The question of how to treat your child, for parents is very important. Therefore, they show great interest in the drugs that are prescribed by the pediatrician. In some cases, this interest flows even into disputes with the child's doctor, about the need to prescribe a particular medicine. In general, this attitude of parents can be caused by preconceived attitudes toward antibiotics.
The choice of a suitable method of treatment and appropriate medications is a very serious and responsible process. The pediatrician, before assigning any medication (especially if it is an antibiotic), analyzes a number of factors related to the state of the child's health and the tolerability of the medication for him. Despite the dislike of parents for strong drugs, doctors sometimes have to appoint them in order to avoid deterioration of the child's health. In this article, we will consider an antibiotic for children, such as azithromycin.
Azithromycin is the most widely used drug related to the macrolide group. It has a bactericidal effect, it is prescribed in case of inflammation. To this drug are susceptible pathogens such as gram-negative bacteria, various streptococci, and some anaerobic microorganisms. Azithromycin does not affect gram-positive bacteria, since they are resistant to erythromycin.
Is it possible to give azithromycin to children?
Long-term experience of using this drug shows that azithromycin is perfectly tolerated even by children up to one year. And most importantly, it is safe and effective in treatment. Azithromycin has several forms of release: a dry mixture, capsules and tablets. A dry mixture of azithromycin is intended for the preparation of syrup for children. To prepare azithromycin syrup for your child, shake the bottle with a dry mixture and add to it 12 ml of distilled water. After the child has drunk the syrup, you should give him a couple of sips of tea or other liquid to wash off the remaining syrup in your mouth.
When do they prescribe azithromycin?
Azithromycin is prescribed mainly for infectious and inflammatory diseases caused by bacteria susceptible to azithromycin. These diseases include: pneumonia, bronchitis, skin and soft tissue infections, sinusitis, otitis media, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, urethritis and Lyme disease. If you suspect that the child has pneumonia, pediatricians immediately prescribe antibiotics, even before the X-ray study. Since, if you do not start timely treatment of this disease, the consequences can be sad. Antibiotics in this case are selected based on the symptoms, clinical picture and the alleged pathogen. And with the assumption of the causative agent of the disease, the age of the child is taken into account. If he is from 1 to 6 months, then most likely the cause of pneumonia is Staphylococcus aureus, and in children aged 1 to 6 years, in most cases, the cause of this disease is Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Dosage of azithromycin for children
On the need to take this drug and how to give azithromycin to children, it is best to consult an experienced specialist. Dosages and the form of azithromycin in many ways depend on the type of disease and the age of the child. So, for example, in the treatment of the upper and lower respiratory tract, on the first day of treatment, 500 mg (two capsules) of this drug are prescribed, at one time. And from the second to the fifth day of treatment, it is recommended to give 250 mg of azithromycin a day to children. On average, the course of treatment with this antibiotic is 3 to 5 days.