Usually, you can manage flu symptoms yourself at home and there’s no need to see a GP. Most people feel better within a week.

1. ANTIBIOTICS FOR FLU
Usually,youcan manage flusymptomsyourselfathome andthere’snoneedtosee a GP. Most people
feel betterwithinaweek.
You shouldconsiderseeingyourGPif you’re at a higherriskof becomingmore seriouslyill.Thisincludes
people who:
 are 65 or over
 are pregnant
 have a lung,heart,kidney,liverorneurological disease
 have a weakenedimmune system
 have diabetes
 In these cases,yourGP maysuggesttakingantiviral medication.
Managing yoursymptomsat home
If you’re otherwise healthy,youcanlookafteryourself athome byresting,keepingwarmanddrinking
plentyof waterto avoiddehydration.
If you feel unwell andhave afever,youcantake paracetamol oranti-inflammatorymedicinessuchas
ibuprofentoloweryourtemperatureandrelieve aches.Childrenunder16shouldn’tbe givenaspirin.
Stay off workor school until you’re feelingbetter.Formostpeople,thiswilltake aboutaweek.See your
GP if your symptomsgetworse orlast longerthana week.
Readthe page on preventingfluformore informationaboutstoppingthe infectionspreadingtoothers.
Antiviral medication
In 2009, the National InstituteforHealthandCare Excellence (NICE) recommendedthatdoctorsshould
considertreatingpeopleinthe at-riskgroupsmentionedabovewiththe antiviral medications
oseltamivir(Tamiflu) orzanamivir(Relenza) toreduce the riskof complicationsof flu.
Antiviralsworkbystoppingthe fluvirusfrommultiplyinginthe body.Theywon’tcure flu,buttheymay
helpslightlyreducethe lengthof the illnessandrelieve some of the symptoms.
RecentresearchhassuggestedthatTamifluandRelenzamaynotbe effectiveatreducingthe riskof flu
complicationsandcouldcause side effects,sonotall doctorsagree theyshouldbe used.
But there isevidence thatantiviralscanreduce the riskof deathin patientshospitalisedwithflu.Inthe
lightof thisevidence,PublicHealthEnglandsaysitisimportantthat doctorstreatingseverelyunwell
patientscontinue toprescribe these drugswhere appropriate.
For more information,readEffectivenessof TamifluandRelenzaquestionedandthe NICEguidelineson
antiviralstotreatinfluenza.

2. Antibiotics
Antibioticsaren’tprescribedforfluastheyhave no effectonviruses,althoughtheymay be prescribedif
youdevelopacomplicationof flu,suchasa bacterial chestinfection.
Lookingforan effective flutreatmentandwonderingif antibioticswillwork?Antibioticsare medications
that fightinfectionscausedbybacteria,butthe fluiscause by a virus.
Takingantibioticswhenyouhave avirusmaydo more harm than good.Takingantibioticswhentheyare
not neededincreasesyourriskof gettinganinfectionlaterthatmayresistantibiotictreatment.
WhyWon’t AntibioticsCure Cold or Flu?
Antibioticsonlycure certaininfectionsdue tobacteria — andif takencarelessly,youmaygetmore
serioushealthproblemsthanyoubargainedfor.
Withany illness,itiscritical toaddressthe underlyingcause,whetherit’sbacterialorviral.Antibiotics
will notkill coldorfluviruses.
ShouldI AvoidAntibioticsAltogether?
Notat all. Antibioticscansave people’slives,andif youneedthem, youshouldgetthemasquicklyas
youcan. Since onlya doctor can prescribe antibiotics,thismeansthatyoushouldtalktoyourdoctor if
youthinkyou mightneedthem(asopposedtotakingyour friend’sleftoverantibioticsfromlastwinter’s
illness,forexample).
However,itisthe grave over-reliance andinappropriateuse of antibioticsthathave contributedtothe
global antibioticresistance crisisthatwe face.
A studyby the CDC showedthatmanyadultsbelievethatif theyare sickenoughtosee a doctor for a
cold,theyshouldgetan antibiotictreatment.The studyalsoshowedthatpatientsare notaware of the
consequencesof takingthe drugsif theyare notneeded.Andwhenantibiotics are misused,bacteriacan
become resistant.
What Are Antiviral?
Antiviral are medicationsthatreduce the abilityof fluvirusestomultiply.The CDCconsidersantiviral
drugsas a “secondline of defenseagainstthe flu”aftergettinganannual fluvaccine.Whentakenatthe
onsetof flu,these drugshelpdecrease the severityanddurationof flusymptoms.Theycanalsobe used
incases to helppreventthe flu,buttheyare nota replacementforgettingthe fluvaccine
WhichAntiviralsDoes the CDC Recommend?
The CDC recommendsoseltamivir(Tamiflu),peramivir(Rapivab),andzanamivir(Relenza) forflu.They
are mosteffectivewhengivenwithin48hours aftersymptomsstartto appear.These fludrugscan
decrease the durationof the flubyone to two days if usedwithinthisearlytime period.These antivirals

