Absolutely everyone faces intestinal disorders in their lives. The reason for their appearance is pathogenic viruses, bacteria or other harmful microorganisms that have entered the human body. Most often this happens with the use of unwashed foods, raw raw water, or simply because of dirty hands, which is why children often suffer from diarrhea. Bacterial infections are treated with the mandatory prescription of antibiotics, and are often recommended for children with diarrhea "Levomycetin." Of course, during therapy with such a serious drug, parents should pay attention to all its features so that the baby is more likely to recover.
Release form and composition
The antibiotic is made in the form of an ointment, an aqueous solution, vaginal suppositories, drops, powder, capsules and tablets, but only the last option is used to treat diarrhea in children.
Tablets are produced in a dosage of 250 mg or 0.5 g. Their color and final form are provided by stabilizers - potato starch and calcium stearate. As an auxiliary component, the medication also contains polyvinylpyrrolidone. This substance provides the fastest absorption and assimilation of the drug by the body. The main active ingredient of the antibiotic "Levomycetin" (reviews of doctors and patients will be lower) is chloramphenicol.
Drug action
The effectiveness of the drug is ensured by the ability of chloramphenicol to stop the synthesis of proteins in bacteria that caused an intestinal upset. Due to this, pathogenic microorganisms lose their ability to share, their number decreases sharply, and the patient’s condition is relieved by eliminating the main symptoms of the disease and the reasons for their appearance in the body.
Who is assigned
Children with diarrhea, "Levomycetin" is recommended to take only if the cause of this disorder is bacteria. The drug will not have a therapeutic effect with a viral infection in the body, a fungal disease or diarrhea associated with nervous disorders.
In addition to intestinal disorders, tablets can be prescribed for pathologies of the genitourinary system, biliary tract or purulent skin infections.
It is very important not to use this drug for self-treatment, since first you need to diagnose the cause of diarrhea. “Levomycetin” for children with diarrhea is not often prescribed due to the large number of prohibitions on use and side effects. Its use is carried out in cases where the causative agents of the disease are resistant to tetracycline, sulfonamides and penicillin. In addition, the drug is effective in the treatment of salmonellosis, shigellosis, staphylococcal and streptococcal infections, only if they are not resistant to methicillin.
Antibiotic effectiveness
From the foregoing, we can conclude that this medication provides the most effective treatment of bacterial intestinal infections in the human body. Its wide range of effects allows you to deal with a large number of pathogens, even with the minimum effectiveness of other antibiotics. The undoubted advantage of Levomycetin over its analogues is its high resistance to bacteria. It is difficult for pathogens to develop immunity to this antibiotic, therefore its effectiveness is guaranteed with each subsequent use. When asking yourself the question of whether it is possible to give “Levomycetin” to children with diarrhea, one should also remember his loyalty to other medicines. The drug does not reduce the effectiveness of other antibiotics used in parallel and does not lose its properties.
Advice
According to the instructions, for children "Levomycetin" from diarrhea can be used strictly from the age of three. This is due to the fact that in young children, the liver and kidneys are not yet fully formed, which means that taking the medicine can do more harm than good.
Tablets should be taken orally and always separately from food. For this, the medication should be consumed 30-60 minutes before a meal or 120 minutes after it, so as not to harm the mucous membrane of the digestive system.
To accelerate the therapeutic effect of taking, the tablet can be ground into powder. In this case, the medication is absorbed by the body faster, but it will be difficult for the baby to drink it. It's all about the bitter taste of an antibiotic.
You can get rid of it with the help of sweetened water, which is allowed to drink the drug.
You can drink the medicine no more than 4 times a day, be sure to withstand a break between doses of at least 4 hours.
Dosage
Only a pediatrician can prescribe "chloramphenicol" to a child 3 years old from diarrhea after analyzing the full clinical picture. It also determines the duration of treatment and the frequency of taking the medication. As a rule, the drug is prescribed for at least 7 days, if necessary, therapy can be extended by half. The number of doses per day depends on the diagnosis, the age of the patient and his weight. Usually, experts prescribe an antibiotic 3-4 times a day.
