October 23, 2024
Menu
Shedding Light on the Risks
& Benefits of Medications
Shedding Light on the Risks
& Benefits of Medications Is Tamiflu Safe for Kids? Exploring the Risk of Hallucinations
25 years after the medication was first approved, the answer still isn’t clear.
December 1, 2024
0 Comments
republish
Medically Reviewed By: Gina Jansheski, MD
Gina Jansheski, M.D., is a pediatrician with 22 years of practice experience. Dr. Jansheski completed her medical education at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, followed by a pediatric residency and a one-year fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. She served as the medical director of Tucson Pediatric Hospitalists, providing pediatric hospice and palliative care services.
On this page
In 2018, the parents of a six-year-old girl told CBS News Texas that their daughter had hallucination and attempted to climb out of her second-story bedroom window after taking Tamiflu—a drug approved in 1999 to shorten the duration of flu. Her mother managed to grab her and pull her back inside just in time. An emergency physician later explained that the little girl was likely hallucinating—a rare psychiatric side effect of the antiviral medication.
This was not an isolated incident.
In 2020, Colorado mother Jennifer Humeny realized something was very wrong after giving her daughter a dose of Tamiflu. Even though her daughter had taken the medicine previously with no adverse effects, this time, the young girl started screaming and crying that she felt as though she was “floating in the air” above her couch, her mother told a local news organization. When Humeny’s daughter stopped taking the medication, her hallucinations ceased, though it’s unclear whether the medication caused her experience.
When her daughter contracted another severe case of influenza in 2021, Ms. Humeny and her doctor decided the expected benefits of Tamiflu were worth the risk of adverse symptoms. This time, her daughter experienced no psychiatric side effects.
In 2020, Sarah Wells, a mother in Central Point, Oregon, reported to her local news station that her 9-year-old son, Carder, experienced hallucinations while taking Tamiflu. The situation escalated to the point where she had to take him to the emergency department. She even shared a short video of the incident with the news station.
A quarter-century after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tamiflu to treat influenza, researchers still don’t know whether psychiatric side effects like these, more common in children than adults, are caused by the drug or the disease it’s meant to treat.
Tamiflu Side Effects: How Common Are Hallucination and Psychiatric Reactions?
The prevalence of psychiatric side effects associated with Tamiflu is not clear, though they’re thought to be seen more frequently in young patients. Complicating matters is the fact that influenza itself can also cause hallucinations in some people, particularly children under 10 years of age.
A 2023 study using the Tennessee Medicaid database found that the risk of neuropsychiatric events in children and adolescents with influenza was minimal, regardless of whether they were administered Tamiflu – 51 events per 100,000 person-weeks of having the infection. This measurement accounts for the total time each participant was at risk of experiencing a serious neuropsychiatric event, such as hallucinations, confusion or seizures.
Taking the medication did not increase an individual’s risk of neuropsychiatric events, the study found, but having preexisting neurological or psychiatric disorders did. Adolescents were also more likely to experience these symptoms than children.
When it comes to the specific reasons for these rare psychiatric events, researchers hypothesize that they might occur with Tamiflu through a variety of mechanisms. One hypothesis suggests that the drug may interfere with monoamine oxidase-A, a compound that breaks down certain chemicals brain cells use to communicate—including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. This leaves more of these chemicals available in your brain for longer periods of time.
How Does Tamiflu Work?
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is an antiviral medication designed to lessen the symptoms of influenza.
When an influenza virus infects your body, it enters your cells and uses them to make copies of itself. Tamiflu doesn’t kill the virus outright, but it stops viral replication by blocking an enzyme called neuraminidase. Taking Tamiflu within the first two days of infection helps lower the amount of influenza virus in your body, so you recover about a day faster and may not get as sick. However, the drug is also known to cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headaches and kidney problems.
Experts debate just how effective Tamiflu is in preventing severe outcomes from flu. A review of clinical trials published in 2014 suggests that Roche, the drug’s manufacturer, may have engaged in selective reporting that made Tamiflu appear more effective than it really is.
The FDA’s Stance on Tamiflu Psychosis
Currently, Tamiful has a warning on its label noting the risk of neuropsychiatric events, but this warning wasn’t always present.
In 2005, Tamiflu was prescribed extensively in Japan. In fact, Roche, the drug’s manufacturer, told the New York Times in that same year that out of 13 million Tamiflu prescriptions for children worldwide, an astonishing 11.6 million were in Japan. This liberal usage started to change, however, when the country reported that 12 children had died after taking the medication and 31 had experienced delirium, abnormal behavior or hallucinations.
The FDA convened a meeting in November 2005 to discuss these psychiatric side effects of Tamiflu. The agency decided to continue monitoring side effect reports for two years, before revisiting the topic.
In 2007, the FDA reported its findings to the Pediatric Advisory committee, which concluded that it could not determine whether the psychiatric side effects were caused by the drug or the illness itself. But erring on the side of caution, it recommended that the drug label include a warning regarding the possibility of confusion and abnormal behavior in patients of all ages.
More recent studies have failed to find an association between the use of Tamiflu and serious psychiatric events such as suicide attempts in pediatric patients.
