Can Theraflu cure Swine Flu

Answer 1

No, Theraflu will only suppress the symptoms of it. Tamiflu, a prescription drug, will shorten the duration of the flu and severity of symptoms, but there is currently no cure for this type of viral infection.

Answer 2

Theraflu does not help fight a cold or flu, but it can make the symptoms better until your body fights the infection. This is an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine that helps alleviate the symptoms. It contains ingredients that act as nasal decongestants, cough suppressants, analgesics for body aches and headaches, anti-inflammatory agents that help as fever reducers and to improve sore throat pain. It is made by Novartis and marketed in the US.

There are other products that are equivalent in other parts of the world. In Canada there is a similar product called NeoCitran and the British have Lemsip. However, I typically recommend OTC products that are for one purpose instead of the multi-ingredient multi-purpose products, like Theraflu, that are for treating multiple different symptoms. That way we don't have to take medicines that are not needed for our particular symptoms. With individual products you can take only those products that target the specific symptoms present instead of using such a "broad brush" approach.

A precaution, however, for the more targeted approach to relieving symptoms: Always read the label ingredients of OTC medicines to be sure that when you take them with other medicines there are none that repeat the same medicines and could create an overdose of one of the ingredients that is in both products (this is common with cold and flu preparations). Or you can ask the pharmacist before you buy them or use them to be sure they are compatible together.

There is no real cure for acute viral nasopharyngitis (common cold) or the flu; your body has to "fight it alone". But several anti-viral prescription medications (e.g., Tamiflu) do lessen the severity of the symptoms and shorten the duration of these viral infections if taken within 40 - 48 hours of the first symptoms.

The best medicine for the flu or a cold is still prevention. Vaccinations are the way to prevent influenza, especially when used along with common sense hand hygiene and self-protection measures (see related question). Unfortunately, there is no vaccination for the common cold and it must be tolerated until your body rids you of the infecting virus. The symptomatic treatments and precautionary measures to avoid a cold (like hand washing - see related questions) are all we currently have available to prevent contracting the common cold viruses. However, new work is being done to try to solve that so that a vaccine can be made for these rapidly mutating types of viruses and is looking promising.