Medication
5 home remedies for the flu
- Herbal tea with garlic, honey, and lemon. Garlic has always been one of the main ingredients in home remedies for the flu. ...
- Ginger tea. In traditional medicine, fresh ginger is one of the most used ingredients to soothe cold and flu symptoms.
- Elderberry herbal tea. ...
- Aloe vera, lemon, and honey gel. ...
- Tisana all echinacea. ...
Self-care
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Nutrition
- Wash your hands. Thorough and frequent hand-washing is an effective way to prevent many common infections. ...
- Contain your coughs and sneezes. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. ...
- Avoid crowds. Flu spreads easily wherever people congregate — in child care centers, schools, office buildings, auditoriums and public transportation. ...
What is the best home treatment for the flu?
Prescription Flu Medicine
- Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is a pill or liquid given by mouth that is approved for people 14 days and older. ...
- Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) is a single-dose pill or liquid given by mouth and is approved for people ages 12 years and older. ...
- Relenza (zanamivir) is an inhaled powder that is approved for people ages 7 years and older. ...
What is the best medicine for influenza?
How do you treat flu at home?
What is the best OTC for the flu?
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What are the 3 ways to fight flu?
Healthy Habits to Help Protect Against FluAvoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. ... Stay home when you are sick. ... Cover your mouth and nose. ... Clean your hands. ... Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. ... Practice other good health habits.
What are the two main types of influenza treatments?
Type A influenza infection can be serious and cause widespread outbreaks and disease. Common symptoms of type A infection can be confused with other conditions....Common antiviral prescriptions include:zanamivir (Relenza)oseltamivir (Tamiflu)peramivir (Rapivab)
What will the doctor do for the flu?
Usually, you'll need nothing more than rest and plenty of fluids to treat the flu. But if you have a severe infection or are at higher risk of complications, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug to treat the flu.
What is best medicine for flu?
Antiviral prescription flu medicines, such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir), Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil), Rapivab (peramivir), and Relenza (zanamivir), can help shorten the flu, while over-the-counter (OTC) medications mainly treat symptoms.
What to do if you have the flu?
CDC recommends prompt treatment for people who have flu or suspected flu who are at high risk of serious flu complications, such as people with asthma, diabetes or heart disease.
What is the name of the medication that is prescribed to treat the flu?
There are prescription medications called “antiviral drugs” that can be used to treat flu illness. What are antiviral drugs? Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid, an inhaled powder, or an intravenous solution) that fight against flu in your respiratory tract. Antiviral drugs are not sold over the counter.
What is an antiviral?
Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics. Flu antivirals are prescription medicines (pills, liquid, intravenous solution, or an inhaled powder) and are not available over the counter. Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and shorten the time you are sick. They also can prevent serious flu complications, like pneumonia, ...
Why is it important to take antiviral medicine early?
It’s very important that antiviral drugs be used early to treat people who are very sick with flu (for example, people who are in the hospital) and people who are sick with flu and have a greater chance of getting serious flu complications, either because of their age or because they have a high risk medical condition.
How long does it take for antiviral drugs to work?
Studies show that flu antiviral drugs work best for treatments when they are started within 2 days of getting sick. However, starting them later can still be helpful, especially if the sick person has a high-risk health condition or is very sick from flu (for example, hospitalized patients).
How to keep from infecting others when sick?
While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
Can you buy antiviral medication over the counter?
Antiviral drugs are not sold over the counter. You can only get them if you have a prescription from your doctor or health care provider. Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics, which fight against bacterial infections.
How to help a person with the flu?
If you do come down with the flu, these measures may help ease your symptoms: Drink plenty of liquids. Choose water, juice and warm soups to prevent dehydration. Rest. Get more sleep to help your immune system fight infection. You may need to change your activity level, depending on your symptoms.
What to take for achiness from influenza?
Consider pain relievers. Use an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), to combat the achiness associated with influenza.
How long should you stay home with a fever?
To help control the spread of influenza in your community, stay home and keep sick children home until fever has been gone for 24 hours. Avoid being around other people until you're feeling better, unless you're getting medical care. If you do need to leave your home and get medical care, wear a face mask.
Can you take zanamivir with asthma?
