to tamiflu or not to tamiflu

[Anonymous]

Not everyone reacts the same way to tamiflu. My elementary child had no side effects and it dramatically shortened the illness. The doctor said to just stop taking it if side effects occurred. So I felt there was nothing to lose in trying it, and it paid off. Flu is serious!

[Anonymous]

My kids took tamiflu last year after testing positive. Both had the flu shot, but one has asthma and I was having a baby soon. I’m not sure I would do it again; research suggests if they are vaccinated it only shortens the illness a few days. The kids liquid tastes awful; both still remember it and are reluctant to take any medicine anymore. It did make one of mine throw up, which we were warned about. And it also upset their gi system for a few weeks after. Our dr said it is hard on the gut bc it kills off all the bacteria. If your kids didn’t get a flu shot, I would do it, but otherwise I would weigh the cost/benefit

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t give Tamiflu unless the child is immune compromised. The risks of Tamiflu are just too high - especially the psychiatric ones.

[Anonymous]

Up to you, but FYI not everyone has the horrific side effects people keep mentioning. My son has taken it twice with no effects at all (at ages 2.5 and 6). My 4yo and I also recently took it - no side effects for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Up to you, but FYI not everyone has the horrific side effects people keep mentioning. My son has taken it twice with no effects at all (at ages 2.5 and 6). My 4yo and I also recently took it - no side effects for us.

+1. My 7 year old tested positive for the flu and went on tamiflu. No side effects and his 103 fever and other symptoms went away in less than two days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would avoid Tamiflu at all costs.
My child had a bad reaction when it was prescribed to her by an urgent care center.
I completely regret giving it to her and not researching the side effects prior to.
She only had a few doses but it made her have terrible night terrors, screaming, and just a completely different child.
If you google Tamiflu reactions, you can read about the bad psychological side effects it has, especially on children!

Afraid to google- can you give us the lowdown?
We gave to our kids after they were exposed and stopped after 2 days because of the vomitting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Up to you, but FYI not everyone has the horrific side effects people keep mentioning. My son has taken it twice with no effects at all (at ages 2.5 and 6). My 4yo and I also recently took it - no side effects for us.

+1. My 7 year old tested positive for the flu and went on tamiflu. No side effects and his 103 fever and other symptoms went away in less than two days.

+2. DC has taken both the prophylactic doses (I had the flu) as well as the regular dose (he had it) and was fine both times. I’ve also taken it twice and felt okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a new drug, Xofluza, if you can find it, and if anyone tests positive.

DD was negative on a Monday, positive two days later on Wed, pediatrician recommended and she took Xofluza and was back at school and 100% fine on Monday. I was shocked (when I get the flu I am out for 7-10 days! That's either youth, Xofluza, or both.).

I had to call around to find it, Giant and CVS did not have it.

Xofluza is not FDA approved for kids under 12...
https://www.xofluza.com

Indication
XOFLUZA is a prescription medicine used to treat the flu (influenza) in people 12 years of age and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than 48 hours.
It is not known if XOFLUZA is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years of age or weighing less than 88 pounds (40 kg).

[Anonymous]

2 kids and one adult took Tamiflu in our family in February after each testing positive for the flu. No one had any issues whatsoever, which surprised me considering all the anecdotes you hear about how horrible it is. Turns out most people end up being fine with it, and you can always stop it if it doesn’t agree with you.

For kids it’s probably a good idea to take it, the flu can have serious complications sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would avoid Tamiflu at all costs.
My child had a bad reaction when it was prescribed to her by an urgent care center.
I completely regret giving it to her and not researching the side effects prior to.
She only had a few doses but it made her have terrible night terrors, screaming, and just a completely different child.
If you google Tamiflu reactions, you can read about the bad psychological side effects it has, especially on children!

Afraid to google- can you give us the lowdown?
We gave to our kids after they were exposed and stopped after 2 days because of the vomitting.

I googled because I just gave my 1 yr old tamiflu last night. In 2005-2006 there were cases of pretty significant psychiatric side effects in some children in Japan. These effects do sound scary, but really reading, it sounds rare, was mostly in Japan, and like there hasn’t really been many reports of this since.

[Anonymous]

If they had flu shots, it would likely be a much milder case, even if they did get it.

My DD tested positive last month, even after a flu shot, and really only had one day of high fever and chills. Another day on the sofa with a low fever and mild achiness, then she was just kind of tired for a couple more days. Upper respiratory symptoms were never bad enough to keep her from sleeping. She had it over a three-day weekend, and never even missed school.

We got her tested in plenty of time to take Tamiflu, but the doctor said since she'd had a flu shot, it was likely that the side effects would probably be worse than the actual illness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: If they had flu shots, it would likely be a much milder case, even if they did get it.

My DD tested positive last month, even after a flu shot, and really only had one day of high fever and chills. Another day on the sofa with a low fever and mild achiness, then she was just kind of tired for a couple more days. Upper respiratory symptoms were never bad enough to keep her from sleeping. She had it over a three-day weekend, and never even missed school.

We got her tested in plenty of time to take Tamiflu, but the doctor said since she'd had a flu shot, it was likely that the side effects would probably be worse than the actual illness.

I got the flu even though I got the flu shot. I was deathly ill for about a week. I can’t imagine not having the flu shot and having been much sicker, because I literally did not even get out of bed for four days except to crawl to the bathroom. I absolutely had Tamiflu and did notice it was making me feel better, but again I was just so sick this time ( I was diagnosed and got Tamiflu within 48 hours of getting sick ).

[Anonymous]

The people who say that Tamiflu dramatically reduced the duration ...how do you know? Especially if you had the flu shot, you might just have had a milder version anyway.

I would avoid Tamiflu unless someone in the household is immunocompromised.

[Anonymous]

Our ped said they don't usually prescribe Tamiflu unless there is an infant or someone with a compromised immune system in the household. For that reason I opted not to have my 6yo tested, and her fever was down the next day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people who say that Tamiflu dramatically reduced the duration ...how do you know? Especially if you had the flu shot, you might just have had a milder version anyway.

I would avoid Tamiflu unless someone in the household is immunocompromised.

20:24 here. I have two immunocompromised people in my house. That is why I got it.