FDA-approved medicationFlu Treatment (oseltamivir and supportive care)
Prescription — short oral antiviral course, with cough or breathing relief as prescribed
A provider-directed flu visit: an oral antiviral if you are inside the treatment window, shipped if prescribed.
$129 One-time supply $32 consultation included, not refunded · medication and shipping if prescribed
Choose your option
One-time supply
Price
$129 for this supply, if prescribed
Includes your $32 provider consultation (non-refundable). If your provider decides treatment isn’t appropriate, the medication portion is refunded automatically.
- Not available in California or South Carolina.
Paying books a visit with a licensed provider, who decides whether to prescribe and which strength is appropriate. If nothing is prescribed, the medication portion is refunded automatically; a higher strength costs more only if you approve that charge.
How it works
FDA-approved for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated influenza in people who have had symptoms for no more than two days. Prescribed by a licensed provider only if appropriate for you.
An influenza virus copies itself inside the cells lining your airway, then buds out to infect the next cell. To break free it needs an enzyme on its own surface, neuraminidase, to cut the tether holding the new virus to the cell it came from. Oseltamivir is a neuraminidase inhibitor: it sits in that enzyme's active site, so newly made virus stays stuck to the cell and the infection spreads more slowly through the airway. That is also why timing matters — the virus peaks within about two days of the first symptoms, and the label window for starting treatment is 48 hours; after that there is less replication left to interrupt. Zanamivir does the same job as an inhaled powder. The rest of the package is symptom care, not antiviral: benzonatate numbs the stretch receptors in the airway that trigger the cough reflex, and albuterol relaxes the smooth muscle of the airways when a chest is tight. None of it is an antibiotic, because influenza is a virus and an antibiotic does nothing to it.
The full mechanismWho it’s for
A provider may consider it when
- Sudden fever, aches, chills and cough that started within the last two days
- You are otherwise healthy and can rest, drink and recover at home
- You want a provider to decide whether an antiviral is worth it in your case — and to say so plainly if it is not
Reasons it may not be prescribed
- Trouble breathing, shortness of breath at rest, chest pain or pressure, or blue lips — call 911 or go to an emergency department; this visit cannot treat that
- Confusion, difficulty staying awake, a seizure, or a fever that comes back worse after improving — emergency care, not a video visit
- A fever over 103°F that does not come down, or severe dehydration — not keeping fluids down, dizziness on standing, very little urine — needs in-person assessment
- Pregnancy — influenza in pregnancy is high-risk and needs same-day contact with your obstetric provider, who may well prescribe an antiviral; this visit is not the route
- Asthma or COPD — inhaled zanamivir is not recommended, and a flu-triggered flare needs a plan with the provider who manages your lungs
- A known allergy to oseltamivir, zanamivir, benzonatate or albuterol — this is a hard stop for that medication
- Under 18 — online treatment here is for adults; a child with flu is seen by their paediatrician
These are the same checks your provider runs in the visit. If one applies, they will tell you plainly — and the medication portion of what you paid comes back automatically.
What to expect
After your visit
If prescribed, the medication ships to you from the partner pharmacy — the price you paid covers the consultation and the medication. If the provider decides an antiviral is not appropriate, the medication portion of your payment is refunded; the consultation fee is not.
Days 1–3
Rest, fluids and the antiviral if you were inside the window. Nausea is the common early complaint with oseltamivir and is milder taken with food. Fever and aches typically ease over several days; the cough usually outlasts everything else.
If it changes course
Feeling better and then worse again, breathlessness, or a fever that climbs after day three are the signals for in-person care — a secondary bacterial pneumonia is the thing to rule out, and that needs an examination.
Important safety information
Oseltamivir: nausea, vomiting and headache are the common ones; serious skin reactions and, mostly reported in children and adolescents, episodes of confusion or abnormal behavior are rare and mean stop and seek care. Benzonatate: drowsiness, dizziness and a numb mouth or throat if the capsule is chewed or dissolved in the mouth — swallow it whole, and keep it away from children, for whom accidental ingestion can be fatal. Albuterol: tremor, a racing heart and nervousness. Zanamivir: bronchospasm, which is why it is avoided in asthma and COPD.
- FDA prescribing information (DailyMed): Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) — indications and usage, mechanism, warnings and precautions, adverse reactions; current label as of 2026
- FDA prescribing information (DailyMed): benzonatate capsules — warnings on accidental ingestion and on chewing or dissolving the capsule; current label as of 2026
- Uyeki TM, Bernstein HH, Bradley JS, et al. Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America: 2018 Update on Diagnosis, Treatment, Chemoprophylaxis, and Institutional Outbreak Management of Seasonal Influenza. Clin Infect Dis. 2019;68(6):e1–e47
- CDC. Influenza Antiviral Medications: Summary for Clinicians, 2024–2025 season — treatment as soon as possible for high-risk and hospitalised patients; may be considered for otherwise healthy outpatients within 48 hours of onset
Complete safety information is provided during your visit and with every prescription. This page is a summary, not a substitute for your provider's advice.
Questions
Will I definitely be prescribed this?
No. A consultation does not guarantee a prescription. A licensed provider reviews when your symptoms started, your history and your risk factors, and prescribes an antiviral only where it is appropriate — outside the 48-hour window in an otherwise healthy adult they may recommend symptom care instead, and they will say why. If they decline, the medication portion of your payment is refunded; the consultation fee is not.
Why won't the provider give me an antibiotic for the flu?
Because influenza is a virus, and antibiotics act on bacteria — on a virus they do nothing except expose you to side effects and push resistance along. If a bacterial complication develops, that is a different visit and usually an in-person one.
Does this replace the flu shot?
No. The oseltamivir label itself says it is not a substitute for annual vaccination. Treatment shortens an infection you already have; the vaccine is what lowers your odds of the next one.
Also for urgent care
$32 consultation included, not refunded · medication and shipping if prescribed
See whether Flu Treatment (oseltamivir and supportive care) is right for you.
A licensed provider reviews your visit and decides. You receive medication only if prescribed, and that portion of your payment is refunded automatically if they say no.