Tamiflu Side Effects: Reports of Hallucinations Abound

This year’s flu season has been particularly dangerous, resulting in  more hospitalizations and fatalities than those of recent years,  according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many people  with the illness have reached for Tamiflu; however, reports of serious  neuropsychiatric side effects, such as hallucinations, are raising  concerns about its safety.

Tamiflu, known as oseltamivir, and  Relenza, known as zanamivir, are antiviral agents purported to reduce  flu symptoms. Package labeling on Tamiflu states that it increases the  risk of confusion and abnormal behavior, especially in children. Parents  of children and teenagers who take the drugs are advised to monitor  them closely. 

 

Tamiflu’s Neurotoxicity

The two antiviral drugs work by  inhibiting an enzyme called neuraminidase. This mechanism of action  poses a problem because the enzyme it blocks is essential for normal brain functioning; therefore, it results in neurotoxicity.

News  outlets have related frightening stories of Tamiflu’s adverse effects  that, in addition to hallucinations, include seizures, delusions, mood swings,  memory deterioration and delirium. Tragically, the reports include  bizarre accounts of children leaping out of two-story windows, rushing  out into traffic, and running around the house because of a belief that  they’re being chased. Moreover, deaths have been associated with the  drug, some of which have been attributed to suicides.

While  incidences of neuropsychiatric side effects are supposed to be rare,  they’ve occurred often enough to be very troubling: since 2009, the Food  and Drug Administration has received notifications of 559 cases of  hallucinations from Tamiflu. 

 

Cochrane Review of Tamiflu

Several years ago, an  international team of researchers expanded a project called the Cochrane  Review, which investigated the safety and efficacy of Tamiflu. The  original report hadn’t included a review of 160,000 pages of undisclosed  documents. Therefore, to get a complete picture of the evidence, the  Cochrane Collaboration filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit to obtain  the hidden documents from Tamiflu studies. In their final review issued  in 2014, the researchers said that the harmful effects of the drug  hadn’t been fully reported. The final review’s conclusion was that the  benefits of Tamiflu didn’t seem to outweigh the risks, according to  natural health practitioner Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Harlan Krunholz, M.D., reporting on the Cochrane Review in Forbes,  said, “The manufacturer of the drug sponsored all the trials and the  reviewers found evidence of publication and reporting biases.” The  doctor also expressed surprise that no placebo-controlled trials had  been conducted that had been funded by an independent source. 

 

Advice on Staying Well in Flu Season

No one should order  Tamiflu from the internet or take it unless their doctor has prescribed  it without being prodded. Mercola advocates avoiding the flu through  building your immunity, primarily by eating a nutritious diet devoid of  sugar, refined grains and processed food. He recommends including  fermented foods in the diet, as well as taking immune system boosters of  garlic and oil of oregano. 

Washing  the hands regularly with soap and water, along with hygienic measures  like covering the mouth when coughing are also advisable, he adds. 

by Mary West

http://www.liveinthenow.com/article/tamiflu-side-effects-reports-hallucinations-abound