Do antibiotics hurt? The benefits and harms of antibiotics for the body. How to take antibiotics without harm to health: features and recommendations. How antibiotics affect and act on viruses and inflammation

Antibiotics

Why antibiotics will soon be less effective against some diseases? Antibiotic is a drug that can treat infectious diseases caused by bacteria.

Antibiotics have a targeted effect on the inhibition or destruction of microorganisms, with the exception of viruses, which they do not affect.

The effectiveness of antibiotics in people with pneumonia, meningitis, and many other infectious diseases is well established. However, their use in other cases is more questionable when administered to millions of people with mild or minor infections, such as skin infections or colds. Because antibiotics do not affect viruses.
Unlike bacteria, viruses are not cells.

The first synthetic antibiotic opened a new path to fight many diseases previously considered incurable.

To survive, living organisms must be able to defend themselves against pests or organisms that can harm them. Some fungi, for example, have toxins to kill bacteria thought to grow in their environment. These toxins are called antibiotics. Antibiotics can be grouped into several families according to their mode of action. Some of them are able to inhibit the synthesis of the bacterial wall, others - on the plasma membrane of bacterial cells.

Too high antibiotic intake promotes bacterial resistance. In fact, the more an antibiotic is used, or the more it is consumed, the more microbes react to create "mutants", strains that are highly resistant to antibiotics. Some of them will be able to resist some or all of the antibiotics!

As a result common infections are on the rise. For example, the incidence of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea increased by more than 400% between 2013 and 2014.

What is still more - the benefits or harms of antibiotics for children?

Yes, it is already difficult for us to do without antibiotics. Both adults and children.

It is thanks to the invention of antibiotics that mankind has learned to defeat various bacterial infections, increase life expectancy, reduce the percentage of disabling complications after diseases such as tonsillitis, pneumonia, Lyme disease, tuberculosis, etc.

Unfortunately, there is a downside to this progressive discovery...

Like any medication, antibiotics can harm the body. Especially small and fragile.

Recently, the topic of the harm of antibiotics for children is very relevant, as more and more often we are faced with the unreasonable prescription of antibiotics to children, for example, with a common cold.

So, let's look at what harm do antibiotics do to children?

Perhaps the most unpleasant side effect of antibiotic therapy is dysbacteriosis, that is, intestinal upset.

You probably know that microorganisms live in our large intestine - bacteria, protists. By the way, protists are, like bacteria, single-celled living organisms. But bacteria do not have a nucleus in their cell, while protists have a nucleus.

Symbiosis is a mutually beneficial cohabitation. This is such a mutually beneficial cohabitation that we have developed with our intestinal microflora.

Microbes find a comfortable place to live and feed in our intestines. They help us to partially digest fiber, since our body does not know how to do this, they synthesize vitamins of group B and vitamin K for us (important for normal blood clotting).

There are other processes in our intestines, where the participation of intestinal microflora is mandatory.

An unequivocal conclusion: we can’t do without microbes in the large intestine.

What happens to these microbes when we take antibiotics? And the same as with those pathogens against which we fight with the help of antibiotics.

Based on the very name "antibiotic" ( anti- "against" and bios- "life"), it is clear that the drug is directed against a living microorganism.

An antibiotic inhibits or kills all microorganisms that are sensitive to it. At the same time, he does not make out whether he is a friend or an enemy, whether he is useful to us or harmful.

The action of antibiotics of various groups is aimed at the destruction (bactericidal action) or suppression of reproduction (bacteriostatic action) of bacteria that cause the disease.

At the same time, not only pathogenic microbes, but also representatives of normal microflora, for example, mucous membranes and intestines, are subject to destructive action.

As a result, the balance of beneficial flora is disturbed. The more sensitive microorganisms die, the more resistant survive.

In the intestines, fungi or more resistant flora, such as staphylococci, begin to predominate. The colonies of these representatives of the flora grow and, thus, “thrush” (candidiasis) or “dysbiosis” problems with the intestines appear.

Important: Antibiotics do not work on viruses!

It must be understood that antibiotics are quite strong and serious drugs that only doctors should prescribe to both children and adults.

With proper use under the supervision of a competent doctor, dysbacteriosis with short courses of antibiotics is not necessary.

