Oseltamivir and Nausea: What Users Say

• Sum...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 24, 2019

For Influenza "I'm a generally healthy 32-year-old female. I work in the ER of a busy hospital, so I'm no stranger to the flu: the body aches, the headaches, cough, congestion, fever, etc. Well, this time I unfortunately tried oseltamivir. This was the worst med I have tried. Horrible, horrible vomiting, horrible, horrible nausea, and the hallucinations! I have zero history of hallucinations, I was having full-on conversations with people who didn't exist. The side effects were so bad I ended up in the ER. Never have I ever experienced anything like this from any flu, cold, infection, or medication, and I had only taken 2 pills from the whole pack. Users beware. If it happened to me, it can happen to you too."

• Sal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2020

For Influenza "I was prescribed this for influenza A. I almost didn't take it because my symptoms, while tough, were not THAT severe. No high fever, no bad cough, etc. But since the doctor prescribed it, I decided to take it. Basically, I spent $50 to feel WORSE. About an hour after taking it, I started to have a serious headache, and then the nausea and stomach pain started. I was up literally all night vomiting and clutching my stomach. This morning I was so out of it and was dehydrated due to the vomiting. I am not taking any additional doses. What a waste of money and a dangerous drug."

• Rud...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2019

For Influenza "I was given this medication for precautionary measures since I was around family members that had the flu. What a mistake. I wasn’t sick until I took this. After 5 doses, I couldn’t stand the nausea anymore. Worse I have ever had. I was even taking Zofran for nausea, but it did not help. It’s been 3 days since my last dose, and I still feel like rubbish. I have completely lost my appetite. Trying to eat crackers and trying to stay hydrated. I have lost 10 lbs in 5 days. Never again. I just pray I start feeling better soon. I don’t recommend this medication to anyone."

• KBa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2019

For Influenza "I took Tamiflu about a year or so ago, and I experienced some of those severe side effects. I dealt with hallucinations and really dark thoughts, which led to me being Baker-Acted (hospitalized for mental health/self-harm threat). I didn't attribute the stomach pains and nausea that I experienced to the med until I read through these comments, and now I realize that those symptoms were very much present as well. I had multiple panic attacks while this was in my system, and I had never previously had one in my life. This absolutely was the worst experience of my life, and I'm only thankful that I didn't ultimately harm myself or anyone else when I did take it. I would've much rather dealt with the flu than the side effects I ended up experiencing. I hope no one else is having a similar or worse experience."

• snu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 31, 2019

For Influenza "I followed directions and took this with food. Within 2 hours, I started experiencing nausea which would lead to vomiting. This cycle then repeated itself several times. I ended up vomiting 5 times within 2 hours. The weird thing is that even when my stomach was completely emptied out and I had stopped consuming anything, even water, I kept vomiting, but nothing would come out. This was a much worse experience than the flu itself, not worth it to knock out only 1 day of illness. I would only take this if you are at high risk of developing pneumonia and are otherwise unhealthy/immuno-compromised. I would not give to children at all. I understand Tamiflu works fine for some people, but it really is a risky dice roll, and I will not be taking it again or finishing the regimen. They should change the advertising on this to say, 'For when you want to feel worse than the flu.'"

• Con...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2019

For Influenza "My son (14 years) was given this within the allotted time frame for flu B. Yesterday, in the afternoon of day two, he complained of nausea, and I told him not to drink milk since I was raised that milk and the flu don't mix. He woke me at 2 a.m. last night with severe abdominal pain (night of day 2). I tried the heating pad, but he didn’t want to even have it touch him. Luckily, I had ginger ale on hand and gave him that. I immediately started reading side effects and discovered he was having one. I called his pediatrician to tell her we were stopping it, and she confirmed that abdominal pain was a side effect, and it was okay to stop. The saddest thing is while my son suffered in pain, he shook his head and said, “This medicine is too strong.” How he knew that, I can only guess he was listening to his body. Of course, I felt bad having my kid take this, but since stopping, no more abdominal pain."

