medicine, so my recommendation is to take Tamiflu and have a cup of hot tea (personally hot liquids works better than cough syrup for me)

Question: tamiflu????????????? can u take tami flu whilst pregnant ?? there is a high chance that im pregnant but also i have swine flu what should i be doing ???

Answer: When I was 15 weeks Pregnant I got the flu and it could have been swine and my doc gave me tamiflu. It is safer on you and the baby to get treated for the swine flu that is what my doc told me. I have not had any complications in my pregnancy from taking it. You should be fine just talk to a doctor.

Question: How long does it take tamiflu to get out of your system? My wife has been nauseous and vomitting for 3 days after stopping tamiflu advised by her doc. How long does it take tamiflu to get out of her system? Is it worth visit ER? Doc's office is closed today.

Answer: I'm sorry I dont know, I really wish I could help.

Question: What do i take with Tamiflu to prevent a sore stomach? Hi, i am 15 years old and 140 pounds and I just started taking tamiflu in the pill form. The first dose i took with two granola bars and two glasses of milk. After that my stomach hurt for about 6 hours. What should i eat with the second dose so i wont have a sore stomach?

Answer: the first dose makes you feel sick and a bit in pain its not as bad with the second and wasnt there at all with the rest x

Question: How long does the flu last with Tamiflu? I'm sick with the flu, but I was prescribed with Tamiflu yesterday. I began to feel bad and have high fevers (up to 102.2) on Friday, and it continued to Saturday when I was prescribed with Tamiflu. I was wondering about how long it will take for me to be cured?

Answer: Do you still have a fever? Once the fever breaks 10 days at the most and you should be over it. But once the medicine has been in you for 24 hours you should begin to feel better. My daughter just got over the flu, she was feeling fine after 3 days.. Hope this helps.

Question: What is your experience of Tamiflu or Relenza? Have you taken Tamiflu or Relenza for swine flu? What, if any, side effects did you experience? How long did you feel unwell - from the flu or side effects? Do you feel you made the right decision taking it?

Answer: • More than half of the children in England taking the swine flu drug Tamiflu capsule / pill (Roche -oseltamivir) suffer side-effects such as nausea, insomnia and nightmares, delirium, psychosis and hallucinations. • The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which found 103 cases of "neuropsychiatric adverse events", including the DEATHS of a 17-year-old boy who was killed after jumping in front of a truck and a 14-year-old boy who fell after climbing on a balcony railing. • The government says about 150,000 people in England have received Tamiflu via the National Pandemic Flu Service, which was launched last week. • Pharmaceutical company wrote to US doctors warning that "people with the flu, particularly children, may be at an increased risk of self-injury and confusion shortly after taking Tamiflu and should be closely monitored for signs of unusual behaviour". • Tamiflu : 40% reported gastrointestinal problems including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and cramps, while 18% reported a "neuropsychiatric side-effect" such as poor concentration, inability to think clearly, problems sleeping, feeling dazed or confused, bad dreams or nightmares and "behaving strangely. • The most common side-effects for Relenza (GlaxoSmithKline - zanamivir) inhaler - which is being given to pregnant women - include a cough and ear, nose and throat infections. • Three Japanese adults committed suicide while on Tamiflu while five children died. Since 1999, when Relenza was approved, there have been 115 reports of psychiatric events, of which 74 were children. "ALL DRUGS HAVE SIDE-EFFECTS. IT IS ALWAYS A CASE OF DECIDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN BENEFITING A PATIENT FROM A TREATMENT AND THE SIDE-EFFECTS.�

Question: Why is Tamiflu being authorized by the NHS Flu helpline for people who have had symptoms longer than 48hrs? I ask this as everything I've read says that the drug will not work at all if the course of treatment is commenced more than 48 hours after flu symptoms first appear. Is it not a waste of money to have all this Tamiflu given to patients who have had flu symptoms for 4, 5, days?

Answer: Tamiflu is very expensive. It is most effective when given within the first 48 hours of the onset of flu symptoms. Tamiflu reduces the severity and the length of your illness. It is a waste of money to give it to someone who has had it for 3 days. You won't see any benefit from it.