Very often, parents perceive liquefied stools when taking antibiotics containing clavulanic acid (Amoxiclav or Flemoklav Salutab) as a dysbacteriosis that has begun.

In fact, clavulanic acid itself has an irritating effect on the intestinal mucosa and increases its motility, which is manifested by frequent and more loose stools.

But at the same time, the stool does not have a pungent odor (sour or putrefactive) and pathological impurities, as with the pathological growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Moreover, liquefied stools at the beginning of an antibiotic course cannot be considered a dysbacteriosis. This process cannot develop instantly.

With long courses of antibiotics (more than 7-10 days), the development of dysbacteriosis is quite possible. Therefore, more and more often, in parallel or after taking antibiotics, a course of biological preparations is prescribed to restore beneficial intestinal microflora.

Forced to take a stronger antibiotic

During the existence of antibiotics, microorganisms have learned to adapt to them. Microbes can mutate frequently. As a result of mutations, more stable forms appear and multiply.

So, many microorganisms have received resistance (resistance) to drugs. Some even "learned" to produce special enzymes that destroy the antibiotic itself.

By the way, the mentioned clavulanic acid is added to the antibiotic Amoxicillin to prevent the destruction of the antibiotic by beta-lactamases - enzymes that bacteria have learned to produce.

The more often an antibiotic is used, the faster and more successfully the bacteria adapt to it, form resistance.

There is a need to synthesize and use more and more new, stronger drugs, even in children's practice.

We often cause such a need ourselves, by incorrectly using antibiotics or drawing wrong conclusions about the results of their action.

Here is a simple example. The unjustified prescription of an antibiotic, for example, in case of a viral infection (I remind you: antibiotics do not act on viruses), leads to the fact that we do not get the effect from it.

And this is falsely regarded as antibiotic resistance. As a result, a stronger antibiotic is prescribed next ... Although, in fact, there was no need for this.

Therefore, antibiotics should be prescribed only when a bacterial process is confirmed.

And the choice of the drug must be approached rationally, that is, based on the mechanism of action and the direction of the antibiotic (spectrum of action) on a certain group of bacteria.

This is equally true for both adults and children.

allergic reactions

Unjustified or irrational prescription of antibiotics to children increases the risk of adverse reactions (for example, allergic manifestations), disruption of the enzymatic work of the gastrointestinal tract, etc.

However, such reactions are not excluded during antibiotic therapy according to indications. This can happen if the child has an increased sensitivity to the drug or its components, as well as in violation of the instructions.

Negative impact on organs and systems

Liver is the universal cleaning factory of our body.

Most of the hazards that the liver has to deal with enter the human body through the digestive system.

Therefore, all the blood that flows from the intestines, before going to the heart, passes through the liver. For all the "sweets" with which we indulge ourselves, the liver has to pay with its dead cells.

During antibiotic treatment, the load on the liver increases markedly.

Therefore, the more often she has to cope with the toxic effects of drugs, the greater the risk of damage to this organ.

Over time, this can lead to the formation of inflammatory processes in the structures of the liver and gallbladder, weakening of the enzymatic function.

kidneys are also a kind of filtering station. Most antibiotics, more precisely, their decay products, are excreted from the body by the urinary system.

Some metabolic products of nephrotoxic (negatively affecting the kidneys) antibiotics can damage the epithelial cells that line the inner surface of the kidneys.

In pediatric practice, such drugs are not used. Only in some cases, with confirmed resistance of the microbe that causes the disease, a nephrotoxic antibiotic can be prescribed for health reasons. Provided the proven sensitivity of bacteria to it.

Stomach also suffers from antibiotic treatment. Some drugs can provoke an increase in the secretion of gastric juice. Thus, they can contribute to an increase in acidity in the stomach.

Therefore, it is important to take such drugs strictly after meals. This allows you to minimize the irritating effect on the gastric mucosa.

Also, taking antibiotics on an empty stomach is often accompanied by abdominal pain, bloating, or nausea.

Not all antibiotics need to be taken after a meal. Some, on the contrary, are taken strictly one hour before meals or two hours after (Azithromycin, Macropen).

Therefore, special attention should be paid to observing the method and time of taking antibacterial drugs in order to minimize the possible harm from them.

