One of the not very pleasant changes while waiting for a baby is a decrease in immunity, so many pregnant women have to be treated with antibiotics. When the disease poses a great danger to the fetus and the woman herself, the doctor should choose an effective and safe remedy at the same time. Let's see if it can be called such a drug Ceftriaxone, why do we need antibiotic injections in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, is it justified in the early stages, what are the consequences, and what consumers say about such a medicine in their reviews.
Features of the drug
Ceftriaxone represents such a popular group of antibiotics as cephalosporins... It belongs to the 3rd generation of these drugs. Since the active substance of the drug is rapidly destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract, it is released only in injectable form. The medicine is produced by several Russian and foreign companies, so in pharmacies you can find simply “Ceftriaxone” and a drug in the name of which there is an abbreviation or a second word, for example, "Ceftriaxone-Jodas" or "Ceftriaxone-LEKSVM".
All these funds are presented white or yellowish powder, packaged in glass bottles, closed with a rubber stopper, on top of which there is a metal lid (sometimes also a plastic cork). One package can contain only one bottle, but more often there are 5 or 10 bottles inside the box. Some manufacturers offer together with powder and ampoules with solvent.
The main and only ingredient of the powder is the compound of the same name, presented in the form of sodium salt. Its amount inside one bottle can be 250 mg, 500 mg, 1000 mg (1 g) or 2000 mg (2 g). There are no auxiliary components in the composition of the medication. If the powder is sold with a solvent, the clear liquid inside the glass ampoule is sterile water.
Operating principle
The active substance of "Ceftriaxone" is characterized by a bactericidal effect, which has a fairly wide spectrum. Under its influence, the formation of cell walls in pathogens stops, because of which the pathogens die, and the inflammatory process stops.
This antibiotic is effective against pyogenic streptococci, meningococci, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, Klebsiella, Fusobacteria, Gonococci, Shigella, Salmonella, Clostridia and many other microorganisms.
However, it may not work on some strains of staphylococci, enterococci, bacteroids or pseudomonads. In addition, injections do not affect viral particles, protozoa and disease-causing fungi, therefore the question of the appointment of "Ceftriaxone" is resolved individually - the drug is prescribed only in cases where the pathogen is sensitive to it.
Is it allowed during pregnancy?
The tests did not reveal the toxic effect of Ceftriaxone on the fetus. As a result of its use while waiting for a child, growth retardation and developmental problems are not recorded. The drug also does not have a teratogenic effect, that is, when using it, the likelihood of congenital pathologies does not increase.
This allows the use of "Ceftriaxone" even in the early stages, if the need arises. However, in the 1st trimester, they try to refuse the use of this antibiotic if possible, as well as from taking most other drugs, in order to reduce the risks to the fetus, because at this time its most important organs are being formed.
If a woman has any infectious diseases, they should be treated during pregnancy planning. This will help avoid antibiotic use in the first months of gestation. For periods up to 12-16 weeks, "Ceftriaxone" is indicated only in situations where there is a threat to the mother's life. In this case, the treatment will bring real benefits, and the possible risk is acceptable to neglect.
In the second trimester, the drug can be prescribed more often, but only after a medical examinationwhen a woman has indications for antibacterial treatment. If the expectant mother during this period, for example, at 21 weeks, has symptoms of infection, you should first contact a specialist who will decide whether to inject antibiotics, or you can limit yourself to oral agents.
In the 3rd trimester, "Ceftriaxone" can also be used, since its active substance does not in any way affect the condition of the uterus and is unable to worsen the labor process. In the later stages, the medication, as in the 2nd trimester, can only be used as directed by a doctor.
When is it prescribed for expectant mothers?
"Ceftriaxone" is prescribed for various infectious diseasesx, including tonsillitis, otitis media, bronchitis, sinusitis and pneumonia. The drug is in demand in the treatment of infected skin and subcutaneous tissue, as well as bone infections. The medication helps out with serious bacterial diseases, including cholangitis, meningitis, peritonitis, endocarditis, lung abscess and pyelonephritis.
