Penicillin antibiotics have been used in the treatment of infections for many decades, but they do not lose their relevance, all thanks to a wide list of actions on various pathogens and high efficiency in the most common pathologies. One of these drugs is the Flemoxin Solutab antibiotic, which differs from analogues, with the same active component, a unique dosage form, suitable for use in childhood.
Is it possible to give medicine to the smallest children, for example, a month-old or a one-year-old child? How to drink these pills, in what dosage are they used in pediatrics? Can this antibiotic cause harm to the child’s body, what negative manifestations arise due to an overdose? All the features of this drug will be discussed in the article below.
Release form and characteristics of the composition of the drug
The drug is produced in the Netherlands in the form of tablets that can easily dissolve in water, and therefore they are called dispersible, the word "solutab" is on the packaging of the drug. The main component of Flemoxin is amoxicillin. It is contained in the form of a salt - amoxicillin trihydrate.
Depending on how much the compound is in the preparation, the Flemoxin Solutab antibiotic tablets differ, which contain 125, 250, 500 and 1000 milligrams of amoxicillin.
Outwardly, all variants of the drug are light yellow or white tablets with risk (the drug can be further halved, which is very important when used in pediatrics). They differ in numerical designations:
- tablets containing 125 milligrams, with the number 231;
- tablets in which 250 milligrams are 232;
- a preparation of 500 milligrams - 234;
- Flemoxin with a dosage of 1000 milligrams - 236.
Five tablets are sold in blisters, five in one box - twenty tablets. Only the drug, in which 125 milligrams of the active ingredient, additionally has packs of 10, 28 and 14 tablets. They are packed in both five and seven pieces in blisters.
Excipients in the composition of "Flemoxin" of any dosage are the same. To make the medicine solid and at the same time dissolve with ease after interacting with the liquid, dispersible cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate and crospovidone are added. So that the tablets and the solution prepared from them are sweet, they have saccharin. The aroma of the drug is provided by vanilla and lemon and mandarin flavors.
The mechanism of functioning of this drug
The Flemoxin Solutab antibiotic is a group of penicillin semi-synthetic antibacterial drugs, which in their structure are part of a large group of beta-lactam drugs (in addition to penicillins, it also includes carbapenems, monobactams and cephalosporin antibiotics). Such drugs have a bactericidal effect on many types of bacteria, since they can interfere with the synthesis of significant components of the cell walls, which are called peptidoglycans. When exposed to bacteria during their growth and division, Flemoxin causes them to die.
The drug is active against numerous microorganisms, including:
- streptococcus pyogenic;
- Pneumococcus;
- Helicobacter;
- meningococcus;
- listeria;
- tetanus bacillus;
- Staphylococcus aureus;
- anthrax bacillus;
- gonococcus.
According to the instructions, "Flemoxin" may not affect salmonella, shigella, enterococcus, Escherichia coli, Proteus, cholera vibrio. Therefore, if such a pathogen has been detected, it is necessary to first determine its sensitivity and then begin to be treated.
There are such types of bacteria in relation to which Flemoxin Solutab is ineffective in principle, for example, for enterobacteria or pseudomonads. In addition, this drug does not affect viruses, and therefore its use is impractical for acute respiratory viral infections and other viral infections.
A solution from a tablet or drug in its pure form is absorbed quite quickly and does not collapse in the stomach, since the medication is resistant to acids.
The largest amount of active substance is found in the blood two hours after ingestion. The diet almost does not affect the absorption of the drug, so the antibiotic Flemoxin Solutab is allowed to drink at any time of the day, regardless of meals. The medicine is excreted from the body along with urine, and therefore renal pathologies can affect this process.
When is the medicine used?
Soluble tablets are used for infectious pathologies that have been caused by bacteria that are sensitive to the effects of amoxicillin. Indications "Flemoxin" are described in detail in the instructions. The drug is used in the treatment of:
- otitis media, pneumonia, sinusitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and other infections of the respiratory system by bacteria;
- erysipelas, bursitis, myositis and other infections of the skin or soft tissues;
- leptospirosis, dysentery, salmonellosis and other gastrointestinal infections;
- peritonitis, endocarditis, scarlet fever and other diseases caused by streptococci;
- urethritis, cystitis and other bacterial inflammation of the genitourinary system.
At what age can this drug be used?
“Flemoxin” is used for children of different age categories. The drug is often prescribed to patients after five years, since soluble tablets are very convenient to give to children at this age.
Moreover, the use of Flemoxin for children should be monitored by a specialist. Only after examining a doctor can you be sure that such an antibiotic is necessary, as well as accurately calculate the dosage that is required for a particular disease.