Ears may also be affected by the use of antibiotics. There are antibiotics with varying degrees of ototoxicity.

The ototoxic effect of drugs consists in the destructive effect of drugs on sensitive cells (cochlear hair cells) of the inner ear and auditory nerve.

Ototoxicity manifests itself:

constant tinnitus;
hearing loss;
violation of the vestibular apparatus (dizziness when changing posture, instability of gait).

Ototoxic drugs include antibiotics of the Aminoglycoside group - Streptomycin, Neomycin, Gentamicin, Amikacin, Tobramycin, Netilmicin.

Such drugs in pediatric practice are used only for health reasons.

What will help minimize the harm of antibiotics to the child's body?

Reception according to indications

Unreasonable or uncontrolled use of antibiotics increases the risk of the above side effects of antibiotic therapy.

If antibiotics are prescribed to a child often and not always on business, then in case of serious bacterial processes (pneumonia, pyelonephritis), when the body really needs them, they will not be able to help. Due to the formation of bacterial resistance to most antibiotics.

Also, if a doctor prescribed an antibiotic to a child, who quickly and successfully coped with the disease, this does not mean at all that you can repeatedly treat the supposedly “same” thing with the same antibiotic on your own.

Parents should always remember and tell the doctor, for example, when they get to the hospital, what antibiotics their baby has recently taken, what medications the child had any reactions or allergies to.

If you can not remember complex medical names - write it down in a notebook. But this information should always be at hand.

It should also be borne in mind that the same antibiotic can be sold by a pharmacy under different commercial names.

Always pay attention to the international name of the drug, written in small letters under the main name (more often written in Latin).

We complete the necessary course of treatment

Here is an example of what not to do.

For a urinary tract infection, such as cystitis, antibiotics help relieve all symptoms very quickly. As a result, literally on the second day the child does not complain of pain and burning during urination, is cheerful and active.

And parents often stop taking an antibiotic halfway through. The result is that the inflammatory process is not suppressed, but muffled. Such a process quickly turns from an acute form into a chronic one.

Moreover, not destroyed, but "lured" by an antibiotic, bacteria often manage to reproduce abundant offspring that are resistant to the antibiotic.

scheduled appointment

Do not skip the prescribed antibiotic. Otherwise, the treatment may not give the desired effect.

A double or triple dose is not in vain. This technique allows you to ensure a constant concentration of the antibacterial drug in the body, so as not to give bacteria the slightest chance to survive and multiply.

In the modern world, there is no problem to install an application on your phone that would remind you of taking your medicine on time.

Taking with other medicines

Some doctors advise taking antibiotics with antihistamines (allergy medicines).

I consider this technique unreasonable, since there is no enhancement of the therapeutic effect from such a combination.

Moreover, there is an important negative effect of combining an antibiotic with an antiallergic agent.

With the development of an allergic reaction to an antibiotic when it is taken “in its pure form”, without combination with other drugs, we may notice a rash from the very first dose of the medicine.

This will allow you to take the necessary measures in time, for example, cancel the drug, replace it with another one.

Whereas, taking an antibiotic in parallel with antiallergic drugs, there is a high risk of noticing an allergic reaction immediately, but only after a day or more.

In this case, the child will drink much more of the “inappropriate” medicine. And then the situation is much more difficult to correct.

Some drugs categorically cannot be taken at the same time as antibiotics, a two-hour gap in the time they are taken must be maintained.

Such a preparation is, for example, activated charcoal. Soaking up "everything and everything", it significantly reduces the effect of the antibiotic.

Also Acetylcysteine (ACC) cannot be taken with an antibiotic at the same time. The reason is that with the simultaneous use of Acetylcysteine (ACC) with antibiotics (Tetracycline, Ampicillin, Amphotericin B), their chemical interaction with the thiol group of Acetylcysteine is possible.

In the instructions for ACC, the manufacturer indicates that a break of 2 hours is required between taking the antibiotic and ACC. Read the instructions before taking, or better, clarify the rules for taking the drug while you are in the doctor's office.

Also, do not confuse an antibiotic with an antipyretic.

Many mothers ask me the question: “If the child has a temperature of 38.5 degrees, and I have already given him the prescribed antibiotic, can I immediately give him an antipyretic as well? Or will the antibiotic bring down the temperature?

