Modern antibiotics are artificial preparations made from synthetic compounds, the main task of which is to suppress the activity of certain strains of viruses and bacteria.
Many parents are distrustful of this group of medicines, and do not want to give them to the child.
Let's consider in more detail whether antibiotics can be given to children, and everything related to this.
When can antibiotics be given to children?
Antibacterial therapy can be used to treat a child only if his illness was caused by bacteria.
Direct indications for the appointment of antibiotics are:
1. Severe forms of acute respiratory infections in children from three to ten years, accompanied by high fever and fever.
2. Infectious lesions of the upper and lower respiratory tract (acute purulent sinusitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia, otitis media).
3. Acute urinary tract infections, which are accompanied by high temperature in the child (cystitis, pyelonephritis).
4. Meningitis (inflammation of the brain).
5. Encephalitis.
Despite direct indications, it is up to the attending physician to decide whether or not to prescribe antibiotics to the child, based on the severity of the disease, the symptoms of its course and the general condition of the baby.
It is important to know that improperly selected therapy (the drug itself, dosage, method of administration, etc.) can cause a whole set of side effects in a small patient.
Most often, after taking antibiotics, children develop such complications:
• diarrhea;
• pricks;
• stomach ache;
• nausea;
• vomiting;
• drowsiness;
• digestion disorder;
• dysbiosis;
• bloating;
• loss of appetite;
• allergic reactions in the form of a rash and itching of the skin;
• violation in the nervous system (apathy, sleep disturbance, nervousness, etc.).
In more severe cases (often happens with unauthorized administration of the drug to the child), the baby may develop tooth enamel disturbance, growth retardation, hearing loss and impaired renal function.
Are antibiotics possible for children: features of the purpose of these drugs
When a child is sick, then the parents do their best to help him. Despite this, it is very important not to harm your baby, wishing him the best. This often happens during outpatient treatment, when the patient is at home. Adults can arbitrarily begin to treat the child and give him drugs, the effects of which they do not know enough.
In addition, it is important to know that the calculation of the dosage taken (based on the age and weight of the baby) plays a very important role in the proper use of antibiotics. If you treat a child with a too large dose of the drug, then this can be extremely negatively reflected in his state of health.
Despite the fact that antibacterial drugs are considered one of the most powerful, they do not have such healing properties:
• do not lower body temperature (for this you need to take antipyretic drugs separately);
• do not relieve pain (analgesics are intended for this);
• does not relieve inflammation (for this, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed).
The main objective of these drugs is to eliminate the focus of infection - bacteria and germs. In other cases, taking them is contraindicated.
Also, antibiotics should never be given to a baby without a medical prescription, and the reception itself must be controlled (it is best if such therapy will be carried out in a hospital under medical supervision).
Separately, it is worth mentioning those cases when parents refuse to give the child an already prescribed drug, justifying this by the fact that the medicine can harm the baby's body.
In this case, the doctor does not have the right to insist, however, it is worth knowing that when prescribing a particular drug, the doctor always weighs the benefits of the medicine with the possible risks of taking it. In addition, without proper indications in the patient's condition, the responsible doctor will never prescribe treatment with such drugs.
Reception of antibiotics has such features that it is important to consider in order to protect the child from undesirable consequences:
1. The selection of the drug should be carried out taking into account the age of the patient (for example, children under 8 years old should not be given tetracyclines).
2. The drug should be taken orally (by mouth). In pediatrics, this method of administration is considered the least painful.
3. It is better to give preference to those antibiotics that contain a minimum of dyes and sugar (so as not to cause allergic reactions).
4. It is necessary to give the child exactly the dose of medicine that was prescribed by the doctor - no less and no more.
5. It is important to observe the duration of treatment prescribed by the doctor. At the same time, it often happens that parents, after a three-day course of treatment, themselves stop taking the medicine, because they see improvements in the condition of the baby. Despite this, a full course of therapy (5-7 days) should be taken so that the drug can completely suppress the focus of infection.
6. Do not combine taking antibiotics with antihistamines (this can cause adverse reactions).
7. If the baby has allergies or other negative symptoms during treatment, you should inform your doctor. If necessary, he will cancel the medicine and replace it with a similar therapeutic effect.
8. It is strictly forbidden to give a child antibiotics that have already expired (they may be toxic).
Can all antibiotics be available to children?
The child's body is not yet strong enough to the effects of certain groups of drugs, so not all types of antibiotics can be prescribed for a child.
The most dangerous for children are the following antibiotics:
1. Aminoglycoisides (Kanamycin, Gentamicin). When injected into children under eight years of age, they can cause deafness. Also, with their long-term use, the child may have impaired functioning of the kidneys and urinary system. The maximum course of treatment with such drugs should be no more than four to five days.
2. Tetracyclines. They are dangerous in that they can slow growth and increase blood pressure. Also, with their long-term use, the baby's tooth enamel may become thinner. Prescribing them to children under three years of age is strictly contraindicated.
3. Chloramphenicol may cause disturbances in the central nervous system.
4. Ceftriaxone may cause dysbiosis in the patient. Children are not recommended to prescribe it at any age.
Children can be given antibiotics, and sometimes it is even vital, because sometimes they can save the life of a small person.
