General Information on Relenza
Relenza is an antiviral drug indicated for the treatment of influenza symptoms. The generic name of this drug is zanamivir.
Relenza is indicated for treating symptoms in patients who have been suffering from influenza for less than 2 days. This medication may also be given as a preventive measure for people who have not shown any flu symptoms yet.
You may buy Relenza for the treatment of influenza A and B viruses for adults or children of or over 7 years of age. However, this medication is not meant to treat the symptoms of a common cold. Since this medication only treats patients who have been symptomatic for 2 days or less, treatment should begin as soon as flu symptoms are noticed. The symptoms of flu include a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, chills, and fever.
Side effects of Relenza
Relenza should not be administered through a ventilator or nebulizer. The medication, available as an inhalation powder, should not be mixed with any liquid before administration. This medication must also not be given to children below the age of 7 years.
Relenza may result in serious and even life-threatening bronchospasms or other lung problems. You must inform your doctor well beforehand if you suffer from chronic lung conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma. You must stop taking Relenza and talk to your doctor as soon as you can if you begin to experience severe breathing difficulties or wheezing.
You must keep a inhalable bronchodilator handy at all times if you have been prescribed Relenza after you disclosed to your doctor that you suffer from chronic lung conditions. Examples of suitable fast-action bronchodilators include pirbuterol, metaproterenol, bitolterol, and albuterol. You may ask your doctor about the best medication to be taken in your case.
In very rare cases, Relenza may cause certain severe side effects like self injuring tendencies, delirium, and confusion. Such side effects are more commonly seen in children, even though the exact reason for this side effect is still unknown. If Relenza has been prescribed for your child, you must keep a close watch on the behavior of your child. You must especially be wary of abnormal behavior and signs of confusion shown by the child.
Dosage of Relenza
You may buy Relenza as an inhalable powder in disk-like foils. Each foil pack contains 4 blisters of this medication. If you want to administer Relenza, you must place a disk pack into a ‘Diskhaler’, which is a device that comes pre-packed with the medication.
You must not use any ventilator or nebulizer for administering Relenza. Similarly, you must avoid administering any medication other than Relenza through the ‘Diskhaler’. Once you have applied the medication, you must always place the cover back on the device.
Interactions
Relenza may interact with nasal flu vaccines like FluMist and reduce the efficacy of the vaccine. Therefore, you must avoid taking any nasal flu vaccines 48 hours after Relenza has been administered. You must not take Relenza within two weeks of the administration of such vaccines.
