Treatment

Acupuncture Allergies Alzheimer's Disease Androgen Anxiety Disorders Asthma Atherosclerosis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Bacterial Vaginosis Biofeedback Bipolar Disorder Birth Control Pills Blood Donation and Transfusion Breast Augmentation and Reduction Breast Cancer Breastfeeding Breast Reconstruction Caregiving Cervical Cancer Chiropractic Chlamydia Cholesterol Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clinical Trials Colon Cancer Contraception Depression Diabetes Dry Eye Syndrome Eating Disorders Endometriosis Epilepsy Estrogen Fibroids Fibromyalgia Fitness Flu/Colds Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Genetic Testing Genital Herpes Glaucoma Gonorrhea Health Insurance Heart Disease Hepatitis High Blood Pressure HIV/AIDS Homeopathy Human Papillomavirus Hypnosis Hysterectomy Incontinence Infertility Irritable Bowel Syndrome Legal Health Tools Liposuction Lung Cancer Lupus Macular Degeneration Medication Safety Menopause Menstrual Disorders Metabolic Syndrome Migraine Multiple Sclerosis Naturopathy Nonsurgical Aesthetic Procedures Nutrition Obesity Ocular Allergies Oral Health Osteoarthritis Osteopathic Medicine Osteoporosis Ovarian Cancer Overactive Bladder Pain Management Pelvic Organ Prolapse Pelvic Pain Peripheral Arterial Disease Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Pregnancy Premenstrual Syndrome Preparing for Surgery Progesterone Rheumatoid Arthritis Schizophrenia Scleroderma Sexual Dysfunction Sinusitis Sjogren's Syndrome Skin Cancer Skin Health Sleep Disorders Smoking Stress Stroke Substance Abuse Tai Chi Teen Health Thyroid Disorders Trichomoniasis Urinary Tract Conditions Urinary Tract Infection Uterine Cancer Varicose Veins Violence Against Women Vulvodynia Weight Management Yeast Infections Yoga

When you have the flu, the most important thing is rest. Plus, if you stay home, there's less risk that you'll spread the flu to other people. Flu continues to be contagious for three to four days after symptoms appear.

The following may help with flu symptoms:

• Ask your health care professional about the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza). Antivirals attack the virus at the source, and should be started within 12 to 48 hours from the time the first symptoms appear to be effective. If taken within the proper timeframe, antivirals can help you feel better faster. Tamiflu, an oral medication available in capsule or liquid form, is approved for people one year and older. Relenza, an inhaled medication, is approved for people seven years and older. Side effects are mild and may include nausea and, less commonly, vomiting. Relenza may cause some nasal irritation.

  Older types of antiviral drugs, amantadine (Symmetrel) and its derivative, rimantadine (Flumadine), have been available since the 1960s, but these drugs are effective only against type A influenza, and you can develop resistance to the drugs rapidly. In fact, because the influenza A virus has shown resistance to amantadine and rimantadine during the 2007-2008 flu season, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that they not be prescribed to treat influenza A at this time, so your health care provider probably won't prescribe them.

• Drink plenty of fluids. Hot liquids may relieve the feeling of congestion and loosen phlegm.

• Take a pain reliever like acetaminophen for aches and fever. However, don't use aspirin or products containing aspirin on anyone under 19 years of age, because there is a strong link between aspirin and Reye's Syndrome, a disease that affects all body organs, particularly the brain and liver, in children.

• Take a cough suppressant for relief from a dry, hacking cough when trying to sleep. A cough that produces mucus or phlegm is not necessarily a symptom of flu, but it can be a symptom of a cold or other illness. If you are coughing up phlegm, you may have developed a secondary bacterial infection that needs to be treated by a health care professional. Don't use a suppressant if you are coughing up mucus; it's important that you get those substances out of your lungs.

• Use a humidifier, respirator or steamer in the bedroom to help ease congestion.

Because the flu is a viral infection, it cannot be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics only kill bacteria and thus are useless against the flu. Taking antibiotics when you don't need them contributes to an important public health problem—antibiotic resistance. Some diseases that were once easily cured by antibiotics have become resistant to treatment. For example, earlier this century, antibiotics nearly eliminated dreaded bacterial diseases like tuberculosis and gonorrhea. However, years of widespread misuse have allowed "antibiotic-resistant" forms of these illnesses to become more common.

However, if your health care professional finds that you've developed a bacterial infection such as pneumonia, you will likely need antibiotics. Take the full amount of medication as prescribed, even if you start feeling better. Otherwise, the infection may return. Never stockpile antibiotics or share them with other people.