Sulfacil sodium has been used for many years in eye diseases caused by harmful bacteria. To many older people this medication is known as "Albucid" - this is an outdated name for this medication. Is it prescribed to children, under what pathologies and in what dosages?
Release form
Sulfacil sodium is produced by many Russian pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers from neighboring countries. Sometimes the name of a medicine contains a prefix indicating the manufacturing company, for example, "Belmed", DIA or MEZ. However, all of these preparations are identical to each other and contain the same active compound.
The only form of medication is eye drops with an active compound concentration of 20 percent. They are often sold in polymer dropper tubes or in plastic dropper bottles. Some manufacturers offer Sodium Sulfacil in glass vials with a dropper cap.
According to its physical characteristics, the medication is a clear liquid. It is usually colorless, but it can also be colored light yellow. The amount of solution in one tube or bottle is 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 1.5 ml, 2 ml, 5 ml or 10 ml, and one pack can hold one, five, ten or more bottles.
Composition
The main component of the drug is called sulfacetamide and is contained in the solution in an amount of 200 mg per 1 milliliter. In addition to it, the preparation often contains sodium thiosulfate, purified water and hydrochloric acid. Some manufacturers have sodium hydroxide and disulfite as auxiliary components of the solution.
Operating principle
The medication is a group of antibacterial agents called sulfonamides. It has a fairly wide range of bacteriostatic effects on various microbes, that is, the active substance of the drops slows down the growth of the pathogen. The drug has activity against pathogenic cocci, E. coli, chlamydia, corynebacteria, shigella, toxoplasma and other microorganisms. At the same time, "Sulfacil sodium" does not act on viruses and fungi.
Sulfacetamide has a predominantly local effect and penetrates well into the tissues of the eyes, but some of this substance is able to be absorbed into the blood.
At the same time, the absorbed amount is too small to cause systemic side effects, but enough to cause hypersensitivity, which requires caution when re-applying.
Indications
"Sulfacil sodium" is in demand in the treatment of:
- infectious inflammation of the eyelids (purulent blepharitis);
- bacterial conjunctivitis (including those provoked by chlamydia or gonococcus);
- purulent inflammation of the lacrimal canal or lacrimal sac;
- purulent ulcers on the surface of the cornea.
The drug is also used for prophylactic purposes (for example, in case of burns or eye injuries) in order to prevent infection. In addition, "Sulfacil sodium" is the drug of choice for preventing the development of blennorrhea. This is the name of a conjunctival infection caused by a gonococcus, which is usually diagnosed in newborns who become infected during childbirth from their mother. To prevent such infection, "Sulfacil sodium" is dripped to babies in the first hours after birth.
If a patient is diagnosed with a bacterial rhinitis, then some ENT doctors may prescribe to drip "Sulfacil sodium" into the nose. This method is sometimes used for adenoids, when the doctor has identified a purulent form in a child. In addition, "Sulfacil sodium" can drip into the ear with otitis media, if the doctor sees the benefits of such a remedy.
From what age is it allowed to take?
"Albucid" can be used at any age, that is, it is permissible to drip such a remedy both for newborn babies and infants up to one year old, and for schoolchildren or adults. But, like any other antibacterial agent, such drops should not be used in children without first consulting a doctor, so as not to waste time, because not all diseases can be treated with Sulfacyl sodium.
Contraindications
The drug should not be used in patients with hypersensitivity to any of its components. In addition, "Sulfacil sodium" is not used for allergies to other sulfa drugs. In addition, the agent is not prescribed if fungi or viruses have become the cause of the infection of the eyes.
Side effects
The drug can cause allergies, such as a skin rash. In addition, after treatment of the mucous membrane of the eyes with "Sulfacyl sodium" sometimes local reactions occur. They often manifest as redness, sore eyes, itching or burning. In some children, after instillation of the drug, swelling and lacrimation are revealed. If any of these negative symptoms appear, you should immediately abandon the further use of the drops and consult your doctor.
Instructions for use
A single dosage of the drug is 1-2 drops in each eye, and the frequency of use depends on the disease:
- if inflammation of the conjunctiva is found in a small patient, then on the first day of therapy, the medication is dripped every hour, and from the next day they switch to the frequency of use 5-6 times;
- if the medicine was prescribed for blepharitis, then in the first days the drops are used up to 8 times a day, and then the frequency of instillation is reduced to 3-4 times of treatment;
- if a child has a purulent ulcer on the cornea, sodium sulfacyl is dripped 5-6 times during the day;
- for patients with blennorrhea, on the first day of therapy, the drug is injected with an interval of 1-2 hours, and from the second day they switch to instillations every three hours;
- if the child has chlamydial eye disease, the frequency of application of drops is 5-6 times a day.
