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Medication
The NIH note that some of the most important ways of fighting the flu at home include:
- getting lots of rest
- drinking plenty of fluids, including juices and water
- taking acetaminophen or other over-the-counter pain relievers to reduce fever (people with underlying health conditions should ask their doctor what medication is safest for them)
- avoiding smoking or being around people who are smoking
- avoiding drinking alcohol while sick
Self-care
Lifestyle and home remedies
- Drink plenty of liquids. Choose water, juice and warm soups to prevent dehydration. ...
- Try chicken soup. It's not just good for the soul. ...
- 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.
Nutrition
The best fluids to drink are:
- clear liquids, such as water and broth
- over-the-counter preparations like Pedialyte (good choice for any age)
- sports drinks, which can help with electrolyte replacement (this should be reserved for older children and adults)
What are the best things to help for the flu?
“You’ll need to drink plenty of fluids, which can be water, but you may also benefit from using electrolyte powder or solution, which you can buy from your supermarket or pharmacy.”
How can I treat the flu naturally at home?
What is the best over the counter flu remedy?
What to do to cure the flu?
See more
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).
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 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.
How to keep from getting sick?
While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
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 ...
Which treatments should I take for flu symptoms?
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.
Which treatment should I use for nasal congestion?
If you need immediate relief for swollen, congested nasal passages, you may get relief with an over-the-counter decongestant nasal spray. It is important to stop using decongestant nasal sprays after three days to avoid the development of rebound congestion.
Is it safe to take a decongestant if I have high blood pressure?
Decongestants can increase blood pressure and heart rate. Pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine are oral decongestants commonly available in over-the-counter products. Check with your doctor or pharmacist about safety.
Which flu treatment works best for my cough?
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.
Which flu treatment should I take to lower my fever and body aches?
Children under 19 should avoid aspirin. Acetaminophen ( Tylenol) or medicines like ibuprofen ( Advil, Motrin) and naproxen ( Aleve) are over-the-counter options for fever and pain relief. Each medication has risks. Check with your doctor or pharmacist as to which medication may be suitable for you.
Which flu treatment is best for my sore throat?
Drinking lots of fluids and using salt water gargles (made by combining a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of salt) can often be helpful for easing the pain of a sore throat. Over-the-counter pain relievers and medicated lozenges and gargles can also temporarily soothe a sore throat.
Is an antiviral drug a commonly used flu treatment?
Antiviral flu drugs are taken to decrease the severity and duration of flu symptoms. In some cases they may be used to prevent flu. They include baloxavir marboxil ( Xofluza ), oseltamivir ( Tamiflu ), peramivir ( Rapivab ), or zanamivir ( Relenza ).
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 are antiviral medications important?
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 was Peramivir approved?
For example, NIAID supported the initial Phase 1 clinical studies of peramivir, which was approved in 2014 by the Food and Drug Administration to treat flu infection in adults.
What should I do when I'm sick?
What should I do while I’m sick? Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others.
Can you take Aspirin with the flu?
CDC also recommends that children and teenagers (anyone aged 18 years and younger) who have flu or are suspected to have flu should not be given Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) or any salicylate containing products (e.g. Pepto Bismol); this can cause a rare, very serious complication called Reye’s syndrome.
Can you go to the emergency room if you are sick?
No. The emergency room should be used for people who are very sick. You should not go to the emergency room if you are only mildly ill. If you have the emergency warning signs of flu sickness, you should go to the emergency room. If you get sick with flu symptoms and are at high risk of flu complications or you are concerned about your illness, ...
Can the flu cause death?
Influenza (flu) can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death . Flu is different from a cold. Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these symptoms: Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
What is the CDC's recommendation for treating a flu?
CDC recommends prompt treatment for people who have flu infection or suspected flu infection and who are at high risk of serious flu complications, such as people with asthma, diabetes (including gestational diabetes), or heart disease.
What is the best antiviral for the flu?
What antiviral drugs are recommended this flu season? 1 oseltamivir phosphate (available as a generic version or under the trade name Tamiflu®), 2 zanamivir (trade name Relenza®) 3 peramivir (trade name Rapivab®), and 4 baloxavir marboxil (trade name Xofluza®).
How long does zanamivir last?
To treat flu, oseltamivir or inhaled zanamivir are usually prescribed for 5 days, or one dose of intravenous peramivir or oral Baloxavir for 1 day. Oseltamivir treatment is given to hospitalized patients, and some patients might be treated for more than 5 days. Top of Page.
How often is zanamivir given?
Oseltamivir and zanamivir are given twice a day for 5 days. Peramivir is given once intravenously by a health care provider and is approved for early treatment of flu in people 2 years and older. Baloxavir is a pill given as a single dose by mouth and is approved for early treatment of flu in people 12 years and older.
How long should you take antiviral medication for a child?
For treatment, influenza antiviral drugs should ideally be started within 2 days after becoming sick and taken for 5 days.
What are the symptoms of the flu?
Flu signs and symptoms can include feeling feverish or having a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Your doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs to treat your flu illness.
Do you need antiviral medicine for flu?
Although other people with mild illness who are not at high risk of flu complications may also be treated early with antiviral drugs by their doctor, most people who are otherwise healthy and not at high risk for flu complications and who get flu do not need to be treated with antiviral drugs.
How to cure the flu?
In many cases, however, simple home remedies may be all you need for relief of mild to moderate flu symptoms. Here are10 natural remedies for the flu: 1. Drink up . The flu can leave you dehydrated, especially if have vomiting or diarrhea. So be sure to get enough fluids. Water is fine.
How to fight infection?
Be a couch potato. Listen to your body. If it’s telling you not to exercise, don’t. If it’s urging you to spend all day in bed, do. Don't press on with daily chores even in the face of severe cold or flu symptoms. Rest is “another way of supporting the body’s ability to fight infection,” Blackwelder says.
What is the best medicine for a sore throat?
Cough drops, throat lozenges, and hard candy can be surprisingly effective at easing a cough or sore throat. Some doctors, including Kiefer, swear by lozenges containing slippery elm. Others recommend zinc lozenges to help shorten cold symptoms, though Schaffner is not convinced of their effectiveness.
How to get rid of sore throat and congestion?
Another is to use a steam vaporizer or a humidifier .
Does chicken soup help with the flu?
A study published in the journal Chest showed that chicken soup may help with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections like the flu. “I believe that chicken soup does help with symptoms,” says Reid B. Blackwelder, MD, professor of family medicine at East Tennessee State University in Kingsport.