Oseltamivir is an oral medication. Zanamivir is inhaled through a device similar to an asthma inhaler and shouldn't be used by anyone with certain chronic respiratory problems, such as asthma and lung disease.
Do you need to be tested for influenza?
During times when influenza is widespread, you may not need to be tested for influenza. Your doctor may diagnose you based on your signs and symptoms. In some cases, your doctor may suggest that you be tested for influenza. He or she may use various tests to diagnose influenza. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is becoming more common in many ...
What is the best treatment for influenza?
Influenza Treatment. Antiviral medicines are an important tool in both controlling influenza by treating the patient’s infection and helping to prevent severe illness that can result from flu, including bacterial pneumonia.
What are the other drugs used to treat flu?
Two other drugs, rimantadine (Flumadine®) and amantadine (Symmetrel®), were used to treat flu infection in the past. They worked by disrupting ion channels in the wall of the virus, preventing the virus from replicating during the initial stages of infection, soon after its been taken inside a human cell. However, rimantadine and amantadine are only effective in treating Influenza A, and several strains of flu have already developed resistance to them. Thus, the two medicines are no longer recommended in the United States for treating the flu.
Why is it important to take antiviral medicine?
Antiviral medicines are an important tool in both controlling influenza by treating the patient’s infection and helping to prevent severe illness that can result from flu, including bacterial pneumonia. When taken promptly, antiviral drugs can reduce the severity of the flu’s worst symptoms, and can shorten the length of the illness by an average of one day. Taking antiviral drugs early is especially important for people who are at high risk for flu complications, such as the elderly or people with compromised immune systems.
What are the best treatments for the flu?
The best treatments for people with the flu are lots of rest and plenty of fluids.
Why aren't antibiotics effective against the flu?
Antibiotics aren’t effective against the flu because it’s caused by a virus, not bacteria. But your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat any secondary bacterial infection that may be present. They’ll likely recommend some combination of self-care and medication to treat your symptoms.
How do antiviral drugs help?
Prescription antiviral drugs can help reduce flu symptoms and prevent related complications. These drugs prevent the virus from growing and replicating. By reducing viral replication and shedding, these medications slow the spread of infection in cells within the body.
How long does it take for antiviral medication to work?
It works differently than the neuraminidase inhibitors. For maximum effectiveness, antiviral drugs must be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. If taken right away, antiviral medications can also help shorten the duration of the flu. Antiviral medications are also used in flu prevention.
What is the best pain reliever for a fever?
In addition to the fever reducers acetaminophen and ibuprofen, other effective pain relievers are naproxen (Aleve) and aspirin (Bayer).
How to bring down a fever?
Don’t go back until your symptoms subside. To bring down a fever, place a cool, damp washcloth on your forehead or take a cool bath. You may also use over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers and fever reducers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).
Can you take zanamivir if you have asthma?
It’s approved to prevent the flu in people who are at least 5 years old. It comes in a powder and is administered via an inhaler. You shouldn’t take zanamivir if you have any type of chronic respiratory problem, such as asthma or any chronic lung disease. It could cause airway constriction and difficulty breathing.
What is the best treatment for the flu?
The flu treatment you should take depends on your symptoms. For example, if you have nasal or sinus congestion, then a decongestant can be helpful.
Can coughing clear your lung?
An occasional cough may clear the lung of pollutants and excess phlegm. A persistent cough should be diagnosed and treated specifically. On the pharmacy shelf, you'll find numerous cough medicines with various combinations of decongestants, antihistamines, analgesics/antipyretics, cough suppressants, and expectorants. Ask your pharmacist which combination, if any, would be appropriate for your cough. Some research suggests that honey may help suppress a cough- but do not use in anyone under the age of one as it may cause a type of food poisoning called botulism in younger children.
Can antihistamines help with itching?
If you have a runny nose, postnasal drip, or itchy, watery eyes -- then an antihistamine may be helpful for your flu symptoms. Antihistamines block the effect of "histamine," and help relieve such annoying symptoms as sneezing, itching, and nasal discharge.
Can you give over the counter cough medicine to kids?
Keep in mind that you should not give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children under age 4.
Can antibiotics help my flu symptoms?