• MKa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 20, 2019

For Influenza "Tested positive for flu type B and was given this awful stuff on Friday. By Sunday, I could barely walk, was so nauseous, had extreme sensitivity to smells, lights, and sounds, and an odd headache. I had horrible stomach cramps and pains. I stopped taking the medicine on Sunday. On Tuesday, I am still feeling flu symptoms on top of the nausea, sensitivity, zero appetite, and strange headache. I have never been so sick. I would never recommend this drug to anyone and cannot wait until it’s out of my system completely. I cannot believe that they are selling this stuff as ‘medicine.’"

• WCC...
• January 21, 2014

For Influenza "What a relief. Within 2 hours of ingesting the 1st pill, my symptoms began to improve. Congestion and body aches diminished. Within a few hours of the 2nd pill, I'm almost normal - such as that might be. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Eat JUST before ingesting. Otherwise, nausea and cramps will not be enjoyable."

• Col...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2019

For Influenza "After taking the second dose of Tamiflu, I began to throw up unconditionally. I could eat or drink anything for over a day. I only took 3 doses. Not worth it at all! Just makes you very sick. Now it's been 4 days since I took my last dose of 3 pills, and I can still hardly stomach food, and my stool is pale."

• Kat...
• January 22, 2019

For Influenza "I was diagnosed with influenza A. My doctor prescribed Tamiflu. The worst mistake I ever made was taking that stuff. It made me feel worse than the flu itself: nausea, vomiting, anxiety, sleeplessness. Took six doses out of 10, and I had to stop, I could not take it anymore. I will never take Tamiflu again!"

• Edd...
• January 22, 2015

For Influenza "I came down with the flu while traveling for work, and a local clinic wrote me a prescription. The doctor told me it wouldn't make me feel better but rather shorten the duration. I figured I might as well try it. I've stopped after three doses - awful diarrhea and nausea. I'd rather let nature take its course than go through what I have for the last ten hours."

• Jan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2019

For Influenza "I started taking Tamiflu on the 3rd day of having the flu. It actually made the flu symptoms go away by the next day, but the side effects are not worth it. I got so dizzy I couldn’t even stand up. I had cold sweats and nausea from the dizziness. I also got horrible abdominal cramping and diarrhea. I stopped the medication after the 3rd dose because I couldn’t take care of my daughter or myself from the intense dizziness. I would not recommend this medication."

• klc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 3, 2014

For Influenza "Caused me painful nausea and then vomiting about 30 minutes after taking it. Had to use a suppository promethazine to relieve nausea. Took it again about 5 years later for another flu - same thing happened. Just made me feel worse, but it worked for the rest of my family."

• Est...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2019

For Influenza "I got the flu, and it hit me hard. I fainted and was so sick that I went to the ER. They tested me, and I had influenza B. They prescribed this antibiotic, and the first time I took it, I felt completely fine, however, on the second day I took it, I got intense nausea and vomited to try to feel better. As soon as I started vomiting, I got a nosebleed as well. I spent the night vomiting continuously, and after that, I couldn’t keep anything down for about 2 days, along with intense pain in my abdomen. This felt worse than the actual flu."

• Sun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 2, 2019

For Influenza "After two days on Tamiflu, I feel worse. The nausea, headaches, and insomnia are unbearable. I also had horrible stomach cramps after the first night of taking this med. I have a loss of appetite and a weird taste in my mouth as well. The nausea is hideous. This medication is much too strong. I feel more sick having taken Tamiflu. I will stick to ibuprofen and ride out the rest of this flu. I do not recommend Tamiflu. Seems a bit risky to me."

• Tre...
• August 1, 2019

For Influenza "Neither I nor my family will ever take this medication again. In addition to all the normal flu symptoms, it made me nauseous and unable to eat. I also believe it caused me insomnia and a strange head and neck ache. The flu, without this med, is 100% better."

