What Is Antiviral Drugs ?

Some people confuse antiviral and antibacterial meds. Their mechanism of action is absolutely different because their goal is different. The first one deals with viruses and the second one with bacteria. That is why a person can worsen the situation when preferring antibiotics to anti-flu drugs.

Antiviral drugs aim at killing flu viruses in the organism of a sick patient. They are especially recommended at flu season. It occurs in autumn and spring due to high humidity which is favorable for diseases. Health advisors insist on medical check for everyone who has suspicions. It is often hard to differentiate between the flu and a cold. This table helps to spot the difference.

Symptoms Flu Cold
Temperature High temperature (more than 38) Can be or can be not
Weakness and pain Fever and muscle pain Light shivering
Sore throat, sneezing, coughing Sore throat, sneezing, coughing can occur but not necessary Sore throat passes in a day and sneezing (first transparent and then dark mucus that turns into nasal congestion) and coughing can remain up to 5 days
Fatigue and headache Strong No fatigue, only headache

There are various forms of antiviral drugs. Manufacturers produce them in the form of pills, tabs, powder, intravenous liquid, and inhalation.

What Are the Pros of Antiviral Drugs?

How do antiviral drugs work? What are their advantages? The virus attacks the organism quickly and the reaction is usually the following:

  • Fever
  • Sudden high body temperature
  • Exhaustion
  • Severe pain in the whole body

The main benefit of such meds is a chance to avoid other disorders flu can lead to. As a rule, a person can get rid of a high risk of infection, breathing difficulties, and even hospitalization. That is why a patient needs to take the first dose within 2 days to let the drug delete the source of the illness. A person usually feels improvement in 24 hours (no fever and pain).

When Is It too Late to Start the Treatment?

A person should start antiviral treatment as soon as possible. Experts recommend taking the first pills within 48 hours after a patient has noticed flu symptoms. Early treatment guarantees quicker results and prevention of complications like asthma or otitis. When a person begins the medication later, the symptoms will not disappear soon and there could be even side effects of the virus’s activity. For example, people might acquire endocrine disorders and too weak immune system.

How Many Days Should I Take Antiviral Drugs?

When someone take antiviral drugs, he or she must be aware of the required dose to avoid adverse effects or zero effect. The best variant is to consult a doctor and get the prescription to follow. In general, average antivirals demand 5 days to destroy a virus. It is possible only in case people do everything on time (first 48 hours). Health advisors apply more serious and complicated procedure to solve the problem in case of complications and hospitalization. Consequently, the treatment lasts longer and includes additional drugs.

What Should I Know about the Adverse Effects of Antivirals?

Side effects of antiviral drugs differ depending on a patient and a concrete drug. Common negative consequences include metabolic disorders and bronchospasm. Each pharmaceutical product has a manual instruction which enlists all possible adverse effects. One can also visit the official website of the FDA to check the information before buying the product.

Are There any Antiviral Drugs for Children?

Drug Details
Oseltamivir Fits all age groups to treat flu,
Prevents flu (3 months old and more)
Zanamivir Isn’t recommended in case of flu for those who are more than 7 years,
Prevents the disease in kids of category 5+
Premavir Early flu treatment for children older than 2 years
Baloxavir Early treatment for the age group 12+

A patient has two variants to prevent the illness. The first one is to vaccinate and the second one is to take antivirals after a consultation with a specialist.

Are Antiviral Drugs Dangerous for Pregnant Women?

Antiviral drugs over the counter can be dangerous when taken without specialist’s recommendations. Experts consider Oseltamivir to be safe but a professional should examine a woman to make sure that there are no contradicting health problems like heart disease or kidney disorders. Some manual instructions lack information about safety, so it is better not to take untested products.

When Are Antivirals not Effective?

There are many types of antiviral drugs. All of them have their pros and cons regarding a patient’s health condition and age. Experts have distinguished several conditions which can worsen the situation in case of not-in-time treatment.

  1. Liver disorders
  2. Breathing difficulties
  3. Diabetes
  4. Cystic fibrosis
  5. Problems with metabolism
  6. Blood disorders
  7. Obesity
  8. Weak immune system
  9. Pregnancy and 65+ age group
  10. Blood disorders

People who have one of the 10 above-mentioned conditions are vulnerable and can get serious complications, including neurologic, metabolic, and breathing problems.

Can Antivirals Treat Flu?

Flu is a disease that appears periodically. It usually happens in fall and spring. Scientists have created antiviral drugs for flu to ease the symptoms and let a person recover quickly. Sometimes the treatment takes more time than doctors expect. The reason is a patient’s health condition.Some individuals have a stronger immune system and some have weakened it. Stress, unhealthy lifestyle, antibiotics, bad habits, lack of sleep, infections, various illnesses make the organism vulnerable to viruses.For example, neurodevelopmental conditions might result in impairment of organs.

Disclaimer

This article presents information about antiviral drugs for customers to study peculiarities of possible treatment. It has nothing to do with diagnostics and does not give recommendations concerning the prescription, doses, and details for drug’s intake. Online drugstores cannot suggest the selection of drugs or provide medical advice. An online reader should only become aware of antiviral meds but avoid self-treatment and using the article as the basis for medication. Customers should consult a specialist to make sure that this type of medicine is the required one.

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