From year to year, pharmacological companies present us ultranovye funds to combat colds. Of course, we all want these drugs to be as effective, safe and inexpensive as possible, because every year the flu viruses are becoming more insidious, and the consequences of meeting them can be completely disappointing.
This topic is especially acute among parents. To protect your child from illness or to minimize the possibility of complications in case the baby is sick is the task of each of them. But the child’s body is different from the adult, therefore it is not at all easy to find an effective and safe medicine. Recently, a drug adapted for small patients, Arbidol (suspension), has appeared in pharmacies. How does this drug work, to whom is it able to help and is it really safe? Let's figure it out together.
Antibiotic?
With Arbidol for adults, we are practically all familiar with it. The drug is very effective when used in the early stages of the disease. It facilitates the course of the pathological process, if the virus nevertheless attacked your body. So by what principle does Arbidol (suspension) work? There is an opinion that drugs of this type are antibiotics, so I do not want to give them to children at all. Here you need to clarify: an antibiotic fights bacteria, but colds cause viruses. Therefore, it will be correct to attribute "Arbidol" to antiviral drugs. He is not an antibiotic.
How does the medicine work?
The active substance is umifenovir hydrochloride monohydrate. It is able to bind a viral protein - hemagglutinin. Its task is to provide an unwanted guest with an attachment to a healthy human cell. If this happens, then the virus that gets on the mucous membranes will begin to spread actively throughout the body, and the disease will certainly develop. But if such a pathogen cannot be fixed, then the risk of infection will be reduced to zero.
"Arbidol" is a suspension that is able to interact with several subspecies of hemagglutinin, which means it is effective for combating viruses of various strains.
If the disease has already developed, the drug will not be effective?
The composition of the drug also includes substances that activate the production of interferon in humans. And this means that all protective mechanisms are launched, and the immunity, which is so necessary to fight the virus, rises significantly. "Arbidol" for children (suspension) will help alleviate the course of the disease if the child still caught the virus. The drug will also minimize the possible occurrence of complications.
Indications for use
The maximum therapeutic effect can be expected if Arbidol (suspension) is used from the first hours of the disease. The instructions for use recommend the drug to patients with colds, when infected with influenza A and B viruses, including strains A (H1N1) and A (H5N1). This medication effectively fights in complex therapy with rhinovirus infection, adenovirus, coronavirus, parainfluenza.
"Arbidol" - a suspension that works well with the complex therapy of viral pneumonia, significantly enhances the immune processes in the body. The tool acts quickly - within an hour after taking the patient feels relief. The medication is used to treat children from 2 years of age and adult patients.
Dosage
Often parents make a serious mistake at the first signs of illness in a child and resort to self-medication. Such an attitude is not acceptable. It is often difficult for a simple person to distinguish a common cold from the flu, and even more so to determine what type of virus has entered the body. Remember that only a specialist can prescribe the right treatment and choose a dosage. The same applies to the drug "Arbidol" (suspension).
The instruction has an age limit - the drug is prescribed only for children from 2 years. So, a single daily dose for the smallest patients (2-6 years) is 10 ml (50 mg). At the age of 6 to 12 years, the dosage is doubled. Adult patients and children from 12 years of age are prescribed 40 ml (200 mg) of the drug per day before meals (at one time).
How to use
It is difficult for a child to give medicines due to a specific unpleasant taste. But such a problem will not arise if you have been prescribed the drug "Arbidol" (suspension) for children. Instructions for the medicine are attached to each bottle and will always come to the rescue. This medicine has a banana or cherry sweet taste and smells good. Young parents and pediatricians note that such a tool will not only help in the fight against the disease, but also make the treatment process comfortable.
In each package of the drug there is a measuring spoon, which you need to dose the finished suspension. And cooking it is easy. The dry powder bottle has a measured feature that will determine the amount of liquid needed to prepare the suspension. First, water should be poured into the bottle 2/3, close the lid and shake vigorously. After adding water to the measured line, close and again shake the bottle well. The suspension is ready.
Contraindications
The tool is well tolerated by most patients. Do not prescribe the drug to children under 2 years of age and nursing mothers. Arbidol is prescribed with caution to expectant mothers, and only if the strain of the virus can cause serious consequences. Do not prescribe a remedy for people with fructose intolerance. In rare cases, individual intolerance to one of the components of the drug may occur. The medicine is well compatible with other means, it can be used by those people whose profession is associated with increased attention or interaction with various techniques.