How to Take Antiviral Flu Medicines

Oseltamivir comes as capsules or a syrup. You will need to take one capsule twice a day for five days to treat flu. Doctors prescribe lower doses for children, depending on how much they weigh. To prevent flu, you will need to take a capsule once a day for 10 days after exposure to the virus or for up to six weeks during an epidemic.

Zanamivir comes as an inhaler (puffer), similar to the type used to treat asthma. Each puff contains a small amount of the medicine. To treat flu (once you have symptoms), you need to use the puffer twice a day for five days. To prevent flu after you’ve been exposed to someone with the illness, you will need to use it once a day for 10 days. If there is a flu epidemic, you may be prescribed zanamivir for up to 28 days.

For oseltamivir and zanamivir to be effective, you need to start taking them within 48 hours of your symptoms first appearing. In children, zanamivir needs to be taken within 36 hours.

Special care

If you’re a woman and are pregnant or breastfeeding, your doctor may advise you to take either oseltamivir or zanamivir during a flu pandemic. Oseltamivir is the preferred medicine for women who are breastfeeding.

If you have advanced kidney disease, you may not be able to take oseltamivir. Always ask your GP for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.

Side-effects of antiviral flu medicines

• feeling sick
• vomiting
• abdominal (tummy) pain
• diarrhoea
• headache
• conjunctivitis

These side-effects usually happen after you have taken the first dose of your medicine and will usually stop as you continue the course.

Side-effects of zanamivir are uncommon, but include:

• rashes
• difficulty breathing
• swelling of your face, mouth or throat

Because zanamivir can cause breathing difficulties, it isn't usually recommended if you have an underlying medical condition that affects your breathing system. Examples of such conditions include asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ask your GP for more advice.

Fighting The Flue

The flu, it seems, is an ever-present fixture on the seasonal list of things to expect. And, with the norovirus causing havoc this year and the flu sweeping the nation and other countries, it’s really important to do what you can to stop the spread of infections.

The flu is mostly spread by coming into contact with others who have the virus; and, as many of us have recently returned to work and school, you may be worried that your risk of flu may have increased.

While there is no cure, there are things you can do to give yourself the best fighting chance against catching the flu virus.

Get the jab

Having the flu can leave you feeling pretty rough, but for some it can develop into a serious health condition. People who are at risk for developing more serious flu-related complications include women who are pregnant, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions such asthma, diabetes or a weakened immune system.

If you’re at risk, you should get the flu jab to safeguard yourself against catching the flu. Call your doctor for more information and to arrange your vaccination.

Keep it clean

The flu virus is highly contagious, and can spread easily through the air you breathe or direct contact with someone who has it. Making sure that you wash your hands regularly to kill the germs is a great line of defence against getting the flu. In fact, after getting the flu vaccination, your hygiene is the only way to help avoid contracting or spreading the flu.

Coughing and sneezing into tissues – rather than your hands – is also a good way of minimising the spread of flu germs. Don’t forget to put your used tissues in the bin!

Take care

It may seem obvious, but making sure to take good care of your health can help keep you well.

Eating a balanced diet – including plenty of fruit and vegetables – can ensure that your body gets all the vitamins and nutrients it needs to support your immune system. It’s also important to get enough rest as this helps your body to replenish energy stores and restore itself.

12 Most Common Effects of Heart Disease

1. Blood pressure can rise and fall quite often. Neither high blood pressure nor low blood pressure is a good condition. You want your blood pressure to be normal always. Fluctuations are not good for your heart.
2. Can lead to a fatal heart attack. When an artery becomes so narrowed that the blood flow to the heart is completely blocked, a heart attack is what happens.
3. Can lead to a stroke. When an artery that's liked to the brain is so clogged up with fatty deposits that blood flow to the brain is severely impeded to the extent that blood cannot flow through, what results is a stroke.
4. Dizziness. A person can experience dizziness because the heart is no longer functioning properly and blood flow to and from the heart and brain is impaired. The person suffering from heart disease will experience light-headedness.
5. Shortness of breath. Irregular breathing is another common effect when managing heart disease. It can result from irregular palpitations. This is actually also a heart disease symptom.
6. Chest pain. Chest pain occurs when oxygen to the heart is limited or blocked due to artery blockages. Also known as angina, chest pain is also a one of the heart disease symptoms.
7. Fatigue. The person who suffers from a heart disease will usually be constantly tired, exhausted and feeling drained.
8. Stress, worry and depression. The constant feeling of stress, anxiety, worry or depression is also a possible of effect of heart disease.
9. Persistent coughing or wheezing. This can be one of the possible effects of heart disease that can result from water in the lungs through cardiac failure or heart failure.
10. Ineffective functioning of the liver and kidney. If the heart, which is the most important organ in the body, is not functioning properly or is under distress, there’s no telling how the other organs linked might function. They could get affected too.
11. Another effect of heart disease can manifest in swelling in the ankles and feet.
12. Can result in death. If blood supply is completely cut off from the heart due to artery blockage, the person in question could die from not being able to breathe.

To avoid the possible effects of heart disease, you simply should just take measures to prevent heart disease. Diet, exercise and lifestyle changes such as stopping to smoke will put you in a great position to prevent heart disease.