I've got the flu ~ does Tamiflu really work?

[chele4kids]

I know I've got the flu, couldn't sleep last night, this am have ALL of the symptoms. Now I'm debating going to the Dr. I think maybe I'm just too cheap to pay the copay plus the cost of the Tamiflu.......and does it even really work, or is it just a scam for the drug company to make money. I figure by the time I go, I'll probably pay around $100.00 out of pocket (high copay, plus lousy prescription coverage). So, any opinions.......ride it out or get drugs?

 

[mickeyboat]

I don't have personal experience, but I have heard from others that it really does help. There are also perfectly healthy people who are dying from the flu. I would go.

Denae

 

[Papa Deuce]

I don't know yet... I'm on day #2.... But supposedly all it does is help you get better 1.4 days faster.

If I had to pay $100, I just stay sick for 1.4 days longer!

 

[pumba]

my daughter had the flu and the leftovers for over two weeks....she was not allowed back to her teaching position for those two weeks because she didnt have the tamiflu in her .......she did get the meds for her son who had the flu and two preventative meds for her husband and her daughter who had come home for spring break.
I took the medication and I was sick......I had the fever for three days and finally got some up and go feelings on day five....I finally was able to eat even though my husband made me eat some carbs to keep me going.......
I say that the meds are a good insurance policy for those who have been exposed from another family member and also good for those who want to shorten the duration of the flu

 

[kimmikayb]

I can only tell you our experience.....my DH, my DS5 and myself got the flu. I took DS to the doctor as soon as he spiked his fever. By then DH and I had our fever for over 3 days. They put DS on Tamiflu and he was sick for 5 days tops. He felt much better after 3 days. My DH and I are still struggling with the lasting effects of the flu and it's been over a month.

IMO, it is well worth the money.

 

[jbmom]

My dh and ds both used Tamiflu a few weeks ago. Dh was sick first and didn't go to the dr. until the second day he was sick. Ds got a high fever and achey so I called his dr. right away. Dh felt better with the Tamiflu after a few days, ds felt better the day after taking it. I don't know if its because he's younger or because he started it sooner, but I think the Tamiflu worked.

 

[Jack-Jack]

Tamiflu supposedly works to prevent the virus from reproducing, so the earlier you start taking it, the more effective it is. We caught all 3 of our kids on the first day (positive swabs) and the only symptom they ever had was fever. So in our experience, it worked well.

 

[chele4kids]

Thanks......I guess I'm off to the Dr. I'll let you know in a few days if it works!

 

[SydneyBristow]

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[mtemm]

I'm just now completely over the flu, which started 4 weeks ago. I've been mostly better for 2 weeks now, but omg, that first week was a doozy. I would pay double that for the chance to cut the symptoms off early. wish I had realized it was the flu earlier on!

hope you are feeling better soon!

 

[debbi801]

It worked great for my Dh over Christmas. He was sick as a dog one day and feeling totally better within 3 days of starting the Tamiflu. The key is that you need to get diagnosed and start taking the drug within 48 hours (I think) of coming down with it.

He went to Patient First, they did a culture (similar to a strep test) and knew within a few minutes that he had the actual flu. Luckily, no one else in the house came down with it.

I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Wishing on a star]

One of my doctors swears by it!!!

He has taken it, and says it stopped the flu dead in it's tracks.

You DO have to take it at the very first symptoms!

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I took it once and I'll never take it again because it made me SOOOO sick to my stomach that not only did I have the flu, I was also throwing up! It wasn't worth it for me because in the long run, it just made me feel worse.

I hope it works for you!

 

[delilah]

Last year my son contracted the flu on his birthday. I picked him up at school, did a flu screen on him at my office, and prescribed Tamiflu for him. Within an hour, he was acting normal--fever down, running around. When the medication was wearing off, he felt sick again. He was completely afebrile and back to normal by Thursday morning (he got sick on a Monday). I was able to send him back to school Friday with no fever and no cough. He told me that was the worst birthday ever.

This year, we all got flu shots. None of us got the flu, although, statistically, the flu vaccine was only 43% effective. I am a family physician, and over the past four weeks, I have probably seen hundreds of patients with the flu. My opinion is that Tamiflu works, and the flu vaccine works. At least one patient with the flu coughed directly into my face, and I thought I was a goner. Nope. No flu. Not even a mild cough or runny nose.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

Last year my son contracted the flu on his birthday. I picked him up at school, did a flu screen on him at my office, and prescribed Tamiflu for him. Within an hour, he was acting normal--fever down, running around. When the medication was wearing off, he felt sick again. He was completely afebrile and back to normal by Thursday morning (he got sick on a Monday). I was able to send him back to school Friday with no fever and no cough. He told me that was the worst birthday ever.

This year, we all got flu shots. None of us got the flu, although, statistically, the flu vaccine was only 43% effective. I am a family physician, and over the past four weeks, I have probably seen hundreds of patients with the flu. My opinion is that Tamiflu works, and the flu vaccine works. At least one patient with the flu coughed directly into my face, and I thought I was a goner. Nope. No flu. Not even a mild cough or runny nose.

That is amazing! May I ask since you are a family physician, do you see a lot of patients who don't respond well to Tamiflu, for instance vomiting (like I did)? When my sister had the flu last week I didn't want her to take it even though the doctor gave it to her because I know how sick I got. Just wondering! Thanks!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Yes, it really does. It stops the disease from spreading. If you take it in the first day or two, it will stop the spread, so you'll get better faster. If you wait longer, it has already spread and won't help so much. Still a help if the disease is still budding and spreading, though!

It doesn't kill off the flu, it just stops it in its tracks. Shortens the time you're sick.

 

[bigbabyblues]

It did wonders for my DS4, BUT I think you have to start within 24-36 hours of the onset of symptoms. His was $86, if it makes a difference.

 

[pumba]

I did vomit too, but I do think it was because I had nothing in my stomach at first.....my husband made sure I drank liquids and had at least a half of a slice of toast or english muffin......I had to buffer the tamiflu with something......that is just an example ......but I am glad that I took the med in the long run......four or five days of being ill is better then a few weeks....

 

[shortbun]

I don't know yet... I'm on day #2.... But supposedly all it does is help you get better 1.4 days faster.

If I had to pay $100, I just stay sick for 1.4 days longer!

I think you don't really have the flu. I had it 2 weeks ago and $100 is a cheap price to pay for early recovery. My husband - never sick - was horribly sick with it and Tamiflu had him out and about in 1.5 days after beginning the med. My sister intentionally did not get it. A month later, she's still dragging. I was absolutely healthy and fit in 6 days, no residuals. I actually tested positive for influenza then strep 3 days later. What a ride.