Treatment of Flu
Flu is a communicable disease. Prevention and treatment of the influenza or flu is very important to avoid spreading of the disease.
Symptomatic treatment
If a person is suffering from flu, then symptomatic treatment will allow him or her to cure and prevent the spreading of the disease
- Do not leave home
- Avoid physical work and take complete bed rest
- Strictly avoid smoking and chewing tobacco
- Stop drinking alcohol
- Start medicines under supervision of doctor
- Be alert for the body symptoms like breathing difficulty, tiredness abdomen pain and fever
Treatment
Drink
- The flu patient suffers from fever
- Fever causes dehydration of the body
- For normal functioning of body fluid balancing is necessary
- Drink lot of water and fresh fruit juices
- Electrolyte is available in the market and can be used for drinking
- If the patient is child or infant, then ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) can be given for rehydration of the body
- At home, you can made rehydration solution. Add one spoon sugar and half spoon of salt in a glass of water and give after every 2-3 hours.
- To increase test of the rehydration solution add orange juice in it
Medicines
For treating influenza, antiviral medicines are used to cure the disease. An antiviral drug stops the production of the virus and controls the infection. Sometimes prophylaxis is given to the persons who are in contact with the patient. Prophylaxis prevent the disease rather than cure or treating. Some common medicines treating for flu are as follows,
Amantadine
- Amantadine is 1-aminoadamantane organic compound
- Good for building block of the body
- This drugs inhibits reproduction of the influenza virus
- It give relief from body pains
- Side effects shown by the drug are related to the central nervous system. It includes sleeping problems, nervousness, anxiety and concentration difficulty.
Rimantadine
- This antiviral drug is taken one or two days before developing symptoms
- It decreases duration of the disease
- Rimantadine stops replication of the RNA virus
- It shows side effect on central nervous system and gastrointestinal system like nausea, problems in stomach functioning, tiredness, sleeping problem and difficulty in concentration
Zanamivir
- It blocks the viral protein (viral neuraminidase protein) which is necessary for releasing of virus from the host cell
- This drug is used for treating infections of influenza A virus and influenza B virus
- Side effects are vomiting and nausea
Oseltamivir
- It controls the spreading of virus by inactivating viral neuraminidase protein
- This protein is important for escaping virus from the host cell and spreading to other body parts
- This drug is also called as Tamiflu
- Side effects are nausea, pain in abdomen, headache, vomiting, skin rashes, and increase in secretion of liver enzymes
For treating flu, proper precautions and medicines are necessary. Flu may be dangerous, if it is not treated on right time.
