Tamiflu: The #1 doctor-prescribed flu medicine. The only one drug approved for treatment of viruses H1N1 (Swine flu), and H1N5 (Avian flu). Last flu season, doctors wrote more prescriptions for TAMIFLU (oseltamivir phosphate) than any other flu treatment. TAMIFLU attacks the influenza virus and stops it from spreading.
Tamiflu speeds recovery from the flu. When started during the first 2 days of the illness, it hastens improvement by at least a day. It also can prevent the flu if treatment is started within 2 days after exposure to a flu victim. Tamiflu is one of a new class of antiviral drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors. As the flu virus takes hold in the body, it forms new copies of itself and spreads from cell to cell. Neuraminidase inhibitors fight the virus by preventing the release of new copies from infected cells. The other drug in this class, Relenza, is taken by inhalation. Tamiflu is taken in liquid or capsule form.
Mechanism of action
Oseltamivir phosphate is an oral prodrug which undergoes hydrolysis by hepatic esterases to form active oseltamivir carboxylate, also referred to as GS4071. Oseltamivir carboxylate acts by selective inhibition of influenza A and B viral neuraminidase. A lipophilic side chain of the active drug binds to the virus enzyme, blocking its ability to cleave sialic acid residues on the surface of the infected cell and resulting in an inability to release progeny virions.
Most important fact about Tamiflu
Tamiflu can prevent the flu as long as you continue taking this medication, but getting a yearly flu shot is still the best way of avoiding the disease entirely. For older adults, those in high-risk situations such as health-care work, and people with an immune deficiency or respiratory disease, vaccination remains a must.
How should you take Tamiflu?
To provide any benefit, Tamiflu must be started within two days of the onset of symptoms, or exposure to the flu. If you have the flu, continue taking it twice daily for 5 days, even if you start to feel better. To prevent the flu, take it once a day for at least 7 days. Protection lasts as long as you take the drug.
If Tamiflu upsets your stomach, try taking it with food. Shake the liquid suspension before each use.
--If you miss a dose...
Take it as soon as possible. If it is within two hours of your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular schedule.
--Storage instructions...
Storage:
Store at room temperature. Keep the blister package dry. Use the liquid suspension within 10 days. It should be refrigerated, but do not freeze.
Tamiflu side effects:
Most problems noted during tests of Tamiflu were indistinguishable from the symptoms of flu. Here are the reactions that showed up more frequently in patients taking the drug. Side effects may include:
Abdominal pain, asthma, bronchitis, cough, diarrhea, ear infection, fatigue, headache, insomnia, nausea, nosebleed, vertigo, vomiting
Why should Tamiflu not be prescribed?
If Tamiflu gives you an allergic reaction, avoid it in the future.
Special warnings about Tamiflu:
If you have kidney disease, the doctor may have to cut your daily dose of Tamiflu in half.
The effectiveness of Tamiflu has not been established for people with weakened immune systems. The drug has not been studied in people with liver disease.
Tamiflu works only on the flu virus. It won't stop bacterial infections that may have flu-like symptoms or bacterial infections that may develop while you have the flu. If your symptoms persist, check with your doctor.
Possible food and drug interactions when taking Tamiflu:
No interactions have been reported.
Special information if you are pregnant or breastfeeding:
It is not known whether Tamiflu is completely safe during pregnancy. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, inform your doctor before taking Tamiflu. Tamiflu may appear in breast milk and could affect a nursing infant. Taking it while breastfeeding is usually not recommended.
Recommended dosage for Tamiflu:
ADULTS AND CHILDREN 13 AND OLDER:
Treatment of Influenza
The usual dosage is 75 milligrams taken twice daily (morning and evening) for 5 days. If you have kidney disease, take a 75-milligram dose once a day.
TAMIFLU Significantly Reduces Duration of Illness by 1.3 days (30%) Compared with Placebo in Adults 18 to 65 Years Old.
Prevention of Influenza
TAMIFLU very effective in prevention of Flu Transmission in Adults.
The usual dosage is 75 milligrams taken once a day for at least 7 days. If there is a general outbreak of the flu in your community, your doctor may recommend that you continue taking Tamiflu for up to 6 weeks. If you have kidney disease, take a 75-milligram capsule every other day, or 30 milligrams of liquid once a day.
CHILDREN 1 TO 12:
Treatment of Influenza
Doses should be given twice daily for 5 days using the dispenser that comes with the liquid suspension. Each dose is determined by the child's weight:
Under 33 pounds: 30 milligrams
33 to 55 pounds: 45 milligrams
51 to 88 pounds: 60 milligrams
Over 88 pounds: 75 milligrams
Tamiflu should not be used to treat the flu in children under 1 year old.
Prevention of Influenza
Tamiflu's ability to prevent the flu in children under age 13 has not been established.
Overdosage
High doses of Tamiflu can cause nausea and vomiting. As with any medication, if you suspect an overdose, seek emergency medical treatment immediately.
There are steps you can take to prevent the flu from hitting you, your family* and others.
An annual flu shot
To prevent getting the flu, or to lessen its severity, you should get a flu shot each fall, before flu season starts. This is particularly recommended if you are aged 50 and older or have a chronic health problem.
A flu vaccination is your best chance to protect against the flu. However, you may have heard that the vaccine is not 100% effective. Why? Because the flu strains it protects against may not be the same as the ones that are going around in your area. So even if you have received a flu shot, you could still get the flu.
Prevention you can swallow.
