Flu Diagnosis and Treatment

What are the Signs and Symptoms of the Flu?

Many of the symptoms of flu can overlap with COVID and URI/ head colds. One of the main distinguishing characteristics of flu is the very rapid onset of symptoms. Most (but not all) seem to go from feeling well to near maximum symptoms within 6-8 hours. On average, these
symptoms last for 5 days. The 3 most common symptoms of flu are:

Fever
Headaches
Body aches

Other symptoms of flu include:

Sore throat
Chills and sweats
Runny nose or nasal congestion
Cough
Occasionally, diarrhea

What are the Treatment Options for Flu?

If one of our clinicians diagnoses you with flu and symptoms have started within the last 48 hours (these medications are no longer effective after 48 hours) you will likely be prescribed one of the following two medicines:

Tamiflu (Oseltamivir)
Xofluza

On average, these medicines can reduce the duration of illness by 1.3 days if started prior to 48 hours of symptoms.

Depending on what other symptoms you are having, your provider may discuss some of these medicines with you for symptomatic care:

Tylenol and Ibuprofen do very well for the headaches, body aches, and fevers
Pseudoephedrine is effective for nasal congestion and runny nose
*Please ask your provider if this medicine is ok for you to take. It is not recommended for patients with certain heart conditions, high blood pressure or patients who are pregnant.
Mucinex DM is very effective for the cough

Should I get the Flu Vaccine?

YES! What are the facts? The CDC reports that the flu vaccine is typically between 40% and 60% effective at preventing the flu. However, it also has a second protection mechanism where vaccinated patients who do get the flu tend to have milder symptoms.