# Tamiflu



## drfacefixer (Mar 8, 2013)

Out of curiosity, would you stock up on it if possible? Anyone have any personal experiences with it? Hospitals and civil defense have stock piles of it and it seems to be in short supply to many pharmacies. Just curious to hear if anyone has been prescribed it.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

If you are in a situation where Tamiflu might help, it will be too late by the time you get a prescription and get it filled. It you plan to use it best to have it on hand. Tell the doc a fib.


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## JSank80 (Apr 30, 2013)

oseltamivir (Tamiflu): Selective inhibitor of influenza virus neuraminidase, an enzyme essential for viral replication. Acts against influenza A and B viruses. Therapeutic Effect: Suppresses spread of infection within respiratory system, reduces duration of clinical symptoms. Uses: symptomatic treatment of uncomplicated acute illness caused by influenza A or B in adults and children 1 yr and older who are symptomatic no longer than 2 days. Contraindications: none known, unknown if distributed in breast milk, pregnancy category C Interactions: none significant. Side effects: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

I personally would consider stocking up on it if you have the means. It won't get rid of a virus, but it has been shown to significantly reduce the duration of symptoms. It stores well in pill form and doesn't take up much space. Small, light, helps keep you on your A game... sounds like worth while prepping equipment to me IMO.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

What's the shelf life of this drug?

Just on that issue I'd stock it if it was stable for a decade and longer but if I have to junk it after 18 months then, absent my spying an emerging epidemic, I'd question the utility of the gamble involved in stocking versus finding need to take the drug.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Tamiflu ... No I do not stock it.

Think prevention ...


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I know several people who have taken it, most working in medical or government institutions with an outbreak. I thought it was great considering some of them were given it preemptively, they did not, apparently it had some of the worst side effects of any drug they had taken. They said it was worse than the flu. I kind of thought they were full of it, had not heard of it being harsh but when I looked into it there were some pretty significant issues to look out for.
I thought it would be good to have on hand, now am not so sure. 
With regards to shelf life, the government had tons of it about to expire here and so they revised the expiration dates a good indication that it lasts well. Just looked it up and I guess your gov. did this toohttp://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm154962.htm

There is a veterinary version but it is not widely available yet.


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## drfacefixer (Mar 8, 2013)

I've been reading up on it and the side effects. 58 million scripts have been written and some of the rarer but scarier side effects reported are just under 2000 - some horrible and strange, but still rare. Double blind studies report the most common side effects as nausea and vomiting like almost every other drug. But then again, the placebo groups are reporting similar side effects. 

Cowboy thanks for the info. I am well aware of the SLEP program and its design. Its a stable and shelf-able drug. Those extensions are not taken lightly, it means that the exact lot was tested via HPLC against a standard and found to have not significantly degraded. As your friends attest though, there is some bad press on the drug. However, alot of people are taking it and its flying off the shelves. Not very easy to get though, should one desire it. It runs about $100 a course, but has evidence to shorten duration by 21hrs to 4 days depending on the population and vaccination status in the study. 

Currently, my hospitals protocol not to prescribe it without a positive rapid assay for influenza A or B. It's only empirically given if flu in suspected conditions worsening to the point of needing inpatient care. Any more stories of people that have taken it? I would love to actually hear anecdotal stuff for once.


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## drfacefixer (Mar 8, 2013)

Just an update. Daughter is better and bounced back quicker than expected on tamiflu, running and playing the next day. It did take a few days for her to get her appetite back. She complained of stomach pain at the first dose, but she had full body aches prior. So it's hard to say if it was the medicine or the flu. Anyway, she was the only one that didn't get the vaccine this year(because of allergies). Everyone else in the house was heavily exposed to sneezes and whatnot but didn't catch a thing. So this year, I'll say im glad for the vaccine. It was effective in my population range aswell as my kids. It did poorly for those over 65 though. 

Because of the reported range of side effects, I was VERY hesitant to give it to her. But part of my thinking was this really is the only medication family that can help with influenza. If a pandemic occurs, I will be much happier knowing she can safely take this medication. 

Andi, prevention is key. But I can't keep my kids in a bubble. Everyone gets sick sometime.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

drfacefixer said:


> Andi, prevention is key. But I can't keep my kids in a bubble. Everyone gets sick sometime.


True ... prevention is a key but I didn't say anything about keeping the kids in a bubble.

The question was would I stock Tamiflu and I do not/have not ...  (But I'm glad it works for you ...)


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Glad it worked for you and your girl, I agree that separating out the side effects from the flu is very difficult. The people I know who took it without having the flu (as a condition of work) are more able to attribute side effects to the drug although of course even a placebo will have some side effects. I am more aware of the side effects now but if I had a high risk person sick with influenza I guess I would still like to have some on hand.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

As Andi mentioned prevention, I decided to try collodial silver last year and forego the flu vaccine since it didn't seem to work very well in the past.
Despite a number of people at work getting the flu and the crud, I never got more than a head cold. I used both the nasal sprayer and the pump sprayer (oral) every day.


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