What is the real cost of NOT taking flu medication?
The flu season is again upon us. With highly virulent strains like the H3N2 on the loose, people are looking for ways to evade the symptoms of infection. Without medication, the fever, muscle pain, dizziness, nausea, and diarrhea can last between 3 days to a week. The severity of the symptoms vary among patients, but the children and the elderly always suffer the worst.
The presence of antivirals like Tamiflu and Relenza can reduce the suffering. They can make the symptoms disappear within 1 or 2 days depending on the health, and age of the affected person. These flu medications are antivirals. Most of these antivirals work by blocking or inhibiting neuraminidase. It is a protein that enables the virus to infect one cell from another and spread through the system. The treatment of flu using Tamiflu can not only reduce the patient’s suffering but also reduce the spread of infection from one person to another.
Why do few opt for treating flu with antivirals?
Why is the antiviral treatment of flu not as popular as people would like it to be? Why don’t more people take these antivirals to treat their symptoms instead of taking days off from school and work? The answer lies in the cost of these treatments. Of course, most have health insurance or Medicare. However, some insurance companies refuse to cover the cost of antivirals like Tamiflu unless the patient tests positive for the disease. There have been many instances of false negative results and inconclusive results. That is creating several complications with healthcare companies.
How can you afford antiviral treatment?
Any antiviral treatment can be expensive. The compensation for these treatments should not rely on a test that is not entirely accurate. It can mean the difference between mild symptoms that one can manage at home and a trip to the hospital. Antivirals are expensive, many people turn to coupon sites like Pharma Quotes. It enables most people to pay for the treatment out of their pockets irrespective of the standing of their healthcare companies. That is undeniably the smart thing to do since late results, and false negatives can lead to the flu spreading to new hosts. It can also cause exacerbated symptoms in people with low immunity.
Why is antiviral therapy imperative for some?
Healthcare experts recommend taking antivirals to pediatric patients, the elderly and those with high risk for flu complications including pregnant women. People with a history of chronic lung diseases and asthma benefit from starting antiviral therapy for their influenza virus infections early. For relatively healthy individuals with a strong immune system, even when the initial infection is past 48-hours, medications like these antivirals can help in controlling the spread of the viruses through the system. Hence, most medical practitioners are prescribing these antivirals along with drugs to control nausea, dizziness and muscle pain.
Always remember that one less day of sickness for you could save ten others the pain. The only way of checking the spread of highly virulent strains of influenza viruses is by treating them as soon as you see the first signs of infection. It could keep you and your loved ones out of the hospital.
