Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

MARQUETTE COUNTY -- It's estimated that nearly 60 million people come down with the flu each year.  The best way to prevent influenza is by getting a flu shot, and not getting vaccinated increases your risk of becoming sick. So what are some symptoms of the flu?

"High grade fever, muscle aches, often a cough, occasionally it can be associated with diarrhea.  Usually, it's an abrupt onset.  Patients will say in the morning, I woke up and felt fine, and at two o'clock, I started feeling really crummy," describes Dr. Chris Dehlin.

Antibiotics will not help treat the infection, so typically patients will need to use over the counter products such as Tylenol, Robitussin, and Mucinex.  Combination products such as Theraflu and DayQuil are also available to treat a wide range of symptoms, but they should be used with caution.

"They work well.  The main thing that we want to keep in mind is that they do have a combination of products.  So, for instance, a lot of them have Tylenol in them.  So if you're taking Tylenol along with these combination products, there's a potential to ingest too much Tylenol, and that can lead to issues," explains Pharmacist Tyler Jerema.

It's still important to see your doctor if you think you might have the flu since they can prescribe an anti-viral medicine which can shorten the life of the flu.

"There are several, but the most common ones that we think of are a product called Tamiflu, or also a product called Relenza, that are available by prescription," Jerema says.

Although medicines will help to treat the symptoms of the flu, doctors say the most important thing you can do if you have influenza is make sure you're getting plenty of rest.  Stay home from school or work for at least 24 hours after your fever breaks to avoid contaminating others.