Do not share medicines prescribed for you with any other person. Take ANVIATIR as soon as possible, ideally within two days of the flu symptoms starting.
For treating flu:
The usual dose is a 75 mg capsule twice daily. It is usually convenient to take one capsule in the morning and one in the evening. It is important to complete the whole 5-day course, even if you start to feel better quickly.
For preventing flu or after being exposed to an infected person:
The usual dose is one 75 mg dose daily for 10 days. It is best to take this in the mornings with breakfast. The recommended dose is based on your body mass. Your doctor will decide which dose is best for you.
You can take ANVIATIR with or without food. However, taking it with food can reduce the chance of feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting).
People who find it hard to take capsules can make a liquid form of ANVIATIR from the capsules – see Making liquid ANVIATIR at home below:
Making liquid ANVIATIR at home:
If you have the right capsule strength for the dose needed (a 75 mg dose), open the capsule and stir its contents into one teaspoon (or less) of a suitable sweetened food product. This is usually suitable for children over 1 year.
If you need smaller doses, making liquid ANVIATIR from capsules involves extra steps. This is suitable for younger children and babies: they usually need a ANVIATIR dose of less than 30 mg.
To make a 75 mg dose, you need:
- One 75 mg ANVIATIR capsule.
- Sharp scissors.
- One small bowl.
- Teaspoon (5 mL spoon).
- Water.
- Sweet food to hide the bitter taste of the powder.
Examples are chocolate or cherry syrup and dessert toppings such as caramel or fudge sauce. Or you can make sugar water: mix a teaspoon of water with three-quarters (3/4) of a teaspoon of sugar.
Step 1: Pour all the powder into a bowl Hold a 75 mg capsule upright over a bowl and carefully snip off the rounded tip with scissors. Pour all of the powder into the bowl. Be careful with the powder, because it may irritate your skin and eyes.
Step 2: Sweeten the powder and give the dose Add a small amount – no more than one teaspoonful – of sweet food to the powder in the bowl. This is to hide the bitter taste of ANVIATIR powder. Stir the mixture well. Give the whole contents of the bowl to your child straight away. If there is some mixture left in the bowl, rinse the bowl with a small amount of water and get your child to drink it all. Repeat this procedure every time you need to give ANVIATIR.
To make a 30 – 60 mg dose (children weighing less than 40 kg): To make a smaller single dose, you need:
- One 75 mg ANVIATIR capsule.
- Sharp scissors.
- Two small bowls.
- One large oral dose dispenser to measure out water – a 5 mL or 10 mL dispenser.
- One small oral dose dispenser showing measurements of 0, 1 mL, to give the dose.
- Teaspoon (5 mL spoon).
- Water.
- Sweet food to hide the bitter taste of the ANVIATIR.
Examples are: chocolate or cherry syrup and dessert toppings such as caramel or fudge sauce. Or you can make sugar water: mix a teaspoon of water with three-quarters (3/4) of a teaspoon of sugar.
Step 1: Pour all the powder into a bowl Hold a 75 mg capsule upright over one of the bowls and carefully snip off the rounded tip with scissors. Be careful with the powder, it may irritate your skin and eyes. Pour all of the powder into the bowl, whatever the dose you are making. The amount is the same whether you are treating or preventing flu.
Step 2: Add water to dilute the medicine Use the larger dispenser to draw up 5.0 mL water. Add the water to the powder in the bowl. Stir the mixture with the teaspoon for about 2 minutes. Don’t worry if not all of the powder dissolves. The undissolved powder is just inactive ingredients.
Step 3: Choose the correct amount for your child’s weight Look up your child’s weight on the left side of the table. The column on the right of the table shows how much of the liquid mixture you will need to draw up.
Child’s weight (nearest) How much mixture to draw up Less than or equal to 15 kg (30 mg dose) 2.0 mL More than 15 kg and up to 23 kg (45 mg dose) 3 mL More than 23 kg and up to 40 kg (60 mg dose) 4 mL
Step 4: Draw up the liquid mixture Make sure you have the right size dispenser. Draw up the correct amount of liquid mixture from the first bowl. Draw it up carefully so as not to include air bubbles. Gently squirt the correct dose into the second bowl.
Step 5: Sweeten and give to your child Add a small amount – no more than one teaspoonful – of a sweet food to the second bowl. This is to hide the bitter taste of ANVIATIR. Mix the sweet food and ANVIATIR liquid well. Give the whole contents of the second bowl (ANVIATIR liquid mixture with sweet food added) to your child straight away. If there is anything left in the second bowl, rinse the bowl with a small amount of water and get your child to drink it all. Spoon-feed or use a bottle to feed your child the remaining liquid. Throw away any unused liquid left in the first bowl. Repeat this procedure every time you need to give ANVIATIR to your child. Always take or give ANVIATIR exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
If you have the impression that the effect of ANVIATIR is too strong or too weak, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
If you take more ANVIATIR than you should In the event of an overdosage, consult your doctor or pharmacist. If neither is available, contact the nearest hospital or poison centre. Take this leaflet and the remaining ANVIATIR with you so the doctor will know what you have taken. In most cases of overdose, people have not reported any side effects. When side effects were reported, they were similar to those from normal doses, as listed in section 4. If you forget to take ANVIATIR Do not take a double dose to make up for forgotten individual doses.
