LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Relenza: Taking Relenza
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Relenza® has been in use since 1999. The most common side effects are diarrhea, nausea, sinusitis, runny or stuffy nose, bronchitis, cough, headache, dizziness, and ear, nose and throat infections. Some persons, mostly those who already had a chronic lung disease such as asthma, have reported serious breathing problems such as wheezing or shortness of breath after taking Relenza® (zanamivir). In rare cases, people have had an allergic reaction to the drug, including rashes and edema (a build up of fluid in body-tissue) of the face and throat.
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Relenza is an antiviral drug that hastens recovery from the flu. Victims who begin taking Relenza within the first 2 days of their illness typically start to feel improvement a day earlier than they would otherwise. The drug is believed to work by interfering with the spread of virus particles inside the respiratory tract.
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Roche and GlaxoSmithKline, makers of Tamiflu and Relenza, respectively, are facing pressure to accept a recommendation by the United State Food and Drug Administration panel to put stronger warning labels on their flu treatments. Tamiflu, known generally as oseltamivir, is a pill, while Relenza, generically zanamivir, is inhaled, and the drugs are the two most frequently used prescription medications to treat the flu. The issue of the adequacy of the warnings was raised by the FDA after reports of a dozen deaths of children in Japan who were taking Tamiflu. The FDA wants the companies, particularly Roche, to add a caution urging close monitoring of patients for abnormal behavior such as delirium or self-injury. Recently, Roche has indicated that it has accepted the FDA recommendation.
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There is a risk that Relenza could cause increased difficulty with breathing, especially if you have asthma or other breathing problems. If you have asthma or breathing problems such as wheezing or shortness of breath which get worse while taking Relenza you should stop taking it and contact your physician. If you have asthma or breathing problems and take Relenza you should have a fast-acting bronchodilator available. If you are to take inhaled bronchodilators at the same time as Relenza you should use the bronchodilator before taking Relenza.
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Relenza is not recommended for people with underlying respiratory disease such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Relenza has not been shown to shorten the duration of influenza in people with these diseases, and some people have had serious side effects of bronchospasm (wheezing) and worsening lung function. Anyone who develops bronchospasm or worsening respiratory symptoms such as wheezing and shortness of breath should stop taking the drug and call their health-care provider. If patients with underlying respiratory disease take Relenza, they should have a fast-acting inhaled bronchodilator available.
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Relenza is inhaled from a device called a diskhaler. Two inhalations are used twice a day for five days, and it is recommended that treatment be started as soon as possible after symptoms have occurred, preferably within two days. Follow the directions in the pack, fitting the disk with four doses into the diskhaler, then taking two doses at a time; change the disk when all doses on the disk have been used.
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Taking Relenza