Tell me about tamiflu

[maize]

Just got back from the dr with tamiflu prescriptions for everyone.

 

Last time we had the flu go through the family was before generic tamiflu was available--we would have been out hundreds of dollars to fill a couple of scripts so we didn't.

 

I've seen conflicting information and don't know whether potential benefits outweigh potential negatives of giving it to everyone.

 

Thoughts/experiences?

[Katy]

A friend who's a pharmacist avoids it because of side effects.

 

Given the pandemic & sudden death risks of the flu this year, I would take it anyway this year, and not visit the doctor for the flu in a normal year.

 

ETA:  Note I am not saying not to go to the doctor or take your child to the doctor for the flu if there are any sorts of complications - ever, even in a non-panic year.

Edited February 6, 2018 by Katy

[ashfern]

I wouldn't take it. If you read about the drug, it only reduces the flu by 1 day. Not a big enough payoff for the side effects.

[catz]

Do you all have the flu? Do you have immune system issues or asthma at home?

 

DS had the flu last spring and I got him tamiflu within 24 hours. He was still down hard for 10 days. I wouldn’t bother again. I avoided the flu entirely unvaxed just with elderberry. This year we are vaxed and have elderberry at the ready. But I wouldn’t bother with the tamiflu again personally with a normal kid. Especially as a prophylactic.

Edited February 6, 2018 by WoolySocks

[Lady Florida.]

I have no personal experience because fortunately our annual flu shot has worked (so we can provide herd immunity for people like you). 

 

I'm a big proponent of modern medicine and normally would be the last one to tell people not to take a medication. However, Tamiflu, which was promising at one time, is not so much anymore. There are recent concerns about side effects especially in teens, and it only seems to reduce the flu by one day. 

Edited February 6, 2018 by Lady Florida.

[mom31257]

My BIL committed suicide while on it, so I would never recommend to anyone with mental health issues or on mental health drugs. He wrote in a journal in such a way that seemed like hallucinations, which he had never had before. 

 

It's banned in Japan for teens because of teen suicides on it. 

 

 

[maize]

We've all had the vaccine.

 

Flu has been confirmed.

 

In an ordinary flu year I wouldn't be worried, but this year's flu has me scared. I know deaths are still rare but there have been enough otherwise healthy children dying that I worry.

[wapiti]

IIRC, it is not allowed for pediatric use in Japan due to risk of psychiatric side effects.  (For my kids with all their immune system weirdness, personally, I wouldn't do it, but that's me.)

[Annie G]

Two grandkids had the flu about two weeks ago. Both are the kids with asthma and other issues.  Dd decided to give them Tamiflu because these are the two kids who don't seem to bounce back as easily as the other kids, and who have been hospitalized several times due to breathing issues complicating an otherwise typical illness.  She really worried about it, but neither had complications from it and both recovered quickly. 

She wouldn't have given it to the other kids unless there was a compelling reason.  Thankfully they did not come down with the flu. 

 

 

[Seeking Squirrels]

That's a tough one and I would probably have to weigh how sick we were, how long we'd been sick, confirmed flu or not for each, age......

 

DD and I had h1n1 when she was 2y10m old. I was sick for 3 days before she got sick. Hers was confirmed flu within 12 hours of onset of symptoms after being admitted to the hospital for breathing treatments (she went from playing in the am to lethargic and going blue in the afternoon). They gave her tamiflu but at that point it was too late for me. If it's not given quickly enough it doesn't help. DD was released on day 3 pretty much fully recovered (and reportedly very annoyed with the nurses!) and I was still sick for several days after. So in our case it greatly reduced the length of sickness. But hers was caught very fast, confirmed, and monitored in a hospital. And this was almost 7 years ago, so it may have worked much better for that strain at that time than it would now.

 

I don't recall it really being much of an option for us. I was at home when the results came in and DH just said "they gave her tamilfu". He would have asked what I thought about it if it had been a question at all. I was too sick to visit her at the hospital even if they had allowed it. Which they may not have, we had to call grandma and nana to not come visit per their orders. She was very sick and so was I. I would have taken it myself if it had been an option. If I'd take/give it now would depend a lot on how sick we were vs its likelihood of changing that any. 

