Anyone taken tamiflu yet???

[Wembley67]

Phoned the doc earlier and going by my symptoms he said I probably had swine flu. Now stupidly as I was about to run out the door I forgot to ask him about the tamiflu drug.

Now I'm a firm believer in medication for something like this is pretty pointless, lots of water and lot's of rest is usually sufficient for the flu.

So.....if you have taken tamiflu, is it worth it or will I just battle on???

[Brando7]

IMO they wouldn't be giving it to anyone it if they thought it didn't help

[Wembley67]

IMO they wouldn't be giving it to anyone it if they thought it didn't help

Or maybe they are giving it out so it looks like they are actually doing something about it! Oh and I reckon it's a man made virus as well :greengrin

Conspiracy theories...:panic: :panic: :panic:

[(((Fergus)))]

Phoned the doc earlier and going by my symptoms he said I probably had swine flu. Now stupidly as I was about to run out the door I forgot to ask him about the tamiflu drug.

Now I'm a firm believer in medication for something like this is pretty pointless, lots of water and lot's of rest is usually sufficient for the flu.

So.....if you have taken tamiflu, is it worth it or will I just battle on???

We all had similar symptoms to those described and just did what we usually do with flu/cold - go to bed and mope for a bit. We didn't all have it at the same time though, which was very convenient.

[Phil D. Rolls]

Or maybe they are giving it out so it looks like they are actually doing something about it! Oh and I reckon it's a man made virus as well :greengrin

Conspiracy theories...:panic: :panic: :panic:

Beat me to it mate. Not saying there isn't evidence it works, I haven't looked so I don't know. The public shouldn't just assume that a doctor giving medicine is a guarantee it works, sometimes they are taking a punt on something that may or may not work.

How can they know if Tamiflu works for swine flu, when swine flu has never existed before?

[GlesgaeHibby]

IMO they wouldn't be giving it to anyone it if they thought it didn't help

The psychological help it gives may be more than the medical help it gives.

I stayed off the tamiflu and just stayed in bed, like a normal flu. It took me about 5/6 days to shift the swine flu. The tamiflu will only knock a day or two of this, and you'll be pretty sick as a side effect.

[Hibs Class]

You would do as well just sticking with lemsip, or even just plain paracetamol

[lyonhibs]

Moral of the story appears to be. Strap on a pair, keep hydrated, pop a couple of paracetemol and if you're still feeling ***** after 5/6 days, then think about Tamiflu.

Oh and most importantly, remember the key point about Swine flu.

It's THE FLU FFS. Only if you're a bairn or preggers (or - in this day and age - I guess if you're a preggers bairn) have to treat swine flu as anything even remotely out of the ordinary.

Wembley 67, that wasn't a rant questioning your manliness, just getting a wee bit off my chest about the general induced paranoia/panic that this "pandemic :rolleyes:" has caused.

[Jay]

I think Tamiflu only works to lesson the symptoms. Now thats fine but it seems like people have avrying degrees of symptoms without it. Many seem to be fine without it but others take the bug worse.

I dont know the side effects of Tamiflu so I supppose I would say to look at the side effects and decide whether its worth taking as to how you feel at the time. Something rings in my head that you have to take it early on or it wont make any difference anyway.

If you are in a higher risk catergory I would say to defo take it - not worth the risk.

[Hibs Class]

I think Tamiflu only works to lesson the symptoms. Now thats fine but it seems like people have avrying degrees of symptoms without it. Many seem to be fine without it but others take the bug worse.

I dont know the side effects of Tamiflu so I supppose I would say to look at the side effects and decide whether its worth taking as to how you feel at the time. Something rings in my head that you have to take it early on or it wont make any difference anyway.

If you are in a higher risk catergory I would say to defo take it - not worth the risk.

:agree: First 48 hours, so my sister-in-law was told by the helpline

[matty_f]

My work sent me some Tamiflu, just in case. Not needed to take it yet, but if I do, I'll let you know.:greengrin

[Don Giovanni]

Phoned the doc earlier and going by my symptoms he said I probably had swine flu. Now stupidly as I was about to run out the door I forgot to ask him about the tamiflu drug.

Now I'm a firm believer in medication for something like this is pretty pointless, lots of water and lot's of rest is usually sufficient for the flu.

So.....if you have taken tamiflu, is it worth it or will I just battle on???

Doesn't sound like 'flu of any kind to me! :wink:
Seriously though, if the quack recommends you to take it he/she must be concerned that your symptoms are serious enough to warrant Tamiflu.
Most importantly, get well soon Wembley67...


