During flu season, lots of people have some type of medicine, whether it's over the counter or prescribed by their doctor. But how often are you reading the label and paying attention to the what it says are side effects?
"Had I known that was an issue, I never would have given it to him." Jackie Ray lost her nephew when he committed suicide - but she says before he was sick, he never had any suicidal tendencies.
The warning label on Tamiflu does say young patients have a higher risk of suffering from "confusion or abnormal behavior." It goes on to say that people who take Tamiflu should be watched for unusual behavior.
But experts like Dr Ziad Ali from the West Sacramento Urgent Care says, "This is an isolated incident. This is a known side effect of Tamiflu."
According to Dr. Ali, the side effect happens so rarely that there aren't enough cases to stop prescribing it, so you just have to watch your child, or your loved one, carefully if they take the drug.
Dr. Ali says, if you aren’t convinced that Tamiflu is safe, there are other drugs, like Relenza which is also a prescription. There's also over-the-counter Theraflu. The difference, doctors say, is that Theraflu will only take the edge off of your flu symptoms, while Tamiflu will shorten the amount of time you're sick.
No matter how else you treat it, Dr. Ali says, "Make sure the child is well hydrated, control the fever, if the child looks like they're deteriorating, you should probably take them to the emergency room."