What to Do If You Get the Flu

More than 25 million people in the U.S. alone get the flu each year. The flu is a respiratory virus that causes headaches, a stuffy head and nose, a sore throat, body aches, chills, fever, coughing, and sneezing. Flu symptoms usually last for about a week, and can make you quite miserable.

Understand that the flu usually passes on its own in about a week or so without any medical treatment. Treatment is generally aimed at relieving symptoms.

Start by getting plenty of rest. If you have the flu, you are going to feel tired anyway. And your immune system will work at fighting the virus while you sleep.

Drink plenty of fluids. It's easy to become dehydrated when you have the flu, and that will make you sicker. You actually need extra fluids when you have the flu because that will help break up congestion and keep mucous thin so that you don't get too stuffed up.

Eat lightly as your appetite dictates. You won't get malnourished if you don't eat much for a few days, so if you don't feel very hungry that's OK. Easy to digest foods like soup and yogurt may go down well and help you keep up your strength, though.

Take Tylenol (acetaminophen) for headaches, body aches, or fever.

You can take other cold remedies as well, such as decongestants or cough suppressants, as needed. Make sure you read the labels on the bottles, though. Some cold medications contain acetaminophen, and you don't want to take them and Tylenol at the same time. If you're not sure what medications you can take together, check with your local pharmacist.

There are prescription antiviral medications that can be used to treat the flu. As mentioned earlier, the flu will usually clear up on its own without medical treatment, but antiviral drugs can speed the recovery process. They work by preventing the flu virus from replicating itself. If you want to take antiviral medication, you will need to make an appointment with your doctor to get a prescription. Antiviral drugs are only effective if you start taking them within 48 hours of when you first begin to experience flu symptoms, so call for an appointment right away.

While the flu does not normally require medical treatment, on rare occasions it does. If you have a very high fever, if you have trouble breathing, or if your symptoms last longer than a week, you should see your doctor. If you have a lot of trouble breathing, just go to the nearest emergency room.

Sources:

www.flufacts.com. About Influenza.