We took the flu as a prophylactic when D had it. She took it because she had flu and we took it because we were caring for her. We didn’t get it and she recovered promptly. Tamiflu is expensive and our insurer will only pay for one course every 6 months, so anything more is on you, if you can get your MD to prescribe. It’s > $100/course with no drug coverage.
Seems like the information on the efficacy of tamiflu and even of the flu shot against the strains it is supposed to work against is difficult to come by. Does tamiflu actually reduce the potential of really serious side effects? Not clear from some of what I have read.
I paid $80 for my Tamiflu as a prophylactic and my D paid her usual med co-pay for her acute prescription. It’s the same drug but I took it 1x day for 10days and she took it 2x day for 5 days. The insert identifies it as prescribed for both purposes with different directions for each. To be honest, neither of us experienced any significant side effects. Having not had the shot at that point, whether I would have gotten the flu is anyone’s guess, but the fact is, I didn’t get it.
@mom2and the literature is very mixed. I took it because I figured “hey, it can’t hurt.” If I was healthy, I probably wouldn’t have taken it.
One more interesting point of advice my pediatrician shared was not to leave a teen taking Tamiflu alone due to the side effects in that population. FWIW, she is not an alarmist.
My relative who is an MD swears Tamiflu only slightly shortens your course of flu by maybe a day. I’ve taken it 2x for flu and D has taken 1x for fly. I and H took it once preventatively while caring for D who had flu.
For me and D, it was a miracle drug that quickly vanished our fever and chills and had us feeling 80% within 24 hours and 95% within 36-48 hours. None of us have never noticed any dude effects and I am prone to bad side Rx effects. The key is starting the Tamifly EARLY in the course of your suspected flu, otherwise it really doesn’t help.
I started a new contract job this week. From what I can tell, 25% of the normal staff are out sick.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek and @labegg there must be something to that. I had a massage scheduled once while suffering massive congested sinuses for over a week - the kind where you can feel your pulse behind your eyes. I mentioned it to the massage therapist and she did some massage work on my ears and head and in one day it was all moved out (a very long and gross day, but the massaged worked faster and better than any decongestant!)
@momtoaphysicsgeek Thank you! You just promoted me to make a rice hot pack thingy!
Hi, everyone. I haven’t read this whole thread but looked at the last few pages, so excuse me if this has been asked.
I have a routine doc appointment next week (to check on a chronic condition that’s not urgent at all). I’m thinking maybe I’d be smarter to reschedule that for spring and not risk coming into contact with flu germs in the waiting room. Is that over cautious? I did get the flu shot.
Thanks for any opinions, especially if anyone on here is a doctor and has advice about that.
@jollymama I’d reschedule.
Reschedule
@ChoatieMom I had the flu in March last year and I had a nagging cough thru December. Saw my PCP and a pulmonologist just to rule out anything serious but it apparently really aggravated my lungs. Munich is always good to try.
A colleague’s parents just went to a funeral today of a 20-something friend who died from a reaction to Tamiflu. I know that’s third-hand, but she seemed to have a pretty complete story. If so, what a tragedy!
@ surfcity: What is Munich (besides a city)?
Is this a typo? A fever of 102 is not alarming for someone with the flu.
Could surfcity have meant Mucinex?
@“Cardinal Fang” urgent care is an appropriate place to go if you have a fever spike depending on the symptoms. I went into the urgent care a few weeks ago when my fever spiked to that because I wanted to make sure it was the flu and not strep.
And my D wanted to get Tamiflu if she did, in fact, have the flu. When the test came back positive for Strain A, the doctor prescribed it immediately since she was within the first 48 hours of symptoms. It seemed to help her reduce the symptoms in a relatively short period of time.
Sorry autocorrect got me. Mucinex.