sbgrace Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I can take him in tomorrow, but I am pretty sure my son has influenza. Fever 102.5, headache, body aches, lethargy--came on 4 hours ago, give or take. We visited family who had recovered from flu just after Christmas two days ago, which is right in terms of incubation (we/they thought they couldn't spread it anymore). My question is Tamiflu. Yes or no? My sister felt the family members who had it fared better. We used it with one child (not this one) several years ago. I didn't think he did much, if any, better than anyone else and it was pricey. I also, later, thought I read about concerns in using with kids. We pay 100% of prescriptions right now because we're under a high deductible plan. What has been your experience, with this flu and/or with Tamiflu? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Tamiflu is really expensive. I don't think I could stomach it if I was paying 100% for prescriptions. I am not convinced it helps that much. My family just went through a round of flu + Tamiflu and I don't know if it really helped. My youngest was still very sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Confirmed flu A in three of us here. DS did not have Tamiflu and fared much worse than DD, but to be fair - DS tends to fare worse whenever they are sick at the same time. :( I had Tamiflu, and despite having had it before, ended up hospitalized for chest pain - possibly an adverse reaction. Or maybe it was just the flu, but whatever the cause - it earned me an ambulance ride and a few days in the hospital. I'll shy away from Tamiflu in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 No personal experience but our doctor said that she didn't feel the risks/costs were worth the benefits for my girls. They didn't have the flu but I asked "just in case" as they have a lot of medical concerns. She said it really only shortened the duration just a bit but wasn't that effective. She suggested rest and lots and lots of fluids and rest and fluids and fluids and rest...........and of course, lots of handwashing for everyone. Hopefully others with personal experience can help you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Tamiflu is very expensive, as someone else said. Without insurance, it goes for about $150 around here. My dh's insurance (Medicare) brought it down to $121. Honestly, though, after seeing my dh and three other grown men with tears streaming down their faces, contorting themselves to keep from punching someone or something as they suffered the agony of the swab-up-the-nose flu test, I don't know that it's worth it to go through that just to lessen the flu a little. If you can get a preventative prescription at a decent price, it might be worth it to keep someone from getting sick. It does seem to work fairly well in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Tamiflu is very expensive, as someone else said. Without insurance, it goes for about $150 around here. My dh's insurance (Medicare) brought it down to $121. For younger kids it is even more expensive because they are given a liquid. The liquid was $120 with our insurance. UGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Three members of our family had confirmed flu A in October. It was awful. We were diagnosed too late for me to get Tamiflu. DH and DD#2 both took Tamiflu, and for both of them, symptoms improved two days faster than mine. Also, I ended up with an infection afterward while neither of them did, but I don't know whether that was related to their having taken Tamiflu or not. DD#1 and DS both took Tamiflu prophylactically, and neither of them came down with flu (absolutely amazed me that the baby didn't get it, as both of the people who hold him were sick!). With insurance, we paid $30 per person for the Tamiflu. It was worth it. I don't know that we would have made the same decision if we'd been without insurance, though...definitely for the baby, probably for the two-year-old who actually had it, not sure about the five-year-old who didn't have it, and probably not for DH? Hard to make that call, and it depends on how much that cost would hurt your budget. Regardless, I'm sorry your guy is sick, and I hope the rest of you stay well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I would get the Tamiflu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 We wouldn't but that's because dd1 is allergic and dh had an adverse reaction (everything tasted like rotten chicken for over 3 months). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Some areas are having a shortage of Tamiflu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 There is, unsurprisingly, a Tamiflu shortage right now, so you might start seeing even higher prices or find it not available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caclcoca Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 My son was diagnosed with influenza A right before Christmas. His dr didn't seem to think that the Tamiflu would do much good. She said that it would shorten the duration, but since we had a flu shot the duration would most likely be shortened anyway. My husband priced Tamiflu out of curiosity, and it would have cost us $135/person (right at $800 for six people). We pay everything out of pocket until we hit our deductable. Five