If you don't get the flu shot—or until the shot takes effect—you can still protect yourself and family members* from getting sick. Your doctor can write prescriptions for antiviral medications such as TAMIFLU in order to: prevent widespread influenza outbreaks in shared living facilities, such as nursing homes and college dormitories provide protection during the period of time needed for the flu shot to take effect protect individuals who are unable to receive flu vaccinations. (If you are pregnant or allergic to eggs, ask your doctor about whether or not you should get a flu shot.)
If these conditions apply to you, consult with your doctor. Learn about the opportunity of preventing flu with antiviral medications such as TAMIFLU. These are available only by prescription and must be started within 2 days of flu exposure. TAMIFLU is approved for patients aged 1 year and older and is available in a choice of capsule or liquid suspension form.
In prophylaxis studies adverse events were qualitatively similar to those seen in the treatment studies, despite a longer duration of dosing. The most frequently reported adverse events were headache, fatigue and nausea.
Protecting family members.
If someone in your household is diagnosed with the flu, it is important to keep other members of the family from getting sick. You can protect them by notifying your doctor within 2 days of being exposed in order to ask if TAMIFLU might be right for you as a prescription for preventative medicine.
Common sense measures for staying healthy.
Your chances of avoiding the flu are better when you:
Keep your distance from people with the flu.
Wash your hands frequently.
Avoid second-hand cigarette smoke.
Try to quit smoking.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle, including a good diet, adequate sleep, low stress and lots of water to drink.
* TAMIFLU is indicated for the prevention of influenza in adults and adolescents aged 13 and older.
Tamiflu notes:
Tamiflu generic name oseltamivir is an antiviral medication belongs to a group of drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors that blocks the actions of influenza virus types A and B in body. It is used to treat flu symptoms who have had symptoms for less than 2 days.
Tamiflu is the most effective medicine against bird flu. It attacks the influenza virus and stops it from spreading inside body rather than just masking the symptoms.
Other antiviral medication available along with oseltamivir are zanamivir, amnatadine and rimantadine. Customers can purchase tamiflu without prescription from the reliable online pharmacy sites.
The only antiviral drugs effective against the swine flu (novel H1N1) virus are the two neuriminidase inhibitors, oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu) and zanamivir (trade name Relenza).
The H1N1 influenza virus strain is highly resistant to Tamiflu.The single mutation that creates Tamiflu resistance appears to be spontaneous, and not a reaction to overuse of the drug.
The recommended dosage of Tamiflu is as exactly as prescribed by doctor within two days of the onset of symptoms or exposure to the flu. If medication upsets stomach, try taking it with food. Shake the liquid suspension before each use. Take the missed dose of tamiflu as soon as it is remembered, if the next dose is two hours away skip the missed dose and continue with the regular schedule. Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
Progression of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) protection – A study
Analyst working at the California Institute of Technology in association with research findings led by David Baltimore , Robert Andrew Millikan the recipient of the 1975 noble prize in physiology or medicine and post doctoral scholar Jesse Bloom have reportedly concluded that oseltamivir along with other anti viral drugs instantly attack infectious agents . On the other hand regular vaccines builds up our body’s resistance ability in order to revert to the bacteria after an infection is diagnosed, they also highlighted the minute changes which showed positive results of resistance to the drug oseltamivir.
According to Jesse bloom, at the time of a flu infection, these agents attach themselves to the base of the premature cells with the help of a protein called hem agglutinin. Once entered these agents cracks down another important variable of H1N1 virus i.e. glycoside hydrolase enzymes in order to destroy the neuraminic acid and thereby legalize an entry into infecting the new cells. However this continuity is blocked by the oseltamivir which stops the neuraminidase from destroying the neuraminic acid. In order to make these agents resistance power weak in front of osweltamivir, it is a necessity on the part of glycoside hydrolase enzymes to be active and thereby show differentiation between oseltamivir and the neuraminic acid. These conclusions can be termed practical only when these infection agents have a metamorphosis called H274Y in the glycoside hydrolase enzymes. In these enzymes metamorphosis exchanges one amino acid for another, thereby executing a minute formational change in one of the sensitive area of this enzyme structure. However this would lead to negative results as the glycoside hydrolase enzyme would no longer associate itself with oseltamivir. This H274Y has recognition for over a decade. However it does not holds supreme medical importance.
In the year 2007-2008 the not so popular virus H1N1 virus clubbed with H274Y metamorphosis started to make its presence felt with everywhere ,this resulted into all H1N1 agents resistance towards oseltamivir on account of this metamorphosis. However suddenly tamiflu infection agents sounded and created a panic of an epidemic kind of situation like the other ferocious type flu. But still the questions pertaining to the H274Y metamorphosis remained unanswered.
Bloom stated that perception of the deviated metamorphosis was an incident in itself which in turn prevented the glycoside hydrolase enzymes from capturing cerebral area and in due process cleaning up the agents from their neuraminic acid. Researchers however have concluded that in case if we have encountered ourselves with a second metamorphosis which actually treats the problem in H274Y plebeians then it is not a good sign for all of us. They invented two such metamorphoses. Coincidently before the H274Y mutation could actually bring itself into the limelight two such larger metamorphoses already began to crop up. This subsequently allowed and prevented the spread of this H274Y metamorphosis.
This study enlightens mind towards the severity of these metamorphosis, also it pinpoints an understanding of minute way that underlines the development of the statistical evidence with regards to the influenza virus that can cause a threat to the human race in some or the other way.
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