Can A Child Be Given An Antibiotic And Is It Necessary?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Can children drink antibiotics?

The drugs of this pharmaceutical group are prescribed exclusively for bacterial infections. These can be serious conditions such as meningitis or pneumonia that threaten the child's life. Treatment of such infections takes place in a hospital based on the results of laboratory tests and medical supervision of the patient.

Treatment of diseases of moderate and mild severity most often occurs on an outpatient basis, that is, at home. The doctor prescribes an antibiotic based on the examination of the child and the symptoms given by the parents.

In both cases, he is guided by the following principles:

• Timely prescription of effective drugs with proven effectiveness.
• Use antibiotics only when needed.

It is quite difficult to visually tell the difference between viral and bacterial infections. Currently, there are no laboratory methods that can quickly clarify the source of respiratory infection. It is known that rhinitis and acute bronchitis are viral in nature, and sinusitis and acute otitis media arise from the action of bacteria.

It follows that antibiotic treatment of acute respiratory tract infections should be differentiated.

With a cold and bronchitis. Antibiotics are not used to treat these diseases. Nevertheless, parents begin to give them 1-2 days after the onset of cough and fever in a child, fearing that such a complication of bronchitis as pneumonia will appear. Such measures will not help prevent pneumonia.

Pneumonia symptoms:

• A significant increase in body temperature;
• Dyspnea;
• Coughing.

Correction of the treatment regimen when such symptoms appear is carried out by a doctor. If, of all the above symptoms, only a fever is present for 3 days, antibiotics should not be used. In viral infections, hyperthermia for 3-7 days is a natural phenomenon. Low-grade fever (+ 37 + 37.5 ° C) is not a sign of a bacterial infection, but a consequence of other reasons.

A viral infection is characterized by a prolonged cough when the child's condition improves against the background of a normal temperature. Antibiotics are not a cough suppressant that can be effectively treated with folk remedies. Cough is a defensive reaction to clear mucus from the airways and is one of the last symptoms of the disease to disappear. Prolonged cough lasting for 3-4 weeks requires etiology clarification.

With otitis media. In about half of cases of acute otitis media, it is of bacterial origin. However, until recently, antibiotics were prescribed to all patients with this diagnosis. The clinical picture of otitis media includes severe pain lasting 1-2 days. Then the picture of the disease changes for the better, pain and inflammation subside. After 2 days, symptoms persist in only 30% of children. According to research, antibiotics can be effective in only one in twenty cases of acute otitis media.

The remaining 19 children, who were prescribed antibiotics without reason, will not suffer. 2-3 babies may develop skin rashes, diarrhea, symptoms that quickly pass. Prescribing antibiotics does not guarantee that purulent complications will not appear. Complications occur both in children who have taken antibacterial drugs and in those who have not taken them.

In modern pediatrics, there is a standard for the treatment of acute otitis media with antibiotics. They are prescribed even with a possible diagnosis of acute otitis media for all children under 6 months. When treating children from six months to 2 years old, the tactic of waiting is used, when, with a mild course of otitis media, they are limited to observing the baby. The child is given analgesics and antipyretic drugs for 1-2 days. If during this time his condition does not improve, antibiotic treatment is started.

The leading role in this tactic is assigned to the parents of the child. They should correctly assess the signs of the disease, the dynamics of pain, the addition of new symptoms to the previous symptoms - cough, rash. In order not to miss the right time, it is advisable to take care of the antibiotic prescription prescribed by the doctor in advance.

Treatment of otitis media in children over 2 years old also begins with waiting and observing the baby for 2 days. An exception to this rule is a severe course of otitis media, high fever, severe pain. (read also: Purulent, catarrhal, exudative and otitis media in children)

With pneumonia (pneumonia). Confirmed diagnosis or suspicion of pneumonia requires special antibiotic tactics. Half of the cases of pneumonia in children 5-6 years old are caused by viruses. Children over 6 years of age are more likely to develop pneumonia of a bacterial nature (the causative agent is pneumococcus). Infection with this virus entails such severe manifestations of the disease that the diagnosis of pneumonia is always an indication for the prescription of antibiotics.

Content:

• Can I give a child with antibiotic antipyretic?
• Should an antibiotic be given to a child at a temperature?
• Can a child walk while taking antibiotics?
• Can antibiotics be used for children under one year old?
• List of antibiotics that can be prescribed to a child
• What is the right way to give antibiotics to children?
• The consequences of taking antibiotics
• Recovery of the child's body after antibiotic treatment
• Can a child be cured without antibiotics?

