Some Benefits To Seeking Out Urgent Care Assistance With The Flu

If you have the flu and are suffering at home, then there are some circumstances where it may be in your best interest to seek out assistance at an urgent care facility. If you are struggling to figure out whether or not you should do this, keep reading to learn about some major advantages to going to urgent care with the flu.

You Can Get Medication

You probably already know that you cannot take antibiotics or any other medication to cure the flu since it is caused by a virus. However, you can receive a specific type of medication that will help to minimize your symptoms and help to reduce the length of the flu overall. The medications are called antivirals, and they are prescription-only medicines that are given to people who are experiencing extreme flu symptoms. If you visit an urgent care center with the flu, then you can receive the medicine or a prescription for it.

Before you can get the medicine, you may need to be tested to see if you actually have the flu. The testing is fairly easy and involves a swab of the nasal passages or the mouth in most cases. The mucus is then used to see if you are positive for one of the strains of the flu and, if so, which one. 

You may be asked some questions about how long you have been experiencing the symptoms and their severity. A general examination will be completed, too, and you will be evaluated for complications, like diarrhea. So, while you can expect to receive your medicine, it may take some time before you receive it from the urgent care center. Keep this in mind because you will not automatically get your antivirals without an exam.

You Can Receive IV Medications

It is extremely easy to become dehydrated when you have the flu. Vomiting and diarrhea are common, and both of these things can lead to extensive fluid loss within hours. And if you are unable to drink water, then it can be difficult to replenish fluids. 

Urgent care centers do have IV fluids available to combat dehydration as soon as possible. IV fluids including regular saline or a fluid with added electrolytes may be offered. This fluid is often called lactated ringers. If your blood sugar levels are low, then fluids with additional sugar content may be needed.

Since IV fluids are intravenous, they provide hydrations that completely bypass the gastrointestinal system, meaning that you do not have to worry about vomiting up the fluid.