Expectant mothers can also inject him with polyhydramnios or low water, since these problems are often infectious in nature.
Contraindications
Ceftriaxone is prohibited for women who are hypersensitive to both this antibiotic and any other cephalosporin drug. It should also not be injected if you are allergic to penicillins and carbapenems. The medication is contraindicated in liver failure and serious kidney damage.
Side effects
During treatment with Ceftriaxone allergic reactions may occureg fever, edema, erythema, rash, or itching. Such symptoms force you to immediately stop using this drug and choose an analogue from another group.
Sometimes injections can provoke local reactions. If the drug is injected into muscle tissue, a painful lump may occur at the injection site. With intravenous injections, pain can also appear, and phlebitis occasionally develops.
Other adverse reactions to Ceftriaxone include headaches, dyspepsia symptoms, and dizziness. In rare cases, the medication provokes pancreatitis and enterocolitis - serious problems in which the course of injections is stopped immediately.
Against the background of reduced immunity, injections of "Ceftriaxone" can lead to candidiasis or secondary infections. In some women, under the influence of such an antibiotic, blood parameters change - for example, the number of leukocytes and platelets decreases, prothrombin time changes, and the activity of liver enzymes rises. Sometimes there are changes in the analysis of urine - for example, erythrocytes are detected in the patient's sample.
Instructions for use
Having determined whether the expectant mother needs Ceftriaxone, the doctor decides how the antibiotic will be administered. You can inject the drug both into muscle tissue and into a vein. Since intramuscular injections are quite painful, for them the powder contents of the vial are diluted with Lidocaine, for which you need to make sure that the expectant mother tolerates such an anesthetic normally. The medication is injected in the place where the muscle is clearly expressed (not only in the buttock, but also in the thigh or shoulder area), and for the next injection, the place changes.
Intravenous injections can be jet or drip... If the medication is injected in a jet, then the solution must be injected very slowly. First, the powder is dissolved with water for injection in a volume of 5-10 ml, depending on the dosage of the antibiotic, and then the prepared solution is injected into the venous blood for 2-4 minutes. If droppers are prescribed, saline, glucose solution, or other medicine for infusion (except for products that contain calcium) is added to the inside of the vial, and then the drug is dripped for 30 minutes or longer.
The dosage of "Ceftriaxone" is selected individually, taking into account the disease and its course. Injections can be given only once a day or divided into two injections. The maximum amount of antibiotic per day is 4 grams. The duration of treatment is determined by the doctor for each patient separately. Some expectant mothers are prescribed injections for 4-5 days, others - for 10 days or longer.
It all depends on the nature of the disease, its severity and the response of the female body to therapy.
Reviews
Women who had a chance to use Ceftriaxone while waiting for a child leave a lot of good reviews about this medicine.... According to them, the drug quickly cured pneumonia, pyelonephritis, acute otitis media and other bacterial infections. Among the advantages of the drug are an affordable price, a small list of contraindications and an extensive antimicrobial spectrum.
As for the disadvantages, they include the dosage form, because the drug has to be injected into the vein with the help of medical workers, and intramuscular injections without anesthetic are very painful... In addition, negative reviews have reported side effects such as loose stools, skin rashes, or headaches. There were also cases when the drug was powerless against a certain strain of bacteria, therefore, after a few days from the start of treatment, it had to be replaced with another agent.
Analogs
There are many medications with antibacterial action that can replace Ceftriaxone if the expectant mother has a bacterial infection. These drugs include "Cefotaxim", "Supraks", "Claforan", "Sumamed", "Vilprafen", "Macropen" and many other antibiotics in tablets, capsules or injections. They have different active substances, so contraindications, side effects, and other features will differ. During pregnancy, the selection of an analogue for the treatment of an infectious disease must necessarily be carried out by a doctor. Drinking or injecting any antibiotics without a specialist's appointment is unacceptable.