The daily dosage of Levomycetin tablets for children from diarrhea is calculated individually. For children from three to eight years, for 1 dose it is necessary to receive 15-20 mg of the active substance per kilogram of weight, but the daily dose should not exceed 500 mg. For children older, the daily limit is already set at 1 g, and for each dose they should receive 20-30 mg of chloramphenicol per 1 kg of weight.
Possible problems
Despite its high effectiveness, “Chloramphenicol” for children with diarrhea is prescribed quite rarely. The reason for this is a wide list of its side effects and a high probability of their occurrence. A weighty argument in favor of this medication, doctors consider the inefficiency of milder antibacterial agents.
Among the possible side effects of the drug should be noted allergic skin rashes, redness, swelling and fever. No less often, children experience vomiting and nausea due to severe irritation of the digestive system mucosa with the active substance. In some cases, this can even trigger increased diarrhea.
In addition, Chloramphenicol may cause:
- dyspeptic disorders;
- confusion of consciousness;
- headaches;
- dysbiosis;
- non-allergic skin rashes;
- irritation of the oral mucosa;
- psychomotor disturbances;
- hallucinations.
The most dangerous side effects are inhibition of the myocardium and hematopoiesis. In young patients, all this can lead to serious consequences, therefore, when prescribing the drug, blood counts and heart function should be constantly monitored.
If the baby has any of the above negative reactions, you should immediately stop taking the medication, seek help from specialists and, if necessary, wash the stomach and intestines to reduce the risk of further intoxication.
Overdose
Some parents, in order to speedily alleviate the health of their child, exceed the dose of tablets indicated by the doctor or in the instructions. Children with diarrhea "Levomycetin" in this case does not help faster, but only exacerbates their condition. Exceeding the prescribed age norms of the drug leads to:
- increased weakness and fatigue;
- the appearance of various bleeding due to a decrease in the number of platelets;
- pain in the larynx;
- hypertension
- blue skin.
If the dose is exceeded several times, then the patient develops respiratory failure and heart function, accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea and severe flatulence. For preschool children, such symptoms are especially dangerous.
If any of the signs of an overdose appears, immediately rinse the stomach and intestines, stop taking the medication and seek help from a medical institution.
Bans to use
The main limitation in taking the medicine is that “Levomycetin” for children with diarrhea can be given only from 3 years. When it is prescribed to young children, therapy is fraught with severe intoxications, cardiovascular collapse or the emergence in the body of superinfection in the form of staphylococcus, protea, and candidamycosis. For similar reasons, it is forbidden to take the drug for pregnant and lactating women.
Also, contraindications to the drug include:
- individual intolerance;
- some skin diseases;
- infectious diseases of the lungs;
- tonsillitis;
- ARVI;
- tendency to allergies;
- diabetes;
- fungal diseases;
- violations of the kidneys and liver;
- circulatory problems.
In addition to the listed problems, the medication can be used in treatment only in the absence of parallel therapy with Butamide, Diphenidum, Nodicumarin, any pyrazoline derivatives, cytostatics, barbiturates and sulfonamides.
Analogues of the drug
Structural analogues of this medication are drugs with a similar active substance. Among them:
- "Chloramphenicol DIA";
- Levovinisol;
- "Levomycetin Actitab";
- "Chloramphenicol."
If necessary, replace the drug with a milder antibiotic for diarrhea, children are often prescribed a suspension of "Nifuraxoside", "Stopdiar", tablets "Amoxiclav", "Rifaximin" and others.
Reviews
According to reviews, “Levomycetin” is not usually prescribed for children with diarrhea often, but its effectiveness confirms the opinion that the drug is the best in the fight against intestinal infections. Among the advantages of the drug should be noted and its low cost. Depending on the manufacturer and the number of tablets in the package, it ranges from 10-100 rubles.
Of course, along with positive opinions, this antibiotic also has many negative reviews. Many specialists try to treat small patients with more loyal means to their bodies, since the high probability of serious side effects may not always block the benefits of treatment.
It is generally not recommended to give such a medication to a baby on his own. Only in case of urgent need and in the absence of other antibiotics are pediatricians allowed to start treatment on their own, taking into account the age and weight of the child, after which all the same, seek help and correction of treatment at a medical institution.
When self-treatment does not give visible results or the condition of the child worsens, it is urgent to show the baby to an infectious disease specialist and leave him under observation in a hospital in order to make all necessary tests and provide professional assistance as soon as possible.