Would taking Tamiflu pills to prevent N1H1 be as effective as getting the shot series

[greeneyedgirl_1983]

My mom works with medicine, so she's always up-to-date with the latest medical advances. She told me I will have to got a Tamiflu shot this fall to prevent N1H1, but I'm deathly afraid of needles. It's to the point that I have panic attacks and faint after getting shots.
My father thinks my fear is childish, and this hurts me.
I know there is a pill that helps with swine flu. Is it as effective at preventing it as the shot?
I wouldn't mind taking pills every day.

[Annoyed]

Tamiflu is not a medication that prevents you from getting the flu, it helps treat the symptoms of a viral infection once you have it. It's not a 'cure' nor can it be used as a preventative measure. The vaccine that is being developed is your best bet in protecting yourself from the H1N1 virus although it is not 100% guarantee that you will not get infected. They are restricting the use of Tamiflu and other anti viral medications (at least here in Canada). Only patients that have confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus are being given the drug where is the past Dr's had the liberty of prescribing it for anyone demonstrating viral symptoms. I recommend that you take every precaution available to you, get the shot, eat well, stay healthy and most importantly wash your hands regularly. Tell the nurse or Dr about your fear of needles so that they aren't caught by surprise and you don't end up sliding off your chair onto the floor. Look into some meditative techniques or self hypnosis, they have been known to work well for some people.

[John de Witt]

No, it isn't nearly so effective and has considerably more side-effects. It's also more expensive, and your father's right. If that really hurts your feelings, then you've reached the point of an honest-to-God phobia and should consider psychologic help.

[tinmuning]

There's often a misunderstanding whether Tamiflu "prevents" getting the flu or not. For the record, Tamiflu prevents getting sick with the flu (having the symptoms) by preventing the virus from multiplying its cells inside your body, but it does not prevent you from getting the virus. So in a way, you are still infected but you don't get the symptoms. Also you can still infect others.

So far only the capsule form of Tamiflu is available commercially. As a medical personnel myself, further studies are still needed to give the injection form of the drug a go-ahead. Thus, I would recommend sticking with the capsule form for now.