3. are usuallygivenforaperiodof five daysforthe treatmentof flu.Forpreventionof flu,antiviral drugs
may be givenforat least7 days.Insome cases,antiviralsmaybe givenforlongerperiods of time.
Oseltamivirisapprovedfortreatmentinthose over2weeksof age and forpreventioninpeople ages1
and older.
Peramivir,giveninone intravenousdose,isapprovedforpeopleages18andolder.
Zanamivir,aninhaledmedication,isapprovedfor treatmentof people ages7and olderandfor
preventioninpeople ages5andolder.
Are There Side Effects WithAntiviral Drugs?
Side effectsof antiviral drugsmayincludenervousness,poorconcentration,nausea,vomiting,and
diarrhea.Zanamivirisnot recommendedforpeople withahistoryof breathingproblems,suchas
asthma,because itmay worsenbreathing.Discusssideeffectswithyourdoctor.
What Does AntibioticResistance Mean?
Accordingto the CDC, antibioticresistance happenswhenbacteriachangesinsome waytoreduce or
eliminatethe effectivenessof the antibiotic.
Whenbacteriaare exposedtoantibioticsrepeatedly,suchaswhenyoutake the medicationneedlessly
or too frequently,the germsinyourbodystart toevolve.These changescanmake the germsstronger
than before sotheycompletelyresistthe antibiotic.Yourillnessmaylingerwithnosignsof
improvement.Oryourillnessmaysuddenlytake aturnfor the worse,requiringyoutoseekemergency
medical care.You mayhave to be admittedtothe hospital andgetseveral differentantibiotics
intravenously.Sadly,those aroundyoumaygetthe resistantbacteriaandcome downwitha similar
illnessthatisverydifficulttotreat.
But Aren’tAntibioticsQuick Curesfor Illnesses?
Unfortunately,demandfora “quickfix”forwhatailsus has fueledthisresistance crisis.Infact,more
than two-thirdsof the 150 millionantibioticprescriptionswritteneachyearforpatientsoutside of
hospitalsare unnecessary,accordingtoaCDC study.
How Can I Protect my Familyand MyselfFrom AntibioticResistance?
There isa wayto protectyourself andothersfromresistantbacteria,andthatis to respectantibiotics
and take themonlywhennecessaryforabacterial infection.Here are some useful tips:
1. Whenyousee a doctor,don’tdemandantibiotics.Understandthatantibioticsare usedfor
bacterial infections,notsymptomsof acoldor fluvirus.
2. If a doctor prescribesantibiotics,use themasprescribed.Take all of the antibioticsasdirected
and don’tsave some forfuture use.
3. Don’tshare antibioticswithothers.

4. Preventingthe fluinthe firstplace mayhelpyouavoidgettingsickaltogether.Getaflushoteach year.
Also,make sure youwashyour handsfrequentlyandthoroughlytopreventspreadinggerms.Flu
(influenza) isaverycommonviral illness.Inmedical journals,youcanfindinformationthatantibiotics
are notusedto combat influenzaviruses.Antibioticsforfluinfectiondonotreallyexist.Afterall,
antibacterial andbactericidal medicationsare noteffective inthe treatmentof diseasescausedbyviral
infection.
It shouldbe notedthatmany patientsdiagnosedwiththe fludevelopbacterialinfections.Therefore,
antibioticsare prescribedinadditiontoantiviral drugsforinfluenzatreatment.
Bacterial infectionisone of the mostfrequentcomplicationsof severeinfluenza.Therefore,many
people takingantibioticsduringthe treatmentof severeviral infectionare convincedthattheyuse
antibioticsforflutreatment.
Everyyear,millionsof people aroundthe worldtake antibioticsduringinfluenzatreatment.Therefore,
youcan oftenfindstatementsaboutthe use of antibioticsforfluandcold,coughor sore throat on the
forums.
Giventhe fact that antibioticsare notusedfor flutreatment,bactericidal(antibacterial) drugsforsevere
influenzaare calleddrugstotreat flucomplications.The mostseriousanddangerouscomplicationof
influenzaispneumonia.Commonantibioticsforthe treatmentof thisflucomplicationare drugsforthe
treatmentof diseasescausedbypneumococcal,streptococcal orstaphylococcal infection.Itshouldbe
notedthat manysymptomsof bacterial infectionare similartoflusymptoms.Therefore,the use of
antibioticstofightinfluenzacomplicationshelpstoreduce some symptomsof aviral infection.
Antibioticsforflucomplicationscanbe soldat pharmaciesundervariousnames,suchasAmpicillin,
Amoxicillin,Cefazolin,Cefuroxime,Cefotaxime,Ceftazidime,Cefepime,Imipenem, Ertapenem,
Erythromycin,Roxithromycin,Azithromycin,Clarithromycin,Doxycycline,Clindamycin,Ciprofloxacin,
Levofloxacin,Vancomycin,Linezolid.
Each of antibioticsmentionedabove forthe treatmentof bacterial influenzacomplicationscanbe sold
underthe original trade names.Forexample,commonantibiotic –Ciprofloxacinforflucomplicationsis
registeredinthe UKunderthe brand namesCetraxal,Ciloxan,Ciprobay.
Antibioticsforflusymptomsandcomplicationscanbe prescribedbothtoadultsand to children.During
pregnancy,antibioticsforflushouldbe takenwithcaution.
For more informationvisitusourwebsite:http://www.healthinfi.com