Well after a nightmare getting to speak to a doctor yesterday..

"Be patient you will be called back!"..

of course no one did and I ended up in tears last night thinking bad thoughts..

Anyway - I finally got to speak to a nice doctor this morning who has prescribed me Relenza.

Has anyone else taken it? I have lots of colleagues/pupils etc who have gotten the full swine flu (I'm a London secondary teacher) and the colleague with whom I work most closely has been extremely ill.

Luckily my symptoms are not nearly as bad as hers (for now anyway) - but the doctor has told me to go ahead anyway. My temperature is high for me (I normally have extremely low temps due to a thyroid condition). I just want to stop it getting any higher - I'm scared for my baby.

I hear it helps very quickly. The only problem now is that I have to go to the doctors to get the prescription and then the chemist to get it filled as there is no one here to help me. Of course, they don't want me to go pick it up and/or go into the chemist to avoid spreading it. Plus I feel like crap anyway! My husband won't be home until later on but I need to take is ASAP as it's supposed to happen within 48 hours and as it's taken so long for them to get back to me - time is running out!

Poor little baby!

Sorry i dont have any advice for you. I just wanted to send you some

Relenza is perfectly safe to use during pregnancy. However, the symptoms of swine flu can be harmful to an unborn child. Such as high temperatures. You aren't taking a risk, your baby will be fine. It's inhaled... so it doesn't reach the fetus. Tamiflu is the oral antiviral that non pregnant people use and even this is less harmful to a fetus than fever.

I read the NHS website the other day and it suggests that Relenza is the safe one to take when pregnant as it doesn't get into your blood stream or something (sorry can't remember the exact reason).

Is there anyone else around that could nip to the doctor's for you if your OH is at work all day? Any family/friends nearby for example?

Hope you feel better soon x

Hi

Just realised my last post could have been a bit more helpful and actually posted the thing that I'd read so here is the link

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pandemi...epregnantwomen

Unsurprisingly, that website is being a bit slow at the moment!

It looks like I'll have to go get it myself.

Apparently Relenza isn't licenced for pregnancy - the manufacturers are being cautious on that one. However, so far, there's no evidence it harms the unborn child. The advice is that if the benefits to the mother outweigh any known risks then go ahead and take it.

The doctor said that several hundred pregnant women had taken it and been ok so far. (He didn't say whether that's several hundred in London/UK/worldwide). Several hundred isn't a huge number, but I am concerned about my temperature - so I'll give it a go and hope for the best.

Once I can get the flipping prescription and medecine that is!

I spoke with my doctor about the Relenza drug today and she said it was the one for pregnant women to take as it doesnt enter the bloodstream and cross the placenta like the Tamiflu one does.

Good luck in getting your meds hun and I hope you feel better soon

did they tell you to take paracetamol to bring down your fever sweety?

Right - got my meds.

I had been taking paracetemol previously - actually not sure whether to continue with that now I'm on the inhaler.

Hopefully should see an improvement soon.