The antibiotic does not bring down the temperature. Of course, you need to give an antipyretic.

The antibiotic acts on the cause of the disease - the bacterium, and after the cause is eliminated, the inflammatory reactions go away by themselves.

Only the struggle of an antibiotic and bacteria does not give a result at once. Therefore, during treatment with antibiotics, the temperature may persist for some time. And during this period, an additional antipyretic is required.

Rehabilitation after an antibiotic: is it necessary?

Many parents after suffering a serious bacterial infection (tonsillitis, pneumonia) do not attach importance to the recommendations of doctors about a sparing regimen for a child.

This regimen consists in limiting contact with sick children after an illness, observing moderation in food, especially when it comes to animal fats, health promotion, outdoor walks, moderate physical activity, etc.

And when these recommendations are not followed, the child goes to the team and falls ill again, then, as a rule, they blame not a serious infection that crippled the child’s health, but the “unfortunate” antibiotic with which he was treated.

Summary of this article: Undoubtedly, antibiotics are not that safe, but leaving a child without them with a bacterial infection means exposing him to a much greater risk of complications than with antibiotic treatment.

That is why the decision on the appointment of an antibiotic should be made by a doctor, assessing the condition of the child and the results of his examination.

Elena Borisova-Tsarenok, a practicing pediatrician and twice mother, told you about the dangers of antibiotics for children.

Antibiotic (antibiotic) Translated from Latin "Against Life".

In fact, antibiotics were created to inhibit the reproduction and growth of the simplest microorganisms, which are precisely pathogenic bacteria. A high concentration of substances that affect cells cannot but affect the body, but when it comes to treating a dangerous disease, it is better to soberly assess the risk-benefit ratio of antibiotics.

Strictly observing the rules for taking antibiotics, you can quickly cope with the disease, while the damage to health in general will be minimal. Conversely, uncontrolled use of drugs is dangerous, so it is especially important to have an idea about the benefits and harms of antibacterial substances.

Harm

Antibiotics: harm to the body

Probably, few of us think that a person lives in the world of bacteria. They live both inside and outside of us. Antibiotics really deal a strong blow to pathogenic bacteria, but at the same time they cause irreparable harm to the whole organism.

The first antibiotics were of natural origin, they were obtained from mold fungi - penicillin, biomycin. And they had a narrow spectrum of action, did not affect the beneficial microflora. They did not cause damage to the body, since its microflora is already adapted to the substances they contain - for example, these are moldy foods.

Antibiotics of the new generation are being developed synthetically, they have the widest spectrum of action, but they kill almost all bacteria - there is not selective (selective), but total elimination of almost all bacteria in the body (including beneficial microflora). But at the same time, the pathogenic microflora very quickly adapts to such antibiotics, literally in 2-3 months new strains appear that are resistant to these antibiotics.

The beneficial microflora recovers much more slowly, and it turns out that we only cause damage to our body by killing the intestinal microflora, which is an integral part of our immunity. The macro organism lives in symbiosis with this microflora and practically cannot exist without it.

Thus, taking antibiotics disrupts the natural microflora, resulting in a sharp drop in immunity. And then, there is an easy opportunity for the penetration of many pathogens into the body - this is how a person becomes ill with severe diseases. Therefore, after treatment with synthetic antibiotics, the body becomes practically unprotected from various dangerous pathogens.

Side effects from antibiotics

They definitely have side effects, especially if you take artificial drugs for a long time, which leads to complications, and even death.

Antibiotics are designed to aggressively interfere with the vital activity of microorganisms. The aiming accuracy of the effect of drugs on pathogenic bacteria is the goal of numerous research and development, which has not yet been achieved. Therefore, taking antimicrobial agents has a number of side effects and can adversely affect health and well-being. The following consequences are considered especially serious:

Malformations of the fetus during pregnancy, therefore, taking antibiotics in the 1st and 2nd trimesters of pregnancy is strictly prohibited and is possible only in extreme cases.
Weakened immunity and health problems in infants, so antibiotics are not prescribed during breastfeeding.
Irritation of the mucous membranes of the stomach, exacerbation of ulcerative and pre-ulcerative conditions, imbalance of microflora in the intestine.
Violations in the liver, kidneys and gallbladder with individual intolerance to antibacterial components.
Severe allergic reactions, accompanied by severe itching, rashes, and in rare cases, swelling.
Disturbances in the work of the vestibular apparatus, disorders of the nervous system, accompanied by auditory and visual hallucinations.