Can I give a child with antibiotic antipyretic?

According to pediatricians, any antipyretic drug intended for children should be given at an elevated temperature. The combination of these drugs with antibiotics is not dangerous for the child. It is important to reduce the elevated temperature in a timely manner.

Should an antibiotic be given to a child at a temperature?

An increase in body temperature is the reaction of the human body's immune system to the invasion of viruses or bacteria, the development of autoimmune diseases, and tumor processes. The abundance of reasons causing the temperature does not give reason to use antibiotics immediately after the onset of a temperature or fever. The physician must first determine the cause of the hyperthermia.

Symptoms such as chills, cough, sore throat - 90% are symptoms of SARS or flu. With these viral infections, it is useless to take antibiotics, since such a load will weaken the immune system and suppress the beneficial microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.

If a bacterial factor has joined the viral component, antibiotics are prescribed. It is quite difficult to note such a transformation even for a doctor, not to mention the parents of the child, the symptoms of viral and bacterial damage to the respiratory tract are so similar. A possible symptom of a bacterial complication is a persistent increase in temperature within a week, or an increase after the onset of the disease.

Diseases accompanied by hyperthermia:

• Acute otitis media of the middle ear;
• Sinusitis, or inflammation of the paranasal sinuses;
• Complications of a purulent nature (lymphadenitis, laryngotracheitis).

The doctor selects antibiotics based on laboratory data and the clinical picture of the disease. If the drug is selected correctly, after 1.5-2 days after the start of treatment with antibacterial drugs, the temperature begins to decrease. Otherwise, the medicine is replaced with another remedy. Too early discontinuation of treatment leads to relapses of the disease or its transition to a chronic form.

Can a child walk while taking antibiotics?

Walking in the fresh air is very useful for a speedy recovery and rehabilitation of a child after an illness. Even if he is undergoing antibiotic treatment, the baby should walk daily, provided that he is not assigned to bed rest, there is no increased body temperature. It is important to dress the child in accordance with the weather, avoiding hypothermia and staying in a draft.

Can antibiotics be used for children under one year old?

Babies are prescribed antibiotics in exceptional cases - if a diagnosis of "bacterial infection" is made, confirmed by laboratory tests.

List of antibiotics that can be prescribed to a child

It is most convenient to use antibiotics in the form of a suspension or syrup to treat children. Suppositories with antibacterial drugs do not exist in the composition, and injections are used in the absence of similar dosage forms. If you prolong the course of antibiotic treatment, use them too often, the drugs do not work due to addiction to them. To restore the intestinal microflora, probiotics are simultaneously taken in the form of lactic acid products or in the form of a drug.

List of antibiotics for treating children:

• Treatment of pathologies of the respiratory system - a group of macrolides: Sumamed, Azithromycin, Hemomycin.
• Treatment of pneumonia and bronchitis - a group of penicillins: Amoxicillin, Augmentin, Ampicillin, Flemoxin Solutab, Amoxiclav.
• Treatment of ENT diseases, as well as use with a prolonged course of treatment for the prevention of addiction - a group of cephalosporins: Zinnat Aksetin, Cefuroxime axetil, Zinacef.
• Treatment of complex pathologies in case of ineffectiveness of other antibiotics - the group of Ftoquinolones: Avelox, Levofloxacin.

These drugs are used for bacterial infections. Treatment is carried out as prescribed by a doctor, accompanied by a special diet.

For the treatment of ENT pathologies (otitis media, sinusitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis), diseases of the urinary system, antibiotics from the group of macrolides, penicillins, cephalosporins are used. Treatment of intestinal infections is less often treated with antibiotics, using enteroseptics (Biseptol, Intetrix, Ercefuril). In difficult cases, the appointment of Amoxicillin, Cefalexin is permissible.

For the prevention of diseases, antibacterial drugs are not prescribed. The doctor should tell in detail about the features of taking this or that remedy, warn about possible side effects.

What is the right way to give antibiotics to children?

The most important rule is that antibacterial agents for the treatment of children are used only as directed by a doctor. Their use must be under strict adult supervision. It is not at all necessary that drugs that help one child recover quickly will necessarily be effective in treating other children. Diseases with the same symptoms can have different origins. Children's organisms are so different from each other in many ways that antibiotics must be prescribed individually in each specific case. Indications for taking drugs in this group are bacterial or fungal infections.

