Rigby5
Diamond Member
FALSE, the CDC thinks it is a valid tool to deal with the FLU and should be used early in the illness time frame:
What You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs
Can flu be treated?
Yes. There are prescription medications called “antiviral drugs” that can be used to treat flu illness. CDC recommends prompt treatment for people who have flu infection or suspected flu infection and who are at high risk of serious flu complications, such as people with asthma, diabetes (including gestational diabetes), or heart disease.
What antiviral drugs are recommended this flu season?
There are four FDA-approved antiviral drugs recommended by CDC to treat flu this season.
Generic oseltamivirexternal icon and Tamiflu® are available as a pill or liquid suspension and are FDA approved for early treatment of flu in people 14 days and older. Zanamivir is a powder that is inhaled and approved for early treatment of flu in people 7 years and older. (Note: Zanamivir (trade name Relenza®) is administered using an inhaler device and is not recommended for people with breathing problems like asthma or COPD.) Oseltamivir and zanamivir are given twice a day for 5 days. Peramivir is given once intravenously by a health care provider and is approved for early treatment of flu in people 2 years and older. Baloxavir is a pill given as a single dose by mouth and is approved for early treatment of flu in people 12 years and older. (Note: Baloxavir (trade name Xofluza®) is not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, outpatients with complicated or progressive illness, or hospitalized patients because there is no information about use of baloxavir in these patients.)
- oseltamivir phosphate (available as a generic version or under the trade name Tamiflu®),
- zanamivir (trade name Relenza®)
- peramivir (trade name Rapivab®), and
- baloxavir marboxil (trade name Xofluza®).
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They are not crude and have been used for many years now. There is a LOT of ongoing research to create more of them.
Antiviral drug
Wrong.
The CDC is clear about there being risks to anti-viral drugs.
For example, they said:
{... CDC recommends prompt treatment for people who have flu infection or suspected flu infection and who are at high risk of serious flu complications, such as people with asthma, diabetes (including gestational diabetes), or heart disease. ...}
They do not recommend anti-virals for everyone. They specifically are saying that anti-virals are worth the risk if you already are in a high risk group from the flu itself. They also said they are, "not recommended for people with breathing problems like asthma or COPD". They also are, "not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, outpatients with complicated or progressive illness, or hospitalized patients".
And anti-virals do not totally wipe out any virus, just slightly reduce their symptoms. They are not at all like antibiotics. A virus is not really alive, so they can be very hard to kill.