[scrapbookbuzz]

I would kick the Tamiflu to the curb as fast as possible and get far, far away from it. WAY too many instances of 

people experiencing "side effects" etc. There are much better ways to fight the flu than taking such a questionable

prescription medicine.

[wapiti]

The Tamiflu fiasco and lessons learnt  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4375804/

 

 

In an ordinary flu year I wouldn't be worried, but this year's flu has me scared. I know deaths are still rare but there have been enough otherwise healthy children dying that I worry.

 

On the fear, sometimes it's hard to know the extent to which the cdc is sort-of crying wolf.  e.g. http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/PublicHealth/MicrobialThreats/Nowak.pdf

 

"Recipe" for Fostering Public Interest and High Vaccine Demand



2. Dominant strain and/or initial cases of disease are:

" Associated with severe illness and/or outcomes

" Occur among people for whom influenza is not generally perceived to cause serious complications (e.g., children, healthy adults, healthy seniors)

" In cities and communities with significant media outlets (e.g., daily newspapers, major TV stations)

 

3. Medical experts and public health authorities publicly (e.g., via media) state concern and alarm (and predict dire outcomes)- and urge influenza vaccination.

 

4. The combination of '2' and '3' result in:

A. Significant media interest and attention

B. Framing of the flu season in terms that motivate behavior (e.g., as "very severe," "more severe than last or past years," "deadly")

 

Fostering demand, particularly among people who donít routinely receive an annual influenza vaccination, requires creating concern, anxiety, and worry. For example:

" A perception or sense that many people are falling ill;

" A perception or sense that many people are experiencing bad illness;

" A perception or sense of vulnerability to contracting and experiencing bad illness

 

 

Edited February 6, 2018 by wapiti

[bettyandbob]

Had it for the first time this year. I had the flu shot in October. I had flu two weeks ago. I took tamiflu and had no side effects that I noticed. I was miserable before getting the prescription.

[Junie]

My BIL committed suicide while on it, so I would never recommend to anyone with mental health issues or on mental health drugs. He wrote in a journal in such a way that seemed like hallucinations, which he had never had before. 

 

It's banned in Japan for teens because of teen suicides on it. 

 

:(  Thank you for sharing this.  I'm sorry for your family's loss.

[Omma]

Just from one mom to another mom, I have given it to my dc twice when they've had the flu...but only for two or two and 1/2 days each time, and it did wonders immediately both times.  My dc was hardly moving, not wanting to eat or drink with very high fevers requiring alternating Tylenol and Advil every couple of hours round the clock.  Immediately after the first dose each time, the fever dropped markedly. 

 

I am no nurse or medical professional.  I just know that Tamiflu works by stopping the virus from replicating itself, so I figured I would just stop the virus in its tracks for the first couple of days and then I'd stop the Tamiflu before the negative side effects had a chance to take hold.  I have no idea if my logic was right whatsoever, but it worked out okay for us.

[DawnM]

My son's school is running rampant with the flu.  I asked my dad to write a preventative script for it for him to have on hand and he sent me 5 articles on the negatives of Tamiflu!  

 

1. It doesn't work very well, it only shortens a flu by 1 day

2. It can cause hallucinations and suicidal thoughts in younger adults

 

And there was more.

 

I didn't get the script! hahahahaha!

[DawnM]

My BIL committed suicide while on it, so I would never recommend to anyone with mental health issues or on mental health drugs. He wrote in a journal in such a way that seemed like hallucinations, which he had never had before. 

 

It's banned in Japan for teens because of teen suicides on it. 

 

I posted before I read this.  

 

I am so very sorry.

[MIch elle]

Read the last paragraph for what to take when sick.

 

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/tamiflu-and-abnormal-behavior

[Cindy in FL.]

My granddaughter just tested positive for Flu A, and the drugstore was out of Tamiflu. I had a few bottles of Sambucol on hand so she is taking that instead, which I am happy about. My four guys had the flu last year and the Sambucol knocked it out fast?

[MotherGoose]

We've all had the vaccine.

 

Flu has been confirmed.

 

In an ordinary flu year I wouldn't be worried, but this year's flu has me scared. I know deaths are still rare but there have been enough otherwise healthy children dying that I worry.