Question: What is Tamiflu and how do I get it if I don't have insurance? I've had a friend in my house for 3 days with the flu and now I'm worried I might be getting it. I keep seeing Tamiflu come up. Should I take some? Sorry if this is a dumb question...I never get sick!

Answer: It is important to understand how Tamiflu works before and weighing your risk versus benefit. Tamiflu works by preventing viral reproduction. A person who becomes infected with a virus begins with one, and then the multiplication begins. one becomes two, two become four, four become eight, and so on and so forth. This usually peaks around day two and is why once we notice our symptoms, we begin to feel worse for the first couple days (while viral load is increasing) and begin to feel better once our immune system responds over the next week (causing the viral load to decrease). There are a three scenarios specific to your question as I see it: 1. You were exposed however did not contract the virus 2. You were exposed and did contract the virus 3. Your friend was sick with another type of infection (i.e. bacterial) and even if you contracted it, Tamiflu (or other antivirals) will do nothing to help. Lets hope for option 1. Tamiflu is dosed two ways: 1. For someone who has been exposed to another person with a viral infection, they are supposed to take one 75mg capsule daily for the entire time of exposure and up to seven days after the exposure has ended. 2. For someone exhibiting symptoms of a viral infection, they start taking one 75mg capsule twice a day for five days. Keep in mind, to be effective, it MUST be started within 48 hours of symptom onset, which is when viral reproduction reaches it's peak, otherwise you are as sick as you are going to be and Tamiflu will not lessen the time or severity in which you are sick. It sounds like you may have missed your opportunity to take Tamiflu prophylactically, however if you begin to have flu symptoms, be sure and start an antiviral drug such as Tamiflu within 48 hours, sooner the better. Please keep in mind, Tamiflu is one of the newer antiviral drugs, but other have been on the market for much longer, and are available as generics. Symmetrel (amantadine) is taken 100mg twice a day for 7-10 days and costs $25 for 20 tablets compared to $98 for 10 tablets of Tamilfu (prices found at drugstore.com). Starting within 48 hours of symptom onset is also necessary for amantadine too. I wish you the best... P.S. to obtain either medications would require a prescription and depending on your physician, a doctors visit

Question: How long the Tamiflu drug prevents the infection? As a primary contact to positive case of swine flu all the other family members are given Tamiflu tablets as preventive. How long they are effective?

Answer: if you take them today, they will protect you for today, but they won't help you tomorrow. they are effective as long as you continue taking them. that means that you should take the pills as long as the person in your family who has swine flu is sick. usually about 5 days. once the person is better, their body has fought of the virus and no one else is in danger of catching it from them.

Question: How long after taking tamiflu can i breastfeed again? I have a two week old at home and I had to stop breastfeeding because I had gotten the flu and had to take tamiflu. It is now 6 days after i finished my meds and I'm dieing to breastfeed again, but the pharmacist had said I should wait about one week after. I want to know if it's safe to breastfeed now..

Answer: You can breastfeed while taking Tamiflu. Most doctors (And I'm sure Pharmacists) have no idea what is or isn't compatable with breastfeeding so they just tell you not to nurse. Not nursing for 6 days (1/3 of your baby's life) has probably been extremely damaging to your nursing relationship. Have you been pumping every 2 hours for these 6 days? Will baby still latch? Get in touch with a latation consultant or La Leche League leader ASAP to help if you need it. Good luck and I'm so sorry you were given incorrect information. :(

Question: How Long does it take Tamiflu to start working? I was diagnosed with the H1N1 Virus AND Ive been taking Tamiflu for three days. How long does it take for it to go into effect? How long before I can go out without getting any infected?

Answer: Tamiflu is most effective when taken within the first 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Tamiflu does not cure the flu. It reduces the severity and length of illness. You should not leave your home for 7 days or you could infect someone else. You are still contagious for 7 days after the symptoms began, even if you feel better. Rest. Drink plenty of water. Take Tylenol or Motrin if you have a fever greater than 102. Run a humidifier if you have nasal congestion or a cough. If you get worse, call your doctor. I hope you feel better soon!