Antibiotic treatment rules:

• The pediatrician prescribes medicines for the child;
• Parents strictly observe the dosage and frequency of administration of the drug;
• It is necessary to adhere to the method recommended in the instructions - the instructions for the time of admission regarding food;
• The child is treated while on bed rest;
• When treating newborns or breastfed children with antibiotics, they should be applied to the breast as often as possible;
• Treatment of preschoolers and younger students is accompanied by an abundant intake of fluid by the child;
• If there is an adverse reaction to taking an antibiotic or there is no positive dynamics in the state of health, you should inform the pediatrician about it;
• It is impossible to prematurely end the course of treatment begun, even with a significant improvement in the condition.

The consequences of taking antibiotics

Despite the benefits of using antibacterial drugs, they have a sufficient number of side effects harmful to the child's body. Most often, a child develops intestinal dysbiosis due to an imbalanced microflora balance. This condition is characterized by bloating, constipation, flatulence, and diarrhea. Unpleasant symptoms can be avoided if the doctor's recommendations are followed exactly.

Frequent consequences of antibiotic treatment in children:

• allergic dermatitis;
• tachycardia (increased heart rate);
• candidiasis of the oral mucosa;
• nausea;
• burning and dryness of the nasal mucosa (when using drops with antibiotics);
• anaphylactic shock.

If these symptoms appear, you should stop taking the prescribed drugs and seek medical attention. The attending physician will definitely select a safe product with an antibacterial effect. It is possible that the reason for such violations was inaccurate adherence to the instructions for use, non-compliance with the dosage.

Recovery of the child's body after antibiotic treatment

You should not give up antibiotics due to the high risk of side effects for the child. There is much that parents can do to support their child's body during antibiotic therapy. For infants feeding on breast milk, lactobacilli should be applied to the breast more often than usual to colonize the intestines.

In bottle-fed babies, the restoration of the intestinal microflora is carried out with the help of preparations with bifidobacteria: Linex, Bifidumbacterin, Hilak forte. Additional measures to support the body are enrichment of the diet, the introduction of fermented milk products into it.

If an allergy to the components of the drug appears, it is immediately canceled, the manifestations of antihistamines are stopped: Ketotifen, Loratadin, Claritin, Tsetrin, Diazolin. In any case, you should carefully monitor the reaction of the child's body to antibiotics, follow the instructions for use.

Can a child be cured without antibiotics?

If, with a cold, ARVI immediately apply complex treatment (bed rest, diet, inhalations, folk remedies, rubbing, rinsing the nose, drinking vitamin drinks), the manifestations of the disease can be stopped without consequences in the shortest possible time. However, most often the doctor does not hesitate to prescribe antibiotics to the child. The reason for this is the high risk of complications in today's immunocompromised children.

Both the pediatrician and the parents are reinsured, fearing a relapse of the disease, the appearance of complications.

Complications of bacterial rhinitis:

• The appearance of a thick, yellowish discharge from the nose with an unpleasant odor;
• Heat;
• The spread of infection to the pharynx, tonsils, the appearance of a cough;
• Development of sinusitis (headache when bending over, pressing on the sinuses);
• Intoxication with bacteria waste products (headache, nausea, dizziness).

Complications of otitis media:

• Inner ear inflammation (labyrinthitis) - dizziness, tinnitus, hearing loss, nystagmus, imbalance, nausea, vomiting;
• Paralysis of the facial nerve;
• Inflammatory process in the area of the temporal bone - mastoiditis, zygomatsitis;
• Sepsis;
• Meningitis;
• Encephalitis;
• Brain abscess
• Cicatricial processes in the tympanic membrane, bearing persistent hearing loss.

Complications of pneumonia in children:

• Intrapulmonary destruction - suppuration in the form of an abscess at the site of a cellular infiltrate, accompanied by increased cough, pyopneumotrax.
• Synpneumonic pleurisy - the appearance in the pleura of a purulent, hemorrhagic or fibrinous-purulent exudate.
• Metapneumonic pleurisy - the appearance of fibrin in the pleura, pericarditis, temperature, fever.
• Pyopneumotrax - an increase in the volume of air in the pleural region due to the breakthrough of an abscess, accompanied by acute pain, respiratory failure.

Do not take antibiotics uncontrollably in order to avoid the development of microorganism resistance to them.

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.