Written by Stuart Stevens | Monday, 12 May 2008 | There are 0 comments
At Ukmedix News we feel that Tamiflu should remain a prescription medication 
The advantage in doing this is that people will be able to get the drug much more quickly and therefore it will have more of a positive effect on them. Tamiflu is especially effective if it is used within 48 hours of influenza symptoms appearing and having to go to get a doctor’s prescription can mean that valuable hours are lost.
At the same time it should be remembered that Tamiflu is a powerful medication that should not be taken unless you are actually suffering from the influenza virus. There is a concern that people who have just a mild cold may use the Tamiflu medication and this could mean that their bodies build up a resistance to it and thus render the Tamiflu less effective when they really do suffer from influenza.
The pharmaceutical company Roche who make the Tamiflu influenza medication say that they are not pushing for Tamiflu to be made available without a prescription but they did say that they would welcome any initiatives which improved access to their medication.
At Ukmedix News we feel that Tamiflu should remain a prescription medication because the benefits of proper diagnosis with a doctor’s prescription out weigh the advantage of easy access to the drug. Making Tamiflu available over the counter at the pharmacy is likely to make people think that Tamiflu is a simple medication like paracetamol.
There are also concerns that as a number of people have claimed that Tamiflu can cause hallucinations in some people (in very rare cases) it is important that side effects are clearly explained to all patients.
