Find out what you should do if you have been assessed as having swine flu by your GP, and how to get antiviral medicines.
You should first read our page What to Do if You Feel Unwell - for advice about symptoms, who to contact if you think you may have swine flu and how to get an authorisation number for antivirals.
Treatment for Swine Flu
Most people recover within a week, even without special treatment.
Stay at home, drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest. Take paracetamol-based cold remedies to reduce fever and other symptoms until you get your antiviral medicines.
Antiviral Medicines
Do not buy medicines for swine flu online. Doing so will put you at serious risk of buying fake or poor quality drugs. Get your antivirals from your GP.
If you are prescribed antivirals, you will need to pay a prescription charge (unless your prescriptions are normally free of charge).
Do not go out yourself to collect the antiviral medicines - stay at home.
Your 'flu friend' - a healthy friend or relative - can use your authorisation number from your GP to pick up antiviral medicines Tamiflu or Relenza from your local pharmacy.
To collect antivirals, your flu friend must show their own ID as well as your ID. The authorisation number and ID information will be checked to ensure it matches the information provided when the assessment of symptoms was completed.
ID documents can be:
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a utility bill
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passport
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a credit or debit card
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driving licence
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NHS card
Antiviral drugs are not a cure, but they help you to recover if taken within 48 hours of the symptoms developing by:
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relieving some of the symptoms
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reducing the length of time you are ill by around one day, and
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reducing the potential for serious complications, such as pneumonia
High Risk Groups
High risk groups for possible serious complications include people with long-term conditions, those over 65, children under five and pregnant women, who should start taking antivirals immediately they are confirmed with the illness. Go to our page What to Do if You Feel Unwell for more details.
You should seek medical advice from your GP if your condition suddenly gets much worse, or your condition is still getting worse after seven days (five for a child).