Sensation!

In some cases, there may be individual reactions from the nervous and circulatory systems, liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.

Synthetic hormonal preparations are especially dangerous. They destroy the endocrine system so much that after taking them, it will have to be restored for a long time by natural means. They can give complications to the most important organs and systems of the body, causing serious harm to your health.

Under the influence of antibiotics, the body loses its ability to independently resist various infections. And besides, their widespread use has led to the fact that it has become the cause of the emergence of bacterial strains that are resistant to these drugs. After all, now doctors prescribe such drugs at the peak of viral diseases.

Even some diapers are treated with antibiotic drugs.

Benefit

The benefits of antibiotics

Despite the sharp criticism of antibiotics, they are nevertheless considered one of the most significant discoveries in the history of mankind. If before their invention people died from the common cold, today antibacterial drugs are able to cope with serious diseases that were previously considered incurable.

Pneumonia, tuberculosis, gastrointestinal infections, sexually transmitted diseases, blood poisoning, and post-operative complications - correctly and timely prescribed antimicrobials will help to cope with serious conditions, minimizing the risk of complications as much as possible.

In addition, modern antibiotics belonging to the synthetic group are based on the latest developments: their administration is relatively safe, and the concentration of active antibacterial components in a single dose of the drug is calculated with the greatest possible accuracy. In the treatment of some antimicrobials, even the use of alcohol is allowed, but the risk is still not recommended. Otherwise, the benefits of antibiotics can turn into harm.

Indications for the use of antibiotics

Taking antibacterial drugs is advisable for the following diseases:

Infectious diseases of the nasopharynx: sinusitis, sinusitis, diphtheria, etc.
Diseases of the skin and mucous membranes: furunculosis, severe acne, folliculitis.
Respiratory system diseases: pneumonia, bronchotracheitis.
Sexual infections caused by various pathogens.
Disease of the kidneys and urinary tract.
Enteritis and severe poisoning.

Contrary to popular belief, antibiotics are ineffective for influenza and SARS because they fight bacteria, not viruses. They are prescribed for the treatment of a bacterial infection that has joined the viral disease, but only a doctor should do this.

Rules for taking antibiotics

If the attending physician considered the prescription of antibiotics justified and appropriate, the most important thing is to make sure that their use brings maximum benefit and minimum harm. To do this, regardless of the type of antibacterial drugs prescribed, it is advisable to follow the following recommendations:

The same antibiotic can be produced in low and high doses, so when buying a medicine, you should be careful and purchase the drug in doses strictly prescribed by your doctor.
Before use, be sure to read the instructions: in the presence of diseases indicated in the list of contraindications, you should consult a doctor for advice.
Do not take the product on an empty stomach, so as not to increase irritation of the mucous membrane.
Be sure to drink antibiotics with water.
Eliminate the use of alcohol, taking absorbent and blood-thinning drugs.
Even if the condition improved immediately, it is necessary to complete the course of administration: bacteria that are not completely suppressed form resistance to the antibiotic, and further treatment will be ineffective.
To maintain normal intestinal microflora, it is recommended to use probiotics, preparations with lactobacilli, immunomodulators and vitamin complexes.

With proper administration and adherence to all prescriptions, antibiotic treatment is likely to be effective. In no case should you prescribe antibacterial drugs for yourself, so as not to harm yourself even more.

Fake antibiotics

Today, the business of counterfeit medicines, especially expensive and widely advertised drugs, is very common. Therefore, carefully check the availability of proper certificates, so as not to buy a fake and not cause serious harm to your health.

What causes uncontrolled use of antibiotics

Many experts in medicine are increasingly talking about the dangers of mass use of antibiotics. Since, due to the rapid pace of development of viruses, there is a threat of the emergence of resistant flora that cannot be resisted by new antibiotic agents.

Most often, antibiotics are prescribed by doctors unreasonably. Antibiotics must be used strictly for their intended purpose and only for such diseases where they are really necessary.