Antibiotics cannot help flu symptoms. The flu is caused by a virus, and antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. Taking antibiotics needlessly may increase your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment. If you get a secondary bacterial infection with the flu virus, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to treat the secondary infection.
What Should I Do When I Have the Flu?
The flu can drain energy levels quickly. Since it is an infection, it’s smart to rest up as much as possible to help the body fight it off sooner. Luckily, most people have mild illness experiences and don’t need antiviral drugs.
Flu Treatment Options to Consider
While it would be nice to have a magic pill that took away the flu immediately, that’s still not an option. Flu treatment these days includes lots of rest, plenty of fluids, and in some serious cases, the need for an antiviral drug.
How Is Influenza Treated?
Your doctor may prescribe antiviral medication to treat the virus, and over-the-counter medication can be used to minimize discomfort associated with flu symptoms (for example, decongestant and antihistamine for congestion, cough and nasal discharge). Antibiotics are not useful in treating the flu but may be prescribed if necessary to clear up a related sinus or ear infection.
What are the different types of antivirals?
There are four FDA-approved antiviral drugs: 1 Oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu®), which comes in pill form 2 Peramivir (trade name Rapivab®), which is administered intravenously 3 Zanamivir (trade name Relenza®), which is inhaled as a powder 4 Baloxavir (trade name Xofluza®), which comes in pill form
How long does it take to get tested for the flu?
There are tests that can determine if you have the flu as long you are tested within the first two or three days of illness and many providers use antiviral medications when they are confident of the diagnosis.
Is Xofluza safe for pregnant women?
Xofluza is not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, outpatients with complicated or progressive illness, or hospitalized patients. Antiviral medicine is recommended for people with more severe illness, especially those who might require hospitalization.
Can you take Relenza if you have asthma?
People with chronic lung disease, including asthma, should not use Relenza or Rapivab, because these drugs sometimes worsen breathing problems.
How do you treat influenza?
Treatments for influenza include a range of medications and therapies that are used in response to disease influenza. Treatments may either directly target the influenza virus itself; or instead they may just offer relief to symptoms of the disease , while the body's own immune system works to recover from infection .
How to treat a flu infection?
The United States authority on disease prevention, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommends that persons suffering from influenza infections: Stay at home. Get plenty of rest. Drink a lot of liquids. Do not smoke or drink alcohol.
How do antiviral drugs work?
Antiviral drugs. Antiviral drugs directly target the viruses responsible for influenza infections. Generally, anti-viral drugs work optimally when taken within a few days of the onset of symptoms. Certain drugs are used prophylactically, that is they are used in uninfected individuals to guard against infection.
What are the four antiviral agents?
Four licensed influenza antiviral agents are available in the United States: zanamivir, oseltamivir phosphate, peramivir, and baloxavir marboxil. They are available through prescription only.
What is the best medicine for the 2009 flu?
Elderberry. A few news reports have suggested the use of an elderberry ( Sambucus nigra) extract as a potential preventative against the 2009 flu pandemic. The preparation has been reported to reduce the duration of influenza symptoms by raising levels of cytokines.
What is interferon used for?
Interferons are cellular signalling factors produced in response to viral infection. Research into the use of interferons to combat influenza began in the 1960s in the Soviet Union, culminating in a trial of 14,000 subjects at the height of the Hong Kong Flu of 1969, in which those treated prophylactically with interferon were more than 50% less likely to suffer symptoms, though evidence of latent infection was present. In these early studies leukocytes were collected from donated blood and exposed to a high dose of Newcastle disease, causing them to release interferons. Although interferon therapies became widespread in the Soviet Union, the method was doubted in the United States after high doses of interferon proved ineffective in trials. Though the 1969 study used 256 units of interferon, subsequent studies used up to 8.4 million units. It has since been proposed that activity of interferon is highest at low concentrations. Phase III trials in Australia are planned for 2010, and initial trials are planned in the U.S. for late 2009.
How to treat flu symptoms?
Consider over-the-counter medications to relieve flu symptoms. Consult a physician early on for best possible treatment. Remain alert for emergency warning signs. Warning signs are symptoms that indicate that the disease is becoming serious and needs immediate medical attention.
