The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Why was Tamiflu ineffectiv­e against reader’s influenza?

- Terry & Joe Graedon In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www. PeoplesPha­rmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top S

Q: You have written that Tamiflu can help people recover more quickly from influenza. I don’t think it works.

I came down with the flu and called my doctor’s office. It took a week for them to fit me into the schedule. The doctor did a test and confirmed I had influenza. He gave me a prescripti­on for Tamiflu, but it didn’t do anything for me. It took another week before I felt better. Why all the hype for a drug that doesn’t work?

A: Oseltamivi­r (Tamiflu) is an oral antiviral medication for influenza. It works by blocking an enzyme the virus uses to spread throughout the body.

To be maximally effective, Tamiflu should be taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms. It still may be somewhat helpful taken up to four days after flu symptoms begin. In your case, though, too much time had passed.

Even under the best of circumstan­ces, clinical trials show that Tamiflu shortens flu symptoms by a day or two. The drug may, however, reduce the chance of complicati­ons (Medical Letter, Jan. 1, 2018).

Q: My endocrinol­ogist has prescribed the diabetes drug metformin to control thyroid nodules and prevent thyroid cancer. I am not diabetic, so my other doctors wonder why I would be taking metformin. Is there any evidence that metformin has anti-cancer benefits?

A: Your endocrinol­ogist is keeping up with medical research. A review in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinol­ogy (online, Nov. 14, 2017) discusses the anti-cancer activity of metformin.

There also is evidence that this drug can reduce thyroid nodules and may both prevent and help treat thyroid cancer. A systematic review concluded that metformin might be helpful in treating colorectal and prostate cancer as well (Annals of Oncology, December 2016).

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