The duration of the use of "Sulfacil sodium" depends on the diagnosis and the course of the disease. For children with conjunctivitis, the remedy is prescribed for 4-5 days and canceled after improvement. With blepharitis, the course of treatment most often lasts 3-5 days, and with purulent ulcerative lesions of the cornea, the agent is dripped for up to 7 days. If blennorrhea is treated with a medication, then the drops are used within 2 weeks, and if the eyes are affected by chlamydia, the medication is used even longer - up to 6 weeks.
With the prophylactic use of drops to prevent blenorrhea, "Sulfacil sodium" in a dose of 4 drops is injected into the eyes of a newborn (two drops each) immediately after birth. After 2 hours, the procedure is repeated using the same dosage.
Overdose
Cases where the introduction of an excessive amount of drops caused poisoning has not been known until this time. If the medication is accidentally swallowed, it is recommended to rinse the stomach and show the child to the doctor.
Interaction with other drugs
The effect of the use of "Sulfacil sodium" decreases when it is combined with tetracaine, benzocaine or procaine. The medicine cannot be combined with silver salts, salicylates and diphenin. If you use "Albucid" together with chloramphenicol preparations, their side effects will increase.
Terms of sale
Sodium sulfacil is an over-the-counter medicine and is freely sold to anyone. The price of the drug is influenced by the amount of solution in the bottle or tube, and by the manufacturer, so the cost of "Sulfacil sodium" in pharmacies varies from 15 to 70 rubles.
Storage conditions
Most manufacturers recommend storing drops at temperatures below +15 degrees, but not allowing freezing. To store the drug, you must choose a place that will be inaccessible to babies.
The shelf life of "Sulfacil sodium" before the first use of the medication is 2 years. From the moment the bottle or tube is opened, it is reduced: some manufacturers recommend discarding the drug after 14 days, others after 28 or 30 days - more accurate information should be specified in the instructions for the medicine.
Reviews
Most of the reviews that parents and doctors leave about "Sulfacil sodium" call such drops effective and quite effective for conjunctivitis and other eye lesions. In addition, the advantages of the drug include the possibility of using it from birth, as well as the prevalence of the drug in pharmacies and its low cost.
According to most mothers, it is convenient to use the medication, and it works quickly enough to help get rid of eye infections. Thanks to these features "Sulfacil sodium" is often taken with you on trips or included in home first aid kits.
As for the shortcomings, most often parents mention discomfort after instillation. Many babies protest against this medication and complain of tingling and burning after use. When the medication is applied to the nose, tingling discomfort and a bitter taste are also noted.
In addition, Sulfacil sodium did not help some children. This is usually due to the resistance of the pathogen to sulfonamides and requires the appointment of antibiotics of other groups. The disadvantages of the drug also include a very short shelf life after the bottle or tube has been opened.
Separately, there are reviews about the use of "Albucid" in the nose, which are also mostly positive. In them, the remedy is called effective for a purulent rhinitis or a protracted course of rhinitis. However, many doctors, including the famous pediatrician Komarovsky, consider such treatment ineffective.
In their opinion, the drug does not have time to act on the nasal mucosa, but enters the pharynx and is swallowed. They are confident that such eye drops should not be used in the nose, and for a cold, other medicines should be used that have worked well in the treatment of rhinitis, sinusitis or adenoiditis.
Analogs
Instead of "Sulfacil sodium" for conjunctivitis and other eye diseases the doctor may recommend another medicine for similar action.
- "Tobrex". Such an antibiotic based on tobramycin is a group of aminoglycosides. It is prescribed for children over a year old.
- Okomistin. This drug Miramistin is produced specifically for instillation into the eyes. It is used in children over 3 years old.
- "Vitabakt". These antiseptic drops contain picloxidine and are prescribed to children from birth.
- "Sofradex". These drops can be used in the eyes and ears. They act on bacteria through two antibacterial components and reduce inflammation through dexamethasone. Children are discharged with caution, but infants are not prescribed.
- "Tobradex". In the composition of such drops, tobramycin is supplemented with glucocorticoid hormone. They are used in children from 1 year old.
- Levofloxacin. This bactericidal agent is used in childhood only in the form of eye drops. It is allowed to treat children over a year old.
- "Levomycetin". The basis of this medication is chloramphenicol. One of the forms of the drug are eye drops used for dacryocystitis, blepharitis and other infections. The medication is allowed at any age, but in children it should be used only under the supervision of a specialist.
- "Conjunctin". This antiseptic agent containing decamethoxin can replace "Albucid" both for the treatment of bacterial eye infections and for the prevention of blennorrhea. It can be dripped into the eyes of children from the first days of life.
- "Maxitrol"... These drops work by combining dexamethasone with two types of antibiotics. They are prescribed for children with blepharitis, keratitis and other eye diseases.
- "Ofloxacin". Such an antimicrobial eye ointment can be used in children over a year old with barley, bacterial ulcers, inflammation of the conjunctiva and other purulent infections.
- "Tsipromed"... The basis of this antimicrobial drug is ciprofloxacin. In childhood, the medication is used in patients over a year old.
For information on how to treat eye inflammation in a child, see the next video.