of the six of us did get sick too, but the virus seemed to lose momentum as it went through the family. The first person to get sick ran a fever for 5 days. I was the last to get it, and I had a fever for 1-2 days. I hope that your ds is better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I had chest pains with this flu that started right away before I had any cough or Tamiflu. Compared to everyone else, I think the Tamiflu made the illness shorter and I didn't end up with the lingering cough that most people have had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I don't know if we'd get Tamiflu or not. The issue for us isn't paying for it, but in having to drag ourselves to the doctor to get tested. Ugh. I'm not a crunchy person, but during the winter I keep some Sambucol elderberry syrup on hand. There's some pretty good evidence that it works well as an anti-viral. Disclaimer: I'm not recommending elderberry syrup over a doctor visit and Tamiflu for anyone else. But for those who prefer to treat colds and flu at home it may be something useful to keep on hand. And note that Sambucol elderberry syrup isn't inexpensive. The recommended dose is 2 teaspoons taken 4 times a day, so a bottle goes quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Pro Tamiflu here. Also pro elderberry and olive leaf extract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omma Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I am definitely leery of the side effects, as have been mentioned, but I do believe Tamiflu helped my dd survive the H1N1 flu years ago. In her case, her fever was raging to 104-105+ and round the clock Advil/Tylenol only brought it down to 103, plus her breathing was shallow and she never got out of bed or wanted to eat. Tamiflu immediately worked to bring her fever down to manageable levels. I was worried about the whole hallucination thing, so ended up only giving her about 3 out of the 5 or so doses, but she recovered nicely. We had brought her in within 36 hours of onset and it was doctor recommended for her to take Tamiflu after the flu was documented. Meanwhile, my ds also came down with H1N1 and had a 104 fever but seemed to recover instantly after taking Oscillo... and Elderberry and never had to take Tamiflu. I think what is hard about this drug has to do with the fear of only having the 48 hour window. But, in our case, it was plainly obvious to me that my dd could have been hospitalized or even worse if we had done nothing, plus we definitely prayed about what to do. When things are clearly beyond our control, it gives us a great opportunity to increase our faith in the One who does care and is sovereign over all. :grouphug:, Brenda Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I work in pharmacy and I would not take Tamiflu unless I needed it for a specific reason. ie Dh travels for work, so if we had the flu, he would take it because he could come down with symptoms while he was away, and if sick, he may not be able to fly home. But just for us, being at home and wanting to reduce symptoms...nope, not worth the side effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I saw a commercial that says Tamiflu cut the duration of the flu by 30%. whoopee. Also the most common side effects include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach pain.ummmm....I would not want to chance adding that to flu symptoms. Not worth it at all IMO. I have lived through the flu 3 times in my life without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Thank you everyone. I did start elderberry/Sambucol with all of us as soon as I realized he was sick yesterday. I'm going to keep doing that at top dose for all of us probably. I did some reading here and elsewhere, and I think I'll just stick with that. He seems to be managing ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 We've been discussing getting a prescription for my daughter in case she comes down with flu. Because shes' in a high risk group and we want to prevent complications. So I did some internet research. Turns out there isn't really good evidence that it prevents complications or hospitalizations at all. http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/new-questions-raised-about-tamiflus-effectiveness/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/harlankrumholz/2013/01/08/the-myth-of-tamiflu-5-things-you-should-know/ I haven't found anything newer than that, so I don't know if that info has changed. So I guess for now we're not going to bother. (I never even got around to researching Tamiflu side effects) Although we're seeing her cardiologist today, so I'll ask about it. Meanwhile, a friend's sil just died of flu this past week. She was in great health and only 63. It was a complete and total shock. I don't know who she caught it from, but if that person knows they gave her the flu I can only imagine how they're feeling right now. I encourage everyone who knows they're sick to just stay home. You may do fine with the flu, but someone else may catch it from you and, well, DIE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 btw -- 150 dollars is nothing for those of us who have to pay for a monthly Advair prescription out of our own pockets.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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