Antibiotics in food

Synthetic antibiotics have become very difficult to avoid, and even if you do not use them during outbreaks of viral diseases, it is unlikely that you will be able to do this in gastronomy. At present, they are used for heat treatment, sterilization, filtration in many food products. This - and milk and meat, eggs, chicken, cheese, shrimp, and even honey.

In the meat industry, antibiotics are also widely used today - to keep animals from getting sick. The so-called "growth hormones" - to increase the rate of raising livestock or poultry. Therefore, it will also not be superfluous to be interested in what kind of meat products you consume. It is advisable to purchase meat from farms that do not use synthetic hormonal drugs when raising animals.

ADDITIONALLY

Types of antibiotics

Today, doctors distinguish the following groups of antibacterial drugs:

Penicillins.

The material for the production of preparations are mold colonies with the same name. Able to destroy the cell walls of bacteria and suppress their vital activity. Antibiotics of this group penetrate deep into the cells of the body and can effectively attack hidden pathogens. Significant disadvantages of the drug are the rapid excretion from the body and the ability of microbes to form resistance to penicillins.

Cephalosporins.

Broad-spectrum drugs, structurally similar to penicillins. There are three generations of cephalosporins: 1st generation is used to treat diseases of the genitourinary system and upper respiratory tract; 2nd generation - to suppress gastrointestinal infections; 3rd generation - to suppress especially severe infections. The disadvantages of the drug include the ability to cause a strong allergic reaction.

Macrolides.

They have a complex cyclic structure. They are able to destroy the structures of bacteria responsible for the synthesis of proteins, as a result of which the development and reproduction of microorganisms ceases. Relatively safe and acceptable for long-term treatment, although over time, microbes can develop resistance (resistance) to the antibiotic.

Tetracyclines.

In their action, they are similar to macrolides, but due to their low selectivity, they can negatively affect the cells of the human body. Effective in the treatment of a number of severe infections, but have many side effects, so they are most often used externally in the form of creams and ointments.

Aminoglycosides.

They have a wide spectrum of action, but are most often used to suppress serious infectious processes associated with blood poisoning, infection of wounds and burns. Today they are used less and less due to high toxicity.

Antifungal antibiotics.

They differ in their active effect on fungi, destroying the cell membrane and leading to their death. Quickly cause the resistance of microorganisms, so they are gradually being replaced by highly effective synthetic drugs.

The same antibiotic can be sold under different commercial names, so before buying all the drugs prescribed by the doctor, you should find out exactly whether they need to be taken as part of the same course or if they are given as replacement options.

natural antibiotics

There are natural, natural antibiotics in nature. There are many plants that contain antibiotic substances:

Widespread aspirin, which has a diluting effect, in addition to positive properties, causes many side effects, causes a number of complications, as well as hidden bleeding. It can be replaced with lemon juice and other natural remedies.

In a dispute about benefits and harms of antibiotics The truth, as always, lies exactly in the middle. There are situations when antibiotics are really needed for babies, but they must be prescribed carefully. Especially when it comes to very young children.

Can't do without them

For all that, antibiotics are powerless against viruses, which, among other things, cause most colds. However, many parents often give their children antibiotics when they have a cold, unaware that this is pointless. Even if these drugs have an effect, it is by chance - only if bacteria became the cause of the disease, which is extremely rare in a situation with acute respiratory infections.

A spoon of tar

The main disadvantage of antibiotics is that they act not only on harmful, but also on beneficial microorganisms (for example, those that help the intestines work). For this reason, antibiotic treatment "in passing" causes - a violation. To prevent this problem, doctors prescribe, along with antibiotics or after antibiotics are taken, drugs that help restore a healthy intestinal microflora (pre- and probiotics).

There is another problem: if you use antibiotics too often, harmful bacteria will get used to a certain type of drug and stop responding to it. For example, a third of modern pneumococci and hemophilic bacilli (they cause pneumonia and) are immune to penicillin, which until recently was their worst enemy.

Why, despite the "cons" of antibiotics, are they still prescribed to babies with acute respiratory infections? The fact is that infectious diseases, even at first glance “not serious”, can cause complications in babies. A few decades ago, cases were not uncommon when ordinary otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear) led to the development of meningitis (inflammation of the meninges). Nowadays, hospital conditions and medical equipment are much better, and if complications do arise, doctors can quickly identify them and deal with them more easily. So experts are now abandoning the old tradition of prescribing antibiotics “just in case”.