My dd had it prescribed but we didn't take it due to side effects. She still felt bad and had a sore throat and was dveloping a cough after five days, so she got an antibiotic. My doctor also won't prescribe tamiflu unless you actually have it or have preexisting health complications--not propylacticalky in healthy children. I know the rules are different elsewhere.

 

ETA to clarify, I never filled the prescription due to side effects

 

ETA and we all had the flu shot. She's the only one who got sick. No idea why it happened that way, but I heard of plenty of people who had the shot that got flu.

Edited February 7, 2018 by MotherGoose

[Carrie12345]

My only experience was during the H1N1 year.  Oldest ds's bout wasn't too bad or too long, so we never even took him in for dx.  Next kid was really miserable, so we wound up with 3 on Tamiflu.  No side effects, 

 

Dh and I "powered through" without Tamiflu, and I remember thinking my kids made it look (comparatively) easy.  It was a much rougher go for us.  The only reason we didn't take it at the time was because we couldn't work up the energy to go back to the doctor!

 

I would give my kids Tamiflu for the current season, but that's knowing they didn't have any side effects before.  I wouldn't take it myself NOW, due to known mental health issues.

[lexi]

I have no personal experience because fortunately our annual flu shot has worked (so we can provide herd immunity for people like you).

 

I'm a big proponent of modern medicine and normally would be the last one to tell people not to take a medication. However, Tamiflu, which was promising at one time, is not so much anymore. There are recent concerns about side effects especially in teens, and it only seems to reduce the flu by one day.

Wow.

 

Everyone I know that has had the flu has also had a flu shot this year.

 

So people like that I guess can still get the flu.

 

Just wow.

[Catwoman]

We have used Tamiflu and it has worked very well for our family. We would absolutely use it again.

[Annie G]

I have no personal experience because fortunately our annual flu shot has worked (so we can provide herd immunity for people like you). 

 

 

 

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying. Are you assuming that people who have had the flu haven't had a flu shot this year?  My grands had it, and two of the four have had the flu.  I know others who have also had the shot and the flu. 

[Hilltopmom]

We decided not to give it to dd this week. Today is day 3 and she is perking up already although still sick.

Too many co workers with kids having side effects.

 

ETA- she did have a flu shot, people are still getting the flu though

Edited February 6, 2018 by Hilltopmom

[Carrie12345]

I have no personal experience because fortunately our annual flu shot has worked (so we can provide herd immunity for people like you). 

 

 

 

I'm not sure why that statement bothers me as much as it does.

I had the flu ONCE in my 40 years (thanks, Ex Who Sends Kid Home Sick Without Warning), but I wouldn't go around saying that my hand washing worked for the 39 other years.  Or maybe I should!  :w00t:

[maize]

Well, I picked up the tamiflu.

 

Gave doses to my two littles who are both quite sick and took one myself.

 

Still debating about the others.

[maize]

Edited because I misinterpreted Lady Florida's post.

Edited February 7, 2018 by maize

[Lady Florida.]

NM. Not worth it.

 

ETA: Maize for some reason I confused you with another poster who can't get vaccinated. I think I glanced at your avatar rather than your name and it's similar to the other member's avatar I was thinking of.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Lady Florida.

[maize]

NM. Not worth it.

 

ETA: Maize for some reason I confused you with another poster who can't get vaccinated. I think I glanced at your avatar rather than your name and it's similar to the other member's avatar I was thinking of.

OK, that makes way more sense!

 

Thank you for explaining.

[maize]

NM. Not worth it.

 

ETA: Maize for some reason I confused you with another poster who can't get vaccinated. I think I glanced at your avatar rather than your name and it's similar to the other member's avatar I was thinking of.

I went and edited my previous post as I understand now that I was misinterpreting your intent.

[maize]

Feeling a bit better today and no side effects from the tamiflu so far.

 

The liquid stuff is bitter so hard to get the little kids to take.

 

I did appreciate the cautions shared by some; I opted to go the medication route in the end because last time I had the flu it took me several months after the acute symptoms ended to actually feel like I was back to normal. I'm hoping not to go through that again.

[Vida Winter]

Since I was the third one in the family to come down with the flu, I was in a position to know it was the flu early on, and I took Tamiflu. It may have worked or not - it was still a miserable illness. No side effects.