The cold season almost always begins with a cough. This is a symptom of various diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Also, its occurrence can provoke an excessive load on the larynx and trachea or a cold.
What should not be done with coughing?
In such cases, the treatment of cough with antibiotics in children is especially popular. It is with the help of these "magic" means that parents hope to defeat the disease. But it is worth noting that antibiotics are not a “golden pill” for coughing in children and adolescents. If the child has a viral disease (SARS, pharyngitis, tonsillitis), mechanical damage to the larynx or trachea, taking antibiotics will not give any results.
Based on this, we can conclude that the use of this kind of medication is justified and effective only with the correctly established form of microflora that affects the children's airways. Therefore, to determine whether to take antibiotics for coughing, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Many parents are inclined to think that an antibiotic when coughing in children will only harm their body. But without antibacterial drugs, pneumonia, tuberculosis and other complex diseases cannot be cured. Only a doctor can prescribe antibiotics correctly, which will be more beneficial than harmful. In addition, with proper treatment, the occurrence of negative consequences from taking these medications is practically absent.
When to take?
An antibiotic for coughing in children is used to combat bacterial infections. But they have absolutely no effect on viruses. If symptoms such as runny nose, weakness, weakness, headache, and sore throat are observed during coughing, this characterizes the presence of the virus. It is he who contributes to the development of the disease. Viral diseases such as influenza, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial infection and measles lead to coughing.
Acceptance of antibiotics in acute respiratory infections contributes to the emergence and intensive development of various kinds of allergies, dysbiosis. But the lines of recovery of the child are not reduced.
Prescribe antibiotics for coughing in children should be in the case when the onset of the disease provoked:
- tracheitis;
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy;
- tuberculosis;
- bronchitis and other bacterial diseases of the respiratory tract.
The following symptoms indicate the bacterial nature of the disease:
- fever for more than 3 days;
- increased level of white blood cells in the blood, leukocyte formula shifted to the left;
- neutrophilia;
- the presence of pronounced shortness of breath;
- the duration of the disease.
The right drug selection
To get rid of a prolonged cough, a competent approach is needed. To identify microflora and determine the sensitivity of bacteria to various antibacterial agents, sputum culture should be done. As a result of this analysis, it will be possible to accurately determine which drugs will benefit in this case, and which will not have any effect on the disease, and a child will not cough after antibiotics.
When time plays against you
But it takes time to conduct this analysis and process its results. At the same time, the child’s poor health is still deteriorating and requires appropriate measures. In this case, the antibiotic for the child with a strong cough is selected empirically, while the probable pathogen is taken into account.
Broad-spectrum monotherapy and antibiotics
The most optimal solution in any case is monotherapy (use one antibacterial drug). It is desirable that these be tablets, suspension or powder. Only in severe cases of the disease, injections are prescribed.
If there is no way to see a doctor in time, and the child’s well-being worsens (shortness of breath increases, intoxication is accompanied by a high temperature), you need to take an antibiotic for dry cough, which has a wide spectrum of action. In this case, the starting antibacterial agent may be Amoxiclav or Augmentin. The use of amoxicillin in combination with sulbactam (Trifamoxa) will also bring positive results.
How to treat cough in children with antibiotics?
First of all, do not forget that taking antibiotics should be regular. Only in this case, the necessary concentration of the active substance will accumulate and be retained in the body, which will lead to the death of bacteria. With irregular intake, a decrease in the concentration of the antibiotic occurs. Such treatment will not lead to a positive result. Moreover, it can provoke the development of drug resistance to this drug.
Also, the child should feel relief for a short period of time. With the right choice of antibiotic, positive dynamics will be observed (dry or wet cough disappears, chest pain decreases, breathing becomes easier).
If there is no improvement after 48 hours, this drug is not suitable for your child. It must be replaced with another antibiotic or a combination of drugs. But do not increase the dose, this will not bring absolutely any results.
Take an antibiotic for coughing in children for a long time. In most cases, the duration of the course is 5-7 days. Even if the child feels well after a few days, there is no need to stop treatment, since there is a threat of the return of the disease.
What antibiotics are used to treat baby cough?
For this purpose, drugs are used whose main active ingredient is:
- penicillin, which is part of Amoxiclav, Augmentin, Flemoxin Solutaba. They are almost always prescribed first. Only if their use does not bring the desired effect, use other groups of drugs;
- cephalosporin, available in "Cefataxime", "Cefuroxime". These antibiotics for coughing in children are prescribed if the child has already taken other antibacterial drugs over the past 2-3 months. They are also used when there is no effect from taking penicillins.
Macrolides and Fluoroquinolones
The class of macrolides include "Azithrocycin," "Sumamed." These are effective drugs in the presence of inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract of the child.
The use of fluoroquinolones is quite limited. This is due to the fact that this antibiotic when coughing in children significantly affects the development of cartilage and accumulates in the bones.
In no case do you need to independently treat the child. Since, in addition to the obvious symptoms, the age of the child and the conditions for the onset of infection affect the choice of antibiotics. In some cases, coughing can provoke atypical microflora (chlamydia or mycoplasma). In this case, completely different antibiotics should be attributed to children with coughing. Which, only a doctor can say.
A proper treatment program can only be prescribed by a doctor. At the same time, in addition to antibiotics, he will prescribe an antihistamine course. After treatment, it is necessary to prevent dysbiosis. If during therapy a deterioration of the child's condition is observed, you should immediately seek help from specialists.