What to do?

How to treat babies for colds if antibiotics do not benefit? When everything is in order with the child’s immunity and he catches cold infrequently (3-5 times a year), his defense system will be able to cope with respiratory infections. So if a little one has a runny nose and a slight fever, but at the same time he still plays with pleasure and eats well, his body will “get sick” by itself. In such a situation, it is enough to limit yourself to drops in the nose and cough medicine. But if within 3-4 days the temperature does not decrease, the baby does not eat and sleep well, and the discharge from the nose has become thick and yellowish, it means that bacteria have joined the viral infection, and you can’t do without the help of antibiotics! In this case, you need to call a pediatrician, he will prescribe treatment for the baby and prescribe antibiotics.

But with children under 1.5 years old, “waiting” tactics cannot be used. Their immune systems do not work as well as those of older children and may not be able to cope with a bacterial/viral attack. So a very small one needs to be shown to the doctor immediately, not hoping that his body will defeat the cold itself.

No self-activity!

Anbitiotics should not be chosen "by eye", especially for children. Only a doctor can prescribe the right antibiotic for a baby. Sometimes, in order to accurately establish the "instigator" of the disease and determine the choice of the drug, pediatricians refer the children to blood, urine or sputum tests. But more often, doctors prescribe treatment based on the symptoms of the disease.

Very often we are faced with situations when a child gets sick and he is prescribed a bunch of antibiotics. Most often, the child gets sick when he starts going to kindergarten. He is acclimatizing. Therefore, immediately after several visits, he falls ill.

Like a decent mother, we immediately run to see the doctor. There we get . Unfortunately, most of them are antibiotics. But the child gets sick more than once a year. Therefore, the frequent use of harmful and dangerous drugs lead our mothers into a stupor. Like a small, weakened, unformed organism of a child, it can cope with an antibiotic. Of course, in parallel with it, a special drug is prescribed that softens the harmful effects. But still, such treatment is not without consequences. Let's figure out together how dangerous antibiotics are for our children.

The first is penicillin.
The second is macrolides.
Third - cephalosporins

The last group is divided into 4 generations. The first three are not allowed for use in pediatric practice.

In what cases can not do without dangerous antibiotics:

the disease was the result of an infection
a real threat to the life of the baby
recurrence
when the child's body is not able to cope with the disease on its own

What antibiotics do not do:

do not reduce fever
do not work on viruses
do not prevent the process of bacterial complications

Unreasoned antibiotic use:

extra costs for treatment
increased risk of allergy
violation of the microflora of the body (in case of incorrect prescription)

When does an antibiotic help?

There is no doubt that antibiotics should be taken for infections caused by bacteria. For example, meningitis is an inflammatory process of the membranes of the brain or pneumonia.

Always with pneumonia. It keeps for three days. It does not go down on its own. Therefore, in order to identify this disease, you should not abuse antipyretic drugs. Of course, all the necessary appointments are made by a doctor. But give preference to penicillins.

Guidelines for prescribing antibiotics:

Antibiotics are prescribed on an outpatient basis when a bacterial disease is proven that requires etiotropic therapy. In the worst case, there may be complications.
It is necessary to select antibiotics taking into account the regional location and pathogens common there.
It is necessary to take into account the antibiotic therapy that the child had before.
For outpatient treatment, it is best to use the oral route of medication.
Do not use toxic drugs.
Be sure to consider age restrictions.
Stop using antibiotics if the infection is not bacterial.
In no case should you prescribe antibiotics along with antifungal drugs.
If possible, do not use antipyretics with antibiotics.

Result.

When the correct prescription has been made, antibiotics help. The temperature drops, appetite appears, the child becomes mobile, plays.

Of course, antibiotics are harmful and dangerous. But when used wisely, they won't do any harm.

The child may have a negative reaction if the antibiotic is not prescribed correctly. Then the baby appears. It can pour out. He may complain of deafness. Aminoglycosides can damage the kidneys. If you have these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. Let him either replace them with other drugs, or cancel them altogether.