Among a wide range of different medicines today, specialists across the country choose more effective for their patients. This is especially true for children whose immunity cannot always cope with infections on their own and is very susceptible to them. So, many parents know that antibiotics are often required to get rid of a severe form of the disease. “Sumamed” for children (reviews confirm this) is successfully used, and it is worthwhile to analyze its features in more detail.
The composition of the drug
A tool is available for young patients in several forms:
- tablets;
- capsules;
- powder for the manufacture of a suspension.
The main active ingredient is always azithromycin dihydrate, but the minor components depend on the form of the drug.
So, the powder is sucrose, flavor, hyprolose, sodium phosphate, silicon dioxide and xanthan gum. Capsules have only magnesium stearate, MCC and sodium lauryl sulfate. For tablets, additional substances of the composition are starch, anhydrous calcium and some of the components already listed above.
Characteristics of various forms
The suspension “Sumamed” for children is described in the instructions and reviews of those who have already tested it as a solution with a pleasant taste and aroma. The manufacturer for this produces two powder options - with a banana or cherry flavor. The powder for the preparation of the medicine is always granular and has a white or yellowish color. It is placed in dark glass bottles of 50 ml, so that after combining with water it is possible to store the entire solution in one vial. A measuring spoon or syringe, as well as an abstract placed in cardboard boxes, must be attached to the bottles.
Capsules "Sumamed" for children reviews are described as very characteristic. Their color is blue with a blue cover, so it is impossible to confuse the drug with another medication. The powder itself is also white or yellowish inside.
Tablets of the drug are available in a dosage of 500 mg or 125 mg, but for children the instructions for use of Sumamed (reviews confirm that a large dosage is not suitable for children, and sharing tablets is not always convenient) provides for the use of only the latter. The pills themselves are also coated with a blue shell and have a biconvex shape. The pills for adults are oval, and for children round, at the break all are white.
Drug pharmacology
The main active ingredient of the drug is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, belonging to the group of azrolide macrolides. His work is to suppress the activity and reproduction of pathogenic bacteria in relation to many microorganisms. Of course, there are exceptions that show resistance to antibiotic activity or acquire it after prolonged treatment. These include bacteria that are resistant to erythromycin and some gram-positive aerobes.
Drug action
The active substance of the drug is very rapidly absorbed and distributed throughout the body after penetration into it, so "Sumamed" helps children with angina very quickly. Reviews indicate that relief comes almost immediately, and in a few days of taking it turns out to completely get rid of the disease.
The maximum concentration of azithromycin in the blood is observed in patients after 2-3 hours from the time of administration, while the drug binds to proteins by a maximum of 50%.
It is important to know that an antibiotic is able to pass through cell membranes, therefore it is also effective for the activity of intracellular pathogenic bacteria in the body. The substance is transported by phagocytes and accumulates to a greater extent in tissues and their cells, and not in blood plasma. The maximum concentration of azithromycin is always observed in the foci of inflammation.
The drug is excreted mainly by the intestines and, to a small extent, by the kidneys. The half-life of the substance is 35-50 hours.
Indications for use
It is recommended to use this drug for treatment for many ailments caused by infections and microorganisms that provoke inflammation. These diseases include:
- infections of the ENT organs;
- diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract;
- soft tissue infections;
- genitourinary tract and so on.
Most often, parents encounter Sumamed when coughing. Reviews for children characterize the drug as an effective remedy for acute and chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, as well as otitis media, tonsillitis, sinusitis, sinusitis, laryngitis and many other ailments. Less common diagnoses for using this antibiotic are chlamydia, erysipelas, Lyme disease.
Bans to use
Before starting therapy, you should make sure that the drug does not cause a child's hypersensitivity. If negative reactions are detected, its use is strictly prohibited, as evidenced by many experts and their reviews. "Sumamed" for children, the instruction also does not allow the use in the presence of sensitivity to erythromycin or antibiotics from the macrolide group.
A contraindication to taking the medication is a violation in the functioning of the liver or kidneys and the parallel use of ergotamine or dihydroergotamine.
