Treat the Flu with TAMIFLU

When you or someone in your family begins to experience flu symptoms, you have 48 hours to take action.

For flu treatment: When taken within two days of experiencing symptoms, TAMIFLU works by helping to stop the flu virus from spreading inside the body.

For flu prevention: When you have been exposed to someone with the flu, taking TAMIFLU can help keep the virus from making you sick.

TAMIFLU is not a substitute for the flu shot; vaccination is the first line of defense for flu protection.

Important Safety Information

TAMIFLU is prescribed for treating adults and children 1 year and older with influenza (flu) whose symptoms started within the last day or two. TAMIFLU can also reduce the chance of getting the flu in patients 1 year and older. TAMIFLU is not a substitute for the annual flu vaccinations (you should still get the flu shot every year).

Before taking TAMIFLU, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you have kidney disease, heart disease, respiratory disease, or other serious health conditions. Also, let your doctor know if you are taking any other medications or if you have received nasally administered influenza virus vaccine during the past two weeks.

If you develop an allergic reaction or a severe rash, stop taking TAMIFLU and contact your healthcare professional immediately, as it may be very serious. People with the flu, particularly children and adolescents, may be at an increased risk of self injury and confusion shortly after taking TAMIFLU and should be closely monitored for signs of unusual behavior. A healthcare professional should be contacted immediately if the patient taking TAMIFLU shows any signs of unusual behavior.

The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting.

Generic Tamiflu Side Effects

Rare but serious skin reactions and allergic reactions have been reported. Stop taking TAMIFLU and call your doctor if you experience any of these reactions, as they could be very serious.

People with the flu, particularly children and adolescents, may be at an increased risk of self injury and confusion shortly after taking TAMIFLU and should be closely monitored for signs of unusal behavior. A healthcare professional should be contacted immediately if the patient taking TAMIFLU shows any signs of unusual behavior.

The most common side effects of TAMIFLU are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. TAMIFLU is generally well tolerated.

In addition, take the following precautions when using TAMIFLU:

• You should not take TAMIFLU if you are allergic to oseltamivir phosphate or any other ingredients of TAMIFLU.
• TAMIFLU is normally not recommended for use during pregnancy or nursing, as the effects on the unborn child or nursing infant are unknown. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding while taking TAMIFLU, talk to your doctor before taking TAMIFLU.
• If you have any type of kidney disease, talk to your doctor before starting TAMIFLU therapy.
• The use of TAMIFLU along with an intranasal flu vaccine like FluMist®* has not been evaluated. However, due to the possibility for interference between these products, an intranasal flu vaccine should not be given within 2 weeks before or 48 hours after taking TAMIFLU, unless it is deemed appropriate by your doctor. The type of flu vaccine administered as a shot through the skin can be given at any time relative to use of TAMIFLU.

As with any medication, be sure to discuss with your doctor any over–the–counter or prescription medicines you are currently taking before beginning TAMIFLU therapy

How to use Generic Tamiflu

Oseltamivir is indicated for the treatment and prevention of infections due to influenza A and B virus in people at least one year of age. The usual adult dosage for treatment of influenza is 75 mg twice daily for 5 days, beginning within 2 days of the appearance of symptoms and with decreased doses for children and patients with renal impairment. Oseltamivir may be given as a preventive measure either during a community outbreak or following close contact with an infected individual. Standard prophylactic dosage is 75 mg once daily for patients aged 13 and older, which has been shown to be safe and effective for up to six weeks. The importance of early treatment is that the NA protein inhibition is more effective within the first 48 hours. If the virus has replicated and infected many cells the effectiveness of this medication will be severely diminished, especially over time.

SWINE FLU (Swine Influenza)

Much the same as human flu – but in pigs  (H1N1). The worry is that pigs are excellent hosts for the virus. And because they are genetically close to humans, they can pass the virus to us more easily than birds can. The great fear over the past decade has been that the avian flu virus, H5N1, would infect pigs which would act as a reservoir for its transmission to humans. Luckily for the world, apart from a few isolated outbreaks, this did not happen.

Bird Flu (Avian Influenza)

Avian influenza (H5N1), also known as bird flu, is a disease of wild birds and domesticated poultry like farm chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Although millions of birds have been infected, only a very small number of people have been infected (see www.sfdph.org/cdcp for exact numbers).a.