Dr. Komarovsky named 6 mistakes in the treatment of children with antibiotics

From 18 to 24 November, a week of correct antibiotic intake is taking place in the world. This does not mean that everyone needs to drink these drugs en masse, but it means that you need to think about how you are taking them. One of the biggest problems today is considered antibiotic resistance - the immunity of microbes to drugs that are supposed to destroy them. It arises from the fact that people drink antibiotics on the first sneeze, and worse, children are treated in the same way. Dr. Komarovsky on his Instagram page listed the typical mistakes of parents when treating children with antibiotics. Even if you've never done this before, take note of them.

Error 1. Self-appointment and self-medication

Antibiotics cannot be prescribed for a child on their own / istockphoto.com

Yes, yes, many adults not only drink antibiotics themselves without a doctor's prescription, but also quite often "prescribe" them to their children. There are three prerequisites for this: mistrust of doctors, the Internet, and the availability of antibiotics in pharmacies.

Let's say a child otitis media beginsand mom gets a doctor's advice. After that, she necessarily "goes" to the Internet and checks the doctor's prescription there. If 80% of netizens drank antibiotics for otitis media, and the doctor did not prescribe them to the child, then this is a bad doctor. The parent goes to the pharmacy and buys the antibiotics himself. It is quite simple to do this: Ukraine is one of the few countries in the world where antibacterial drugs are still sold without a prescription.

In fact, only a doctor can determine if antibiotics are needed in your particular case, in what dosage to take them, and what the course of treatment should be. Especially when it comes to young patients

Mistake 2. Antibiotics "for safety net"

Sometimes it so happens that not only parents 'hands itch' to buy a blister of an antibacterial drug. There are doctors who prescribe antibiotics to "prevent bacterial infections from becoming attached." Yevgeny Komarovsky emphasizes: these drugs do not prevent anything, they are designed to fight against microbes that have already entered the body. And ideally, they should be prescribed only after the patient has done a general blood test (in many laboratories, results can be obtained within 2-3 hours). There are certain markers in its results that allow the doctor to determine whether the cause of the disease is a virus or bacteria. Antibiotics are only taken when the infection is bacterial.

Mistake 3. Local antibiotics

Topical antibiotics are rarely indicated for a child / istockphoto.com

Many parents think that topical antibiotics (in the form of ointments and sprays) are less harmful to the child than systemic antibiotic therapy (taking the drug by mouth). Therefore, we have so popular with antibiotic nasal drops, which are instilled in children at the first runny nose. The logic is simple: the antibiotic will kill bacteria on the mucous membrane, and the child will recover faster. However, firstly, a runny nose is usually caused by viruses, and secondly, the antibiotic destroys not only harmful, but also beneficial microflora of the mucous membrane. Komarovsky notes that for topical use of antibacterial drugs in children there are only two indications - purulent otitis media and purulent conjunctivitis. However, the severity of these diseases is such that they need to be treated only under the supervision of a physician.

Error 4. Self-canceling the drug

Those parents who, on the contrary, are afraid of antibiotics like fire and try not to stuff the child with "chemistry" are "noticed" in this. As soon as the baby gets better, they stop taking the drug. But the background of antibiotic treatment usually gets better on the third day. But against the background of their cancellation, on the fifth day, a relapse of the disease may occur (often with serious complications), and the course of treatment has to be started anew.

Evgeny Komarovsky emphasizes that the duration of antibiotic treatment may be different in each case. It depends on the severity of the disease, on the mechanism of action of the drug, on how it accumulates in the body and how it is removed from it. This knowledge helps the doctor to determine the optimal course of taking the medicine, which will avoid the recurrence of the disease.

Error 5. Taking the same medicine again

Repeated use of the same drugs is not recommended / istockphoto.com

Doctors know: to avoid antibiotic resistance, drugs must be regularly alternated. If a child has a purulent sore throat for the second time in recent months, the doctor will not prescribe the same treatment for you. First, frequent use of the same medication greatly increases the risk of developing allergies in children. Secondly, the recurrence of the disease suggests that in the first case, the drug was ineffective. In no case do not try to treat the disease yourself and copy past doctor's prescriptions. “Then we drank, and it helped us” in the case of antibiotics, it does not work for health.

Error 6. Non-compliance with the rules of admission

For each drug, it is very important to read the instructions for use, and for antibiotics this is doubly important. Among them there are medications that need to be taken at a clear time interval (for example, every 4 hours), you can not drink milk or juice, you should drink during or after meals. It is good if the doctor tells you about this during the appointment, but this is not always the case. As a result, people drink antibiotics "when they remember" and "as necessary." This can affect the effectiveness of the drug and worsen its effect, warns Komarovsky. Therefore, do not be lazy, and be sure to look at the piece of paper that the manufacturer for some reason puts into the package with the drug.

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