H1N1, seasonal flu self-treatment may bring adverse side effects
Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 2:37PM Commentary by Kay B. Day
Becca waits for help in the Emergency Room; Eric lends support and snaps a pic.We’ve all had the flu, partly because there are so many different strains. And many of us decide to self-medicate with over-the-counter drugs and home remedies. That’s exactly what our daughter did one weekend recently, and the results of selecting an over-the-counter remedy landed her in the Emergency Room in the wee hours. There was, by the way, nothing wrong with the product.
Rebecca had been sick for several days, finally taking to her bed when I explained she wasn’t going to get better until she stopped and permitted her body to heal. She had sinus congestion, coughing, a mild fever and she ached all over. She said, “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” Her youth, normally an asset in battling the flu, was an additional risk factor in my opinion, if she did have H1N1. One morning as she snatched school books and car keys I thought I’d have to tie her down to talk her into skipping class.
Finally I told her others didn’t deserve to be exposed to what might be H1N1 or as Main Street and media call it, Swine Flu, or whatever virus she did have. Her better self realized the value of motherly wisdom and she put her books down and went back to bed.
We used OTC pain relievers in small amounts and infrequently, and plied her with liquids. She ate very little. By the weekend, she felt a little better and her dad and I were comfortable driving to check on our elderly parents who all have medical situations going on in South Carolina. But Becca was impatient with being ill; she still felt like she had cotton stuffed up her nose. Like all college kids, she hates being sick, especially if it’s a weekend. And the afternoon we left she went to the store to buy something—anything—that would help her feel better. She selected a popular over-the-counter flu remedy. It was packaged in a cardboard box; you couldn’t actually see the color of the medicine. When she got home in the early evening, she took some.
Within an hour, Becca began to have problems breathing. She did everything she knew to make herself better—breathing exercises, drinking a lot of liquids, trying to remain calm. Rather than improving, her breathing worsened to a point where she felt like she couldn’t breathe at all. Her lungs felt like they were embedded in concrete; her symptoms were like a severe asthma attack. She began to realize her respiratory distress probably had something to do with the medicine she took. Her boyfriend took her to ER.
Becca sits in for a couple songs during one of Eric's gigs at a Jacksonville restaurant.The medical staff wasn’t exactly happy to see this kid who might or might not have H1N1. It’s a good thing Becca was right about what caused her biggest problem, because she said it took them hours to treat her. They did a breathing treatment and administered prednisone. No one could really answer her questions. Actually she said no one appeared to even want to answer questions. She had the feeling the healthcare professionals were eager to be rid of her and were glad when she was ready for discharge.
They gave Eric and Becca masks to avoid spreading whatever she had to others and appeared to agree with her on the OTC remedy as the cause of her distress.
My husband and I returned home the minute we learned what happened. The dye in the over-the-counter medicine is one Becca is allergic to. She’s allergic to cherries—if she eats one, her lips and face develop that Botox-gone-awry feature so many of the Tinselati in the entertainment industry pay for, and she develops a rash and breathing problems.
Moral of the story—be careful what you try in over-the-counter remedies. There's a reason warnings are given about adverse side effects. Above all, talk to a pharmacist before you put any medicine in your mouth whether it’s prescribed or OTC. And just as important, read the information that comes in packaging with any medication. If you can do without medicine, do so unless your doctor tells you to take it. The body has an amazing capacity to heal when given the opportunity.
In Becca’s case, the flu apparently didn’t pose as much a danger as the medicine she forgot to check the label on. And those side effects were not only frightening to a 20-year-old, they were expensive as well.
H1N1, seasonal flu self-treatment may bring adverse side effects
by Kay B. Day
The US Report (Oct. 22, 2009)
Reader Comments (2)
I hear old-timers say that chicken broth and habanero pepper works well. Or mixing cayenne pepper and olive oil and smearing it on your chest.
Interestingly enough, despite recommendations by the CDC for children 6 mos. through 18 yrs. old to receive the H1N1 vaccination, Obama's children will not receive the H1N1 vaccination.
And while healthcare professionals and first responders such as myself are similarly advised to take the shot, Obama himself has not received the vaccine. If the government has determined that it would behoove nurses and firemen to be vaccinated, then wouldn't it be logical that the leader of the free world be protected from this so-called pandemic?
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