Tamiflu: 4 things you should know before giving your kids this drug.

According to this report in The Guardian, half the kids who take Tamiflu experience a range of side effects. While doctors and pharmacists (and certainly all the literature given with the medication) offer a long list, we wanted to check in with our Parents Ask expert, Dr. Cara Natterson to find out what parents really need to know about this anti-viral drug:

1. Nausea and vomiting are very common side-effects when taking Tamiflu - not the best relief for kids already dealing with high fevers and aches and pains

2. Insomnia and hallucinations have been reported (but these are uncommon).

3. Tamiflu is expensive.  It typically runs $100 for a five day course.

4. Taking Tamiflu doesn't  make a HUGE difference to the patient.  It only reduces symptoms by about one day.

BUT, all of that said,  according to Dr. Natterson, for some people Tamiflu is very important. Especially for high risk individuals (or people exposed to high risk individuals—like caretakers of little babies) because even one fewer day of symptoms may make a huge difference.  She recommends heeding your doctor’s advice on this one: don’t beg for it, but if you are told you should take it, it's wise to follow the instruction.