Girl, 6, Suffers Stunning Side Effects After Taking Tamiflu « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
Author: https://www.facebook.com/CBSDFW
Description: A North Texas family says their daughter's side effects from the popular drug Tamiflu were beyond what they ever could have imagined - and left them saying never again.
Keywords: vibHealth
Date: 2018-01-12T23:59:26+00:00

By: Brooke Rogers | CBS 11January 12, 2018 at 11:59 pm
Filed Under: Allen, Flu, Local TV, medicine, Nervous System, North Texas, Psychosis, Side Effects, tamiflu

ALLEN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A North Texas family says their daughter’s side effects from the popular drug Tamiflu were beyond what they ever could have imagined – and left them saying never again.

Like so many others, the 6-year-old’s flu diagnosis that came with a choice: whether or not to take Tamiflu to speed up the course of the dreaded illness.

Tamiflu (CBS11)

The family from Allen, who wants to remain anonymous, says the side effects were stunning: hallucinations, running away from school and an attempt, they believe, to hurt herself.

“The second story window was open, which is in her bedroom, and she used her desk to climb up onto it, and she was about to jump out the window when my wife came up and grabbed her,” her father said.

They took her to the hospital, where a doctor informed them that nervous system problems – including psychosis – can be a very rare side effect of Tamiflu. Emergency room physician Dr. Glenn Hardesty, with Texas Health Prosper, says it’s very rare but can happen.

“Less than 1 percent is what’s listed in the data sheet,” he said. “I’ve been in practice 20 years, and I haven’t seen that particular complication.”

It is written in the fine print, and Dr. Hardesty says there’s always a chance of a side effect with any drug. The little girl’s parents say they wish they had known.

“I don’t think the 16 hours of symptom relief from the flu is worth the possible side effects that we went through,” her father said.

His message for parents: do your homework before taking Tamiflu – or any drug.

“Know that side effects are there for a reason. They’re written down for a reason. I guess they can happen, and we got the short end of the stick,” her father said.

Comments (10)

1. Mary Battaglia says:
   January 12, 2018 at 7:37 pm

   This child was diagnosed with having the flu, she was given a prescription for Tamiful. She took it and had a reaction. I feel so sorry for her and the family. Please look at this statement from above: “running away from school”. Why was this child with the flu at school? She should of been at home with an adult. They might of seen the side effects sooner!

   Reply | Report comment |
2. Thomas Lewis says:
   January 13, 2018 at 9:57 am

   Quercetin dihydrate works for me to protect against colds and flu, and a second supplement thins mucus.

   Quercetin is a flavonoid from fruits and vegetables like apples and onions. I don’t think quercetin would have any side effects.
   What I do is mornings take 1/2 level teaspoon (about 500 mg) of quercetin dihydrate, which is a yellow, fluffy powder available from Bulk Supplements. I order it in a 250 gram bag which lasts about 500 days. Quercetin somehow guards and galvanizes my lungs and sinuses and I have not caught my usual winter chest cold for 3 years now. I twice tried to drop the daily quercetin dose to 250 mg or lower but had the sniffles within a month, so it takes at least 400 mg quercetin per day for me to continue to avoid chest colds and flu.

   That still leaves lung and sinus mucus to be thinned, which I do by mornings taking 1/2 level measuring teaspoon of Walmart’s 14 herb Mrs. Dash Table Blend (MDTB) seasoning which should start to liquefy lung mucus in about 2 weeks so it can be coughed up more easily. I buy it in the 6.75 oz size which lasts over 3 months. I actually dip it out now with/as a level 7 inch iced tea spoon because the bottle is a little deep. Increasing the daily dose doesn’t seem to increase the results.
   I had laryngitis in the Fall of 2016 where I couldn’t clear my throat, even though I was taking 500 mg of the aforementioned quercetin. I restarted taking the Mrs. Dash Table Blend and my throat cleared the same day, so there is something in this 14 herb seasoning that thins mucus, maybe the lemon oil.

   I eat cheese and dairy but increasing dairy intake seems to increase mucus formation. I take both the quercetin powder and MDTB together by washing them down with water.

   Vitamin C doesn’t keep me from taking colds and flu. The same with vitamin D-3.
   I took lots of vit C for years during the 80’s and 90’s. I would take it up to bowel tolerance.
   I took vit D-3 at 5000 units/day for 5 years starting in 2011 because I read that D-3 protects the lungs from getting colds and flu but I still got a chest cold each winter.
   Quercetin is what prevents colds and flu for me and I would try quercetin for any lung or sinus problem already in progress.

   Reply | Report comment
   1. John McElroy says:
      January 13, 2018 at 10:32 am

      Well, your experience makes this the regime for me. I regularly seeks remedies in the comment section of the internet, never done me wrong yet.

      Reply | Report comment
3. Stone Wall (@Stonewall_MAGA) says:
   January 13, 2018 at 10:01 am

   Dehydration makes people do funny things.

   Reply | Report comment
4. CL Wilkinson says:
   January 13, 2018 at 10:35 am

   Unless your immune system is severely compromised, you should avoid these rx “fixes”. When our son was four years old (he was an asthmatic), our pediatrician insisted he should take the flu vaccine, which I had declined the years prior. He used fear tactics using asthma as the excuse, so I relented and allowed the vaccine. Within 15 minutes, we were back at the doctor’s office, who THEN sent us straight to the ER! And NO, our son is not allergic to eggs. The doctor never again insisted I give either of our kids the flu vaccine. Folks, let your immune system do its job – unless you are already severely compromised. WASH HANDS frequently. If someone sneezes near you, turn away – the germs stay airborne for about two minutes.

   I have had CFIDS since 1987 and was constantly getting sick from going around other people who were sick. After I started practicing common sense approaches, and started wiping shopping cart handles down before touching them and stopped touching store doors with my bare hands, I stopped getting sick…. even to this day.

   Stop risking your lives with all these prescriptions and use common sense. This child should NOT have been at school if she had the flu – I agree with the other poster!

   Reply | Report comment
5. Chris Richards says:
   January 13, 2018 at 10:39 am

   Why would a six year old take an adult medication?

   Reply | Report comment
6. Greg Merle says:
   January 13, 2018 at 11:04 am

   I sold Tamiflu for 10 years and I’ve never heard of a physician telling me that they had a bad reaction with this drug. Even though I no longer work for the company, I’ll stand by it and say that it’s a wonder drug. Saved me and my family’s ass many times.

   Reply | Report comment
7. James Q Martin says:
   January 13, 2018 at 11:09 am

   I suffered toxic shock with nervous system and frontal lobe atrophy damage after taking OTC allergy pills, anticholenergic syndrome is what the Dr. called it.

   Reply | Report comment

#### Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Enter your comment here...

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

Email (required) (Address never made public)
Name (required)
Website

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Google+ account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

Notify me of new comments via email.

Notify me of new posts via email.

#### More From CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Drip Pan: CBS Local App
Drip Pan: Weather App
Drip Pan: Only CBS

### Watch & Listen LIVE

#### Listen

- KRLD 1080
- 105.3 The Fan
- 100.3 Jack FM
- 98.7 KLUV
- La Grande 107.5
- ALT 103.7
- CBS Radio Connectingvets.com

#### Watch

- KVTV Live
- Live Feed