• Anonymous
• January 24, 2016

For Influenza "It helped with the respiratory issues quickly, but within a day of starting this, I've been experiencing dizziness, headaches, and nausea, later followed by stomach cramps and diarrhea. ...not sure I can finish the last 2 days of it...the dizziness is the worst."

• Kim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 15, 2018

For Influenza "Tamiflu should be off the market, and I will never, ever take it! It is hard to believe that some people had absolutely no side effects or just a little. I had to go back to Quick Care on the 4th day taking it because I thought I developed something really bad, and because I was not able to distinguish between flu symptoms and side effects anymore. What I feel now is worse than when I got the flu. The constant nausea, headache, body aches, rash that I developed, swelling torso, insomnia, frequent crying, and bad thoughts about dying (yep, I know!) made me stay out of work for 5 days!"

• Ann...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 29, 2019

For Influenza "I ended up with sudden flu symptoms the Monday before Christmas. Spent Tuesday and Wednesday suffering with a high fever, chills, headache, runny nose, everything, and finally Thursday went to the doctor. Gave me Tamiflu, and I was hopeful because I felt like death. I ate dinner before my first dose, took it, had pretty moderate nausea. Decided to change it up and not eat the next morning. Bad decision. Had some of the worst nausea of my life while the cable man was fixing my internet. My 4th dose has led to me now having diarrhea. I can’t tell if the relief outweighs the nausea I felt for hours after each dose (though I do plan on stopping after my dose for tonight because I can’t handle any more nausea.)"

• Anonymous
• March 10, 2016

For Influenza "I am one of those sticklers who tries to follow every direction given by my physician. When it came to treating the flu, I was certainly no different...until I took Tamiflu. I felt so horrible the first two days with a fever of 100.2+ that I didn't know if it was helping or hurting. By day three, my fever broke (thanks to Advil), and every time I took Tamiflu, I nearly threw up, with or without food. I am so nauseous that I can hardly move. It made me very irritable and negative. I only have three pills left, but I just cannot force myself to take them. Everyone reacts differently to medicine. This is just my experience. Good luck to the fellow flu survivors!"

• Ros...
• December 25, 2015

For Influenza "Sick, sick with flu, Tamiflu added to illness, nausea and vomiting. Don't know if it made the flu last shorter, made me too nauseous to know. Just ride out the virus, plan on being sick for a week. Don't burden your body with meds that may make you sick."

• Nik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2018

For Influenza "I was so excited to start Tamiflu. I thought that it would help the pain go away and shorten the symptoms. It all started with a mild cough and a sore throat. The next day, I woke up with a 102.6 fever around 3 a.m. and started vomiting. I went to urgent care the next day, and they gave me Tamiflu. I will NEVER take this again. I was more nauseous than before, and I was vomiting like crazy! After taking this medicine, I feel worse than I did before I started taking it. I 100% do NOT recommend."

• Anonymous
• January 16, 2011

For Influenza "I was given Tamiflu by the hospital, and at first, it seemed to work. I didn't have such a bad runny nose or coughing. However, the side effects were just horrible. I had nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, headaches, and, as my friend describes it, I was 'just not with it.' I took it in pill form, and I think it was perhaps because of the plastic-feeling outer cover I was forced to swallow. I don't particularly recommend it, especially since it also gave me a little insomnia. That was a slight problem, having the flu and all, since sleeping is actually important if I want to heal."

• Har...
• February 27, 2016

For Influenza "This is the first and last time I will take Tamiflu. It made me feel much worse than if I would have just ridden it out. It's made me weak, dizzy, sick to my stomach, and feeling worse than when I started on it."

• MMz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 16, 2022

For Influenza "I'm unsure why this medication is prescribed. I wasn't warned about any of the side effects. I went to a clinic with moderate flu symptoms and was prescribed this and began taking it. After the third dose, I began vomiting uncontrollably and cannot keep anything down. I don't have an appetite, and I feel extremely nauseous, dizzy, and have a headache. I also have mental health conditions, which is why I find it very concerning that I was prescribed a medication that can cause suicide."