Beat me to it mate. Not saying there isn't evidence it works, I haven't looked so I don't know. The public shouldn't just assume that a doctor giving medicine is a guarantee it works, sometimes they are taking a punt on something that may or may not work.

How can they know if Tamiflu works for swine flu, when swine flu has never existed before?

Tamiflu is an anti-viral medication. It will work against viruses present in the body including, but not exclusively, "swine 'flu". In the same way that an antibiotic will kill bacteria indiscriminately.

A vaccine, on the other hand, will be specific to the swine 'flu viral strain and therefore is unlikely to be effective against other viral infections. The reason we don't yet have a vaccine is that, as you say FR, swine flu is a novel strain of influenza and the vaccine has to be developed.


I think Tamiflu only works to lesson the symptoms. Now thats fine but it seems like people have avrying degrees of symptoms without it. Many seem to be fine without it but others take the bug worse.

I dont know the side effects of Tamiflu so I supppose I would say to look at the side effects and decide whether its worth taking as to how you feel at the time. Something rings in my head that you have to take it early on or it wont make any difference anyway.

If you are in a higher risk catergory I would say to defo take it - not worth the risk.

Here (http://emc.medicines.org.uk/medicine/10467/XPIL/Tamiflu+Capsules+75mg/) is some information regarding Tamiflu which you may find interesting / useful. Most patients will tolerate Tamiflu with little or no side-effects.

[Jay]

Thanks for that Don Giovanni. One thing - do you (or anyone else) know what the incubation period for swine flu is?

[Don Giovanni]

Thanks for that Don Giovanni. One thing - do you (or anyone else) know what the incubation period for swine flu is?

Good question. Had no idea and on looking up some information it appears we are not alone in that respect!

Nothing much on WHO site and the NHS offers the following:

What is the incubation period for swine flu?

According to the Health Protection Agency, the incubation period for swine flu (time between infection and appearance of symptoms) can be up to seven days, but is most likely to be between two and five days. It is, however, too early to be able to provide details on virus characteristics, including incubation period, with absolute certainty at this time.

Or in other words "Dunno...?"

To be fair it is a novel strain and I am sure this is being researched as I type. FWIW I don't think that this knowledge will change current recommendations in any case. More Q&A here (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pandemic-flu/Pages/QA.aspx).

[GlesgaeHibby]

Moral of the story appears to be. Strap on a pair, keep hydrated, pop a couple of paracetemol and if you're still feeling ***** after 5/6 days, then think about Tamiflu.

Oh and most importantly, remember the key point about Swine flu.

It's THE FLU FFS. Only if you're a bairn or preggers (or - in this day and age - I guess if you're a preggers bairn) have to treat swine flu as anything even remotely out of the ordinary.

Wembley 67, that wasn't a rant questioning your manliness, just getting a wee bit off my chest about the general induced paranoia/panic that this "pandemic :rolleyes:" has caused.

Spot on. As usual the media have blown it all out of proportion. Yes its the flu, yes it will floor you for a few days and you'll feel awful but most people will get over it no bother at all.

Winter flu still kills about 12,000 a year. That doesn't hit the headlines.

A bit calm is needed, especially from the media.

[Jay]

Good question. Had no idea and on looking up some information it appears we are not alone in that respect!

Nothing much on WHO site and the NHS offers the following:

What is the incubation period for swine flu?

According to the Health Protection Agency, the incubation period for swine flu (time between infection and appearance of symptoms) can be up to seven days, but is most likely to be between two and five days. It is, however, too early to be able to provide details on virus characteristics, including incubation period, with absolute certainty at this time.

Or in other words "Dunno...?"

To be fair it is a novel strain and I am sure this is being researched as I type. FWIW I don't think that this knowledge will change current recommendations in any case. More Q&A here (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pandemic-flu/Pages/QA.aspx).

Thanks again. My hubby was working with someone who had it and we were not sure how long it would take for him to show symptoms if he had caught it although given its been over a week we thought he might be in the clear.

[Don Giovanni]

Thanks again. My hubby was working with someone who had it and we were not sure how long it would take for him to show symptoms if he had caught it although given its been over a week we thought he might be in the clear.

Here's hoping :agree:

[Allant1981]

I phoned NHS 24 on Friday as I had been in bed really ill for most of the day. Having never had the flu before I was mostly vhecking to see if thats what I had. The guy on the phone said that they cant tell the difference with swine flu and normal flu in the early stages and that they can only tell when it gets critical. I was told just to take normal medication that you would take for the flu and if it gets worse to phone back. After 5 days of being in bed in finally feeling better and thankfully it was NORMAL flu