Fight the Flu!

Diagnosis

Usually, health care providers diagnose the flu on the basis of whether it is epidemic in the community and whether the person’s complaints fit the current pattern of symptoms. Health care providers rarely use laboratory tests to identify the virus during an epidemic. Health officials, however, monitor certain U.S. health clinics and do laboratory tests to determine which type of flu virus is responsible for the epidemic.

Treatment

If you do get the flu and want to take medicine to treat it, your health care provider may prescribe one of four available antiviral medicines.

Flu Drugs

Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is for treating influenza A and B virus infections.
Relenza (zanamivir) is for treating influenza A and B virus infections in adults who have an uncomplicated flu infection and who have had symptoms for no more than 2 days. Relenza is not used to prevent flu infections.

Flumadine (rimantadine) is for treating adults who have influenza type A virus infections. It has no effect on influenza type B virus infections.

Symmetrel (amantadine) is for treating adults to prevent and treat type A influenza virus infections but has no effect on influenza B virus infections. Symmetrel, however, is more likely to cause side effects such as lightheadedness and inability to sleep more often than is Flumadine.

To work well, you must take these medicines within 48 hours after the flu begins. They reduce the length or time fever and other symptoms last and allow you to more quickly return to your daily routine.

How Do Flu Drugs Work?

In 1976, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved amantadine to both treat and prevent influenza type A in adults.

These two drugs act against influenza A viruses but not against influenza B viruses. These compounds inhibit the activity of the influenza virus M2 protein, which forms a channel in the virus membrane. As a result, the virus cannot replicate (make copies of itself) after it enters a cell. The drug manufacturers recommend daily doses for using amantadine and rimantadine to treat and prevent the flu in different age groups.

In 1999, FDA approved two additional drugs to fight the flu: zanamivir and oseltamivir, the first of a new class of antiviral drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors.

The surfaces of influenza viruses are dotted with neuraminidase proteins. Neuraminidase, an enzyme, breaks the bonds that hold new virus particles to the outside of an infected cell. Once the enzyme breaks these bonds, this sets free new viruses that can infect other cells and spread infection. Neuraminidase inhibitors block the enzyme’s activity and prevent new virus particles from being released, thereby limiting the spread of infection.

Are These Drugs Effective Against Any Kind Of Influenza virus?

Rimantadine and amantadine are effective only against type A influenza. Zanamivir and oseltamivir inhibit both influenza A and B viruses.

Who Should Consider Using These Drugs?

Amantadine is approved for treating and preventing uncomplicated influenza A virus infection in children who are 1 year of age or older and adults. Rimantadine is approved for treating and preventing uncomplicated influenza virus A infection in adults.

Zanamivir is approved for preventing influenza A and B virus infections in people and for treating uncomplicated influenza virus infection in people who have not had symptoms for more than 2 days.

Oseltamivir is approved for treating uncomplicated influenza virus infection in people who have not had symptoms for more than 2 days. Oseltamivir also is approved for preventing influenza A and B in people.

How Are These Drugs Administered?

Amantadine and rimantadine are taken orally in pill form.
Zanamivir, available as a dry powder, can be inhaled using a device known as a “Diskhaler.” The recommended dosage is two inhalations twice a day, morning and night, for 5 days.
Oseltamivir is available as a pill and for adults is taken twice daily for 5 days.

How Much Do These Drugs Help?

Studies have shown that all four drugs can reduce the duration of flu symptoms by 1 day if taken within 2 days of the onset of the illness. There is no information about how effective these drugs are if treatment is started more than 2 days after onset of flu symptoms.

When taken as directed to prevent the flu, oseltamivir can significantly reduce your chance of getting the disease if there is a flu outbreak in your family or community.

Amantadine and rimantadine have been reported to prevent the spread of influenza A outbreaks primarily in nursing homes. If someone in your family is diagnosed with influenza, taking one of these drugs may reduce your chances of getting the disease.

What Other Benefits Might They Have?

None of the four drugs has been shown to effectively prevent serious influenza-related complications such as bacterial or viral pneumonia. Studies of the use of zanamivir in families and in nursing homes at risk for influenza infection, however, resulted in the reduced use of antibiotics, which are frequently prescribed to treat these serious complications.

What About Side Effects?

The neuraminidase inhibitors generally cause fewer side effects than the older flu drugs.

The most common side effects seen with oseltamivir are nausea and vomiting.

In some people, zanamivir can cause wheezing or serious breathing problems that need prompt treatment. The other most common side effects seen with zanamivir include headache and diarrhea.

Amantadine and rimantadine can cause side effects such as insomnia and anxiety, nausea or loss of appetite. In some cases, severe side effects such as seizures have been reported.

Your health care provider or pharmacist can discuss with you a more complete list of possible side effects.

Should Certain Men Not Take These Drugs?

People allergic to these drugs or their ingredients should not take them.

Zanamivir generally is not recommended for people with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In clinical studies, some patients with mild or moderate asthma or COPD had bronchospasm (wheezing) after taking zanamivir. If you have an underlying respiratory disease and have been prescribed zanamivir, your health care provider should instruct you to have a fast-acting inhaled bronchodilator available for use when taking zanamivir.

The dosage of oseltamivir may need to be adjusted if you have any type of kidney disease.

In laboratory and in limited clinical studies, there have been no reported interactions of the neuraminidase inhibitors with other drugs.

For complete safety information about these drugs, talk with your pharmacist or health care provider.