The common drug linked to ‘hallucinations’ in kids

When we’re told not to panic, there’s only one thing to do — and that’s run!

Which is exactly what you should be doing if your doctor wants to give you, your kids, or your grandkids the risky, nearly useless drug called Tamiflu.

You may have heard about a 6-year-old girl in Texas who came inches away from jumping out of her bedroom window while on the med. And while that may be quite shocking, it’s far from the first time that kids have suffered bizarre reactions to Tamiflu.

In fact, when you hear some of the side effects linked to this drug, you’ll realize that it’s actually preferable to take your chances with the flu.

Big risk, little benefit
Nick Woodward was just 7 years old when he was given Tamiflu and started hallucinating. “He thought furniture was moving,” said his mom, a pediatric anesthesiologist.

Lindsay Ellis, an 11-year-old from Indiana, had been taking the med for three days when she suddenly announced to her parents that she had bugs all over her body and the devil was talking to her.

Bonnie Rochman says her son became “possessed” after taking Tamiflu when he was 9 years old.

While most reports state that the children recovered after stopping the drug, Lindsay’s parents say that it took her weeks to be able to move her hands or feet again, and that even now, a year later, she still suffers tremors all over her body.

And since the recent story of the little Texas girl came out, we’ve been assured that her reaction was “ultra-rare” and advised not to focus too much on it — and definitely not to panic!

But seeing bugs and moving furniture and all of the other bizarre things kids are experiencing after taking Tamiflu are, apparently, not a big surprise to drugmaker Roche. Because you’ll find mention of such side effects right on its label under “psychiatric disorders.”

Of course, Roche tries to dismiss reactions such as “abnormal behavior,” “delirium,” “delusions,” and an “altered level of consciousness” as simply being symptoms of the flu itself. But considering the fact that Tamiflu is handed out like candy to kids (and adults) at the slightest hint of a sneeze or cough, that flu excuse doesn’t really hold water.

On top of all that, the deaths of 12 children in Japan were linked to Tamiflu over a decade ago. Along with that tragedy, over 30 reports of “neuropsychiatric events” in children, said to include “delirium, abnormal behavior, and hallucinations,” came out of that country.

Well, I’d certainly say that when a child runs out into the street or jumps out of a window (as two young boys did after just a couple of doses of the drug), that definitely qualifies as abnormal.

But all of that, as horrific as it is, might just be considered a risk you’re taking for a drug that can get rid of your flu symptoms fast and prevent major complications.

In the case of Tamiflu, though, the benefits have been found to be so insignificant that there’s almost no reason for it to be on the market! And that’s true for kids, adults, and especially seniors.

Several years ago, when Roche was forced to release data that it had locked up in a vault for years, it became very clear that Tamiflu is about as effective as taking a gumdrop for the flu. And its biggest selling point — that if you’re at high risk for complications, popping Tamiflu will keep you out of the hospital — is another long-running fable.

If Tamiflu can do anything at all — that is, if you actually have the flu — it might reduce the duration of symptoms for around half a day: 12 hours. And for that possibility, you’re risking side effects such as “nausea, vomiting, headache, and pain” (said to be the “most common adverse reactions”), along with the brutal skin condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (in which your skin literally peels off) and, of course, “abnormal behavior.”

And now, with Tamiflu generics flooding the market (under the name of oseltamivir), having your doctor put a box of this stuff in your hands is more likely than ever.

But just remember that if anyone tries to sell you on this drug, even by saying it can prevent the flu, they’re having another kind of hallucination — one caused by all those Tamiflu commercials!

“6-year-old hallucinates after taking Tamiflu: Why you shouldn’t panic” Rafi Letzter, January 16, 2018, LiveScience, livescience.com