When should antiviral drugs against influenza be used?

Antiviral drugs against influenza are predominantly used for the treatment of influenza. Treatment with influenza antiviral drugs should be started as soon as possible when the first symptoms of the disease are recognized and definitely within 48 hours. It has been shown that the sooner the drugs are used, the more effective they are. When used this way, antiviral drugs can reduce flu symptoms, shorten the time of illness by one to two days and reduce the number of complications. Antivirals against influenza are highly specific and are thus not effective against other virus infections, such as common colds.