Among the contraindications, the age allowed for taking each form of medication should also be indicated. So, Sumamed for children reviews collects positive reviews more often in the form of a suspension. You can use it from the six-month-old age of the baby, but after they reach the age of three, it is recommended to switch to tablets. Of course, if you did not succeed in finding them, you can give the solution to older children as well, but the expense will be too large and unprofitable, it is better to purchase Sumamed Forte in such situations. 125 mg tablets can be used to treat patients from the age of three, capsules - only with a child weighing more than 45 kg, and 500 mg tablets - for adults and children over 12 years of age.
Caution should be given to children with impaired lung, liver, and kidney function. Also, you can not use the drug for intravenous administration. Since its effectiveness and safety are not proven.
Negative consequences
Like any antibiotic, Sumamed kills not only pathogenic microorganisms, but also the beneficial intestinal microflora, which after treatment requires urgent recovery. Most often, experts recommend taking Linex immediately with the medicine.
In addition, this drug can provoke, in rare cases, drowsiness, rash, dizziness, insomnia, headaches and muscle pain, tinnitus and hearing impairment, constipation, bloating, blurred vision, hives, nausea, diarrhea, lowering blood pressure and changing laboratory parameters blood.
In very rare cases, you may experience:
- anorexia;
- tachycardia;
- hepatitis;
- nosebleeds;
- nephritis;
- myalgia and so on.
Recommendations for use of the solution
Since Sumamed suspension for children has more quantities than tablets, then you should start with it. Taking a solution for the treatment of diseases of the ENT organs and respiratory tract, you should calculate the dose based on the weight of the baby: for every kilogram - 10 mg of the drug. In diseases caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, the dose rises to 20 mg / kg. The course of treatment at the same time lasts three days, and you need to take the medicine only once a day.
To treat Lyme disease, you will need to drink a dose calculated at 20 mg per 1 kg of weight in the first day, and then reduce it by half.
You always need to drink the medicine an hour before a meal or 2 hours after it.
To prepare the solution, you will need to add 12 ml of pure boiled water to the powder directly into the bottle and shake the resulting contents well. After suspension, the suspension can be stored only for 5 days at room temperature. Before each use, mix and drink well according to the instructions.
It is important to remember that the dosage is prescribed depending on the weight of the baby, and if he weighs more than his peers, then the amount of antibiotic should be more. In order not to make a mistake and not to provoke an overdose, the drug should be given to the baby only as prescribed by the doctor.
Tablet recommendations
Here, too, everything depends on the weight. In the treatment of common infections for children weighing up to 18 kg, 1 tablet of 125 mg per day is sufficient, with a weight of up to 30 kg, 2 tablets or 1 capsule with a dosage of 250 mg are required. For adolescents weighing up to 45 kg, 3 tablets are needed per day.
With Streptococcus pyogenes infections, the dosage is increased according to the above scheme, the same applies to Lyme disease.
Overdose
According to reviews, Sumamed for children when exceeding the recommended dose can cause increased side effects, mainly related to the digestive system. Among them are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. If the dose is greatly exceeded, then temporary hearing loss may occur. The elimination of symptoms is carried out by symptomatic treatment.
Analogues of the drug
Sumamed for children often recommends replacing reviews with cheaper medicines. It should be immediately noted that only a specialist can prescribe a drug, because even with a similar active substance, additional components can provoke negative reactions in the patient's body. Direct analogues of the medication are Azithromycin, Zitrox, Azitsin and others. According to the effect on the body, the drug can be replaced by Suprax or Augmentin.
Drug Reviews
Suspension, like tablets, has a lot of positive reviews. All of them indicate that treatment with the drug allows you to very quickly and effectively fight inflammation of varying complexity in babies from the age of six months. The suspension at the same time has a pleasant taste and facilitates the reception. For children with a large weight or older age, it is also possible to use Sumamed Forte suspension for children.
Reviews indicate that it is used in the same way and it also tastes good. It differs only in enhanced therapeutic effect associated with an increase in the dose of the main substance to 200 mg.
As for the side effects, children are very rarely confronted with their manifestation, and this is mainly abdominal pain and diarrhea. Doctors recommend this drug due to its high effectiveness.
The cost of the drug today in the form of a powder for suspension is 250 rubles, Sumamed Forte will cost about 370-600 rubles, depending on the volume of the bottle. The price of tablets and capsules can reach 450 and 550 rubles, respectively.