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What is not allowed to do when you have the flu?
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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The very first thing that is prohibited to do with the flu is to be treated. Are you surprised? No, you shouldn't - with the flu, it is prohibited to treat yourself, but on the recommendation of a doctor - you can and should. The fact is that self-treatment with the flu can create many more problems for your body than if you did not treat it at all. For example, it can provoke complications in the form of deafness, breathing problems, kidney and liver dysfunction. What else can't you do with the flu?
What happens when flu is not treated correctly?
If you use the wrong medications to fight the flu or treat the flu incorrectly, complications in the form of poor functioning of vital systems and organs may certainly develop. Therefore, the doctor must first carefully assess the patient's condition in order to treat him correctly. For example, literally from the first days, if the flu is treated incorrectly, a person may develop a disease such as pneumonia (pneumonia). Therefore, the doctor may prescribe antiviral or antibacterial drugs (depending on the influenza pathogen).
If the diagnosis of the disease is difficult, the doctor may recommend additional examination methods. For example, a chest X-ray or an electrocardiogram.
It is a pity that few people with serious flu symptoms go to the clinic immediately. According to doctors, only 10% of patients are like this. And therefore, undiagnosed and untreated patients may develop a condition that requires urgent hospitalization - due to serious complications. There are about 30% of such people in the country, especially during the flu season.
In order to avoid being in a risk group with subsequent hospitalization, it is advisable to see a doctor immediately at the first symptoms of flu. If up to 6 days pass after the onset of the disease and the condition does not improve during this time, then you were treated incorrectly. From this moment on, every day counts.
Is it possible to get vaccinated during the height of the flu season?
Many people support the opinion that there is no need to get vaccinated during the height of an epidemic. This is wrong. If you have not yet fallen ill, a flu shot can help you stay healthy or significantly reduce complications from the flu, in case you do fall ill with it.
Although, if the virus has settled in your body, and at the same time you have been given a flu vaccine, it may not have any effect on the body. However, it is worth knowing that the virus can hide in the body in a latent form for a period of 1 to 5-6 days.
[ Are antibiotics prohibited for flu?
Antibiotics do not help against viruses, so it is useless to inject or drink them for a viral infection. And it is even harmful, because with such self-medication a person misses other methods that allow him to cope with the flu. In addition, incorrectly used medications with a general weakening of the body can cause allergic reactions with skin rashes, respiratory arrest, dysbacteriosis. But taking antibiotics in any form for bacterial infections, on the contrary, is necessary. But only on the condition of a doctor's recommendations.
Is it necessary to disinfect a house if a person is already infected with the flu?
Yes, and not only is it possible, but it is also necessary. Scientists have calculated that a person touches different parts of his face up to three hundred times a day, in particular, the nose and mouth, through which infections are transmitted. And the contents that remain on his hands (droplets with infected microflora) are transmitted through unwashed hands.
Therefore, if you have a sick person in your home, you need to periodically disinfect the door handles and wash the floors with a disinfectant solution every day. You also need to constantly wash your hands with soap and wash your face.
What medications should not be chosen for the flu?
If a child has the flu, you should not treat it with drugs containing acetylsalicylic acid. This applies not only to small children, but also to those who are under 16 years old. If you overdo it with acetylsalicylic acid, the child may develop Reye's syndrome, which can end in severe vomiting and coma.
On the advice of a doctor, it is better to give preference to antiviral drugs, which significantly alleviate the symptoms of flu. If used correctly, the disease can stop three days earlier. However, when choosing these drugs, you need to consider which flu virus has struck you down.
We know that there are at least three most common types of flu. These are flu types A, B and C. Of these, only flu type C causes mild discomfort or is asymptomatic. But this cannot be said about flu viruses B and A - they can cause complications and conditions with these types of flu are quite severe.
You shouldn't buy even the most advertised drugs without a doctor's recommendation, because they can cause side effects to one or another component. In addition, you need to be treated in the first two days after you feel unwell. If you start using drugs at the height of the flu, there is a high probability that they will be ineffective.
So, now you know what is prohibited for flu, and what is advisable to use immediately. This knowledge will help you cope with this disease faster and more effectively.