What To Ask Your Pediatrician About Tamiflu and Hallucination
If you’re a parent or caregiver weighing the risks and benefits of giving your child Tamiflu this cold and flu season, consider asking your pediatrician these key questions:
Does my child have any risk factors increasing the likelihood that they might experience hallucinations or other dangerous side effects?
How much will Tamiflu help my child in this specific case? Are we getting it early enough to make a difference?
Is my child at risk of dangerous outcomes of the flu if they don’t take Tamiflu?
Want to Share Your Story?
If you’ve experienced side effects or medication issues related to this topic, we want to hear from you.
Submit Your Story- CBS NEWS (2018, January 12). Girl, 6, Suffers Frightening Side Effects After Taking Tamiflu. CBSnews.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024, from https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/unexpected-side-effects-tamiflu/
- KOAA NEWS5 SOUTHERN COLORADO (2020, December 2). Side-effects of Tamiflu: Horror story hallucinations. Koaa.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024, from https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/side-effects-of-tamiflu-horror-story-hallucinations
- 16KMTR. Eugene Oregon (2020, December 1). Young boy hears voices after suffering from apparent Tamiflu-induced hallucinations. Nbc16.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024, from https://nbc16.com/news/local/9-year-old-boy-has-hallucinations-after-taking-tamiflu
- Mizuguchi, M. (2013). Influenza encephalopathy and related neuropsychiatric syndromes. Wiley Online Libraryu, 7(s3), 67-71. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.12177
- Antoon JW, Williams DJ, Bruce J, et al. Population-Based Incidence of Influenza-Associated Serious Neuropsychiatric Events in Children and Adolescents. JAMA Pediatr. 2023;177(9):967–969. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.2304 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2807627
- Zareifopoulos, N., Lagadinou, M., Karela, A., Kyriakopoulou, O., & Velissaris, D. (2020). Neuropsychiatric Effects of Antiviral Drugs. Cureus, 12(8), e9536. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.9536
- Hama, R., & Bennett, C. L. (2017). The mechanisms of sudden-onset type adverse reactions to oseltamivir. Acta neurologica Scandinavica, 135(2), 148–160. https://doi.org/10.1111/ane.12629
- Jefferson, T., Jones, M., Doshi, P., Spencer, E. A., Onakpoya, I., & Heneghan, C. J. (2014). Oseltamivir for influenza in adults and children: systematic review of clinical study reports and summary of regulatory comments. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 348, g2545. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g2545
- Jefferson, T., Jones, M. A., Doshi, P., Del Mar, C. B., Hama, R., Thompson, M. J., Spencer, E. A., Onakpoya, I. J., Mahtani, K. R., Nunan, D., Howick, J., & Heneghan, C. J. (2014). Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in adults and children. Cochrane Library. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008965.pub4
- Genentech, Inc. (n.d.). TAMIFLU® (oseltamivir phosphate) capsules, for oral use TAMIFLU® (oseltamivir phosphate) for oral suspension Initial U.S. Approval: 1999. Accessdata.fda.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2024, from https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2019/021087s071,021246s054lbl.pdf
- Pollack, A. (2005, November 18). Childhood Deaths in Japan Bring New Look at Flu Drug. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/health/childhood-deaths-in-japan-bring-new-look-at-flu-drug.html?_r=0
- (2015). Tamiflu Pediatric Adverse Events: Questions and Answers. United States Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/tamiflu-pediatric-adverse-events-questions-and-answers
- Harrington, R., Adimadhyam, S., Lee, T. A., Schumock, G. T., & Antoon, J. W. (2018). The Relationship Between Oseltamivir and Suicide in Pediatric Patients. Annals of family medicine, 16(2), 145–148. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2183
- Kyungmin Huh, Minsun Kang, Dong Hoon Shin, Jinwook Hong, Jaehun Jung, Oseltamivir and the Risk of Neuropsychiatric Events: A National, Population-based Study, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 71, Issue 9, 1 November 2020, Pages e406–e414, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa055
DISCLAIMER: MedShadow provides information and resources related to medications, their effects, and potential side effects. However, it is important to note that we are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content on our site is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Individuals dealing with medical conditions or symptoms should seek guidance from a licensed healthcare professional, such as a physician or pharmacist, who can provide personalized medical advice tailored to their specific circumstances.
While we strive to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented on MedShadow, we cannot guarantee its completeness or suitability for any particular individual’s medical needs. Therefore, we strongly encourage users to consult with qualified healthcare professionals regarding any health-related concerns or decisions. By accessing and using MedShadow, you acknowledge and agree that the information provided on the site is not a substitute for professional medical advice and that you should always consult with a qualified healthcare provider for any medical concerns.
RECOMMENDED:
DONATE:
Help fund our fight for improved medication safety and transparency by supporting our independent journalism.
Give NowWe seek to create a world where there are safer medications for all and where all people are fully informed about their medication benefits and side effects, using our explanatory and investigative journalism to both inform and stimulate public discussion to drive toward solutions.
WEBINARS
Stream our library on demand, including insights on generic drugs and pain management, straight from experts.
WATCH NOW