Instructions for Flemoxin
Let's figure out how to take this medication correctly?
The tablet can be chewed and swallowed, divided into halves, washed down with water. But in childhood, the most effective way of taking is to make a suspension (one hundred milliliters of water is mixed with a crushed tablet) and syrup (a crushed tablet is dissolved in twenty milliliters of water). Such liquid forms of the drug have a pleasant taste, and it is easy for children to swallow them.
The dosage of Flemoxin should be determined individually, since the severity of the infection process, the weight, and the age of the small patient influence the calculation of the required amount. Children can receive 30-60 milligrams of active substance per kilogram of body weight per day. If the disease is moderate or mild, the drug is often used according to the following scheme:
- From one year to three years - 125 mg tablets three times a day (both a whole tablet and half a serving of 250 mg, sometimes patients at this age are prescribed twice a dose of 250 mg).
- From three to ten years, 250 mg tablets are usually taken, a medicine in a similar dose is taken three times, however, in some situations, a specialist prescribes a double dose of 375 mg - one and a half tablets of 250 mg (simultaneous dissolution of two tablets of different dosages is also allowed - 125 and 250 mg )
- After ten years, the medication should be taken either three times a day from 375 to 500 mg, or twice a day from 500 to 750 mg.
When is a higher dosage of a drug needed?
In severe angina, the Flemoxin Solutab antibiotic is taken at a higher dosage three times a day. A similar tactic is used in case of an inaccessible focus of inflammation (for example, in the middle ear) or in chronic infections and relapses. With defects in renal activity, the dose is reduced taking into account indicators of urine and blood analysis.
The duration of the treatment course is most often from 5 to 7 days. Only when diagnosing pyogenic streptococcus antibiotic is given for at least ten days. The medication is used for other infections, while there are symptoms of the disease, plus another two days.
Contraindications to the use of a medication
The drug "Flemoxin Solutab" is not prescribed for children in the event that they have excessive sensitivity to it or other amoxicillin drugs. This medication also can not be used for allergies to all beta-lactam antibiotics. When using the tablets, patients with an allergy to other drugs detected by renal failure or infectious mononucleosis should be careful.
Specialist monitoring is necessary when prescribing medication to patients with lymphocytic leukemia or other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Side effects from the use of this medicine
What are the side effects?
“Flemoxin Solutab” can negatively affect the patient’s digestion in the form of inflammation of the tongue, nausea, loose stools, dysbiosis, stomatitis, vomiting or changes in taste. In some children, the drug provokes liver damage or colitis. In rare cases, it causes inflammation of the kidney tissue.
The children's nervous system can also respond with confusion, behavioral changes, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, etc. The use of tablets can also worsen the hematopoietic process, in connection with which a decrease in the concentration of platelets, neutrophils and other cells is detected in a blood test in some patients. Among other things, the appearance of allergic reactions (urticaria, redness of the skin, rhinitis) is possible.
The development of candidiasis in babies
With a decrease in immunity in a child, “Flemoxin Solutab” is able to provoke candidiasis. This side effect in infants is often manifested in the form of thrush in the oral cavity: its mucous membrane itches and turns red, when examined, mother can see a white coating. The medication can cause vaginitis in girls, signs of which are white discharge, pain during urination, vaginal itching, redness of the mucous membrane.
The risk of superinfection
If the drug is not taken correctly, superinfection develops due to the resistance of the bacteria to the composition. This complication occurs if:
- bacterial sensitivity to the drug is not taken into account;
- the mother buys the drug on her own and gives the child in cases where it is not needed;
- parents want to prevent negative effects and themselves reduce the dosage of the antibiotic at a single dose or for a whole day;
- accidentally missed one or more methods of the drug;
- the child was not treated, the therapeutic course was interrupted after the patient's condition improved.
Patient Reviews About This Drug
Reviews about "Flemoxin Solutab" are available in large numbers. The drug has a fairly high demand from parents, since this form is convenient in the treatment of children of any age. The drug is well diluted with water, the finished solution has a very pleasant taste. Judging by the reviews, it effectively fights against various infectious diseases (for example, bronchitis, tonsillitis or otitis media), helping to eliminate earaches, cough, fever and other symptoms. Thanks to the sweet taste, almost all children take the pill without much difficulty.
Negative comments
However, there are also negative reviews about Flemoxin Solutab, as it does not help some patients. Most often this is caused by the resistance of bacteria to the active substance. There are also complaints of undesirable effects when taking pills.
Despite the fact that side effects are rare, babies sometimes have a rash, nausea, and other negative reactions. Regarding the price of the drug, it must be said that some users find it too high and acquire cheaper analogues, while others find it acceptable.