Actovegin child

Actovegin is a popular drug recommended for problems with the nervous system and many other diseases. Why is this medication prescribed to children, can it be used at 6 months, how to give Actovegin correctly, and can there be negative reactions to this drug in babies who have been prescribed Actovegin treatment?

Release form

You can buy Actovegin in this form:

Solution for injections. It is a clear liquid that is often colorless, but may have a slight yellow tint. The solution is packaged in ampoules with a capacity of 2 ml and 5 ml, as well as 10 ml. The active ingredient content per ml is 40 mg.
Coated tablets. Each tablet contains 200 mg of active ingredient, and the package contains 50 tablets.
Means for external use. This can be a gel, cream, or ointment. In such forms, the active ingredient content is 5% or 20%.

Actovegin does not have such forms of release as syrup or capsules.

Composition

The active substance of Actovegin is represented by an extract from calf blood. It is purified and dried to obtain a deproteinized hemoderivat containing amino acids and low molecular weight peptides.

The solution for injection additionally contains sterile water and sodium chloride. Actovegin tablets contain such auxiliary ingredients as talc, microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose, acacia gum, wax, sucrose and some other substances.

Operating principle

The use of Actovegin has the following effect:

The drug improves the absorption of oxygen by brain cells.
It promotes the formation of acetylcholine and ATP in the brain cells.
The drug helps glucose to better penetrate into neurons, which has a positive effect on the nutrition of brain cells.
It acts as a strong antioxidant.
The drug also has a beneficial effect on liver cells and myocardial tissue.

Watch a very interesting video, which describes the principle of Actovegin:

From what age is it allowed to take?

Instructions for the use of Actovegin do not report the permissible age of prescribing such a medication, however in pediatrics, it is used from birth, if there are indications for this.

Neurologists often prescribe such a medication to an infant if during childbirth the baby has experienced hypoxia, for example, due to entanglement with the umbilical cord or a prolonged course of labor processes. Actovegin can be prescribed for such a baby both immediately after birth, and at 1 month or at 3 months.

Indications

In childhood, the reason to prescribe Actovegin is:

Chronic fetal hypoxia during pregnancy.
Acute hypoxic brain damage during childbirth.
Brain trauma during childbirth.
Craniocerebral trauma not associated with childbirth.
Lagging in neuropsychic development.
Speech Problems (RRP).
Circulatory disorders in the brain.
Child's hyperexcitability.
Frequent regurgitation.
Tremors of the legs or arms.
Learning problems.

Local forms of the drug are prescribed for burns, bedsores, ulcers and other skin lesions.

Contraindications

The appointment of Actovegin is prohibited when:

Allergies to its components.
Heart failure.
Swelling.
Kidney dysfunction.
Convulsive syndrome.

Side effects

Sometimes the child's body reacts to treatment with Actovegin with allergic reactions, so the use of the medicine begins with an allergic test.

The drug can provoke an increase in body temperature, skin rash or redness of the skin. In some children, the drug causes anaphylactic shock.

The introduction of Actovegin in the afternoon can provoke sleep disturbance. If local forms of Actovegin (ointment, cream or gel) are used, burning or itching may appear at the site of skin treatment.

Instructions for use and dosage

Most often, the child is prescribed injections of Actovegin, since this form of medicine is more effective than others. The tablets contain too high a dose, so they have to be divided, and damage to the membrane affects the therapeutic effect of the drug.

The dosage is determined by the age and weight of the child:

A newborn, one-month-old baby and children under one year old should be given 0.4-0.5 ml of Actovegin solution for each kilogram of weight.
Children aged 1 to 3 years are also injected with 0.4-0.5 ml of medicine per 1 kg of weight.
At the age of 3-6 years, the dosage of Actovegin per 1 kilogram of body weight will be from 0.25 to 0.4 ml.
Children 6-12 years old are injected daily from 5 to 10 ml of the drug.
Over the age of 12, the daily dose is 10-15 ml of Actovegin.

The medicine is given intravenously once a day. If injection into a vein is impossible, the drug is used intramuscularly, but it is rather painful and less effective. To reduce the painfulness of the injection, it is permissible to mix Actovegin and Novocaine, but only after a test for allergy to such anesthetic.

The tablet form is prescribed for less severe lesions of the nervous system. As a rule, Actovegin tablets are included in complex treatment together with other drugs for the brain, and the neurologist selects the dose individually. The tablet is drunk before meals with water.

Overdose

Nothing is known about the negative effect of Actovegin in an excessively high dosage.

Interaction with other drugs

Actovegin can be used together with drugs such as Mildronate, Curantil, B vitamins, Cavinton, Riboxin, Piracetam, Cortexin and many other drugs prescribed for encephalopathies, developmental delay and other central nervous system problems.

The drug is compatible with glucose and sodium chloride solutions, and other medications should not be administered together with Actovegin. An exception is made only for Novocaine with intramuscular injections.

How Actovegin works, see the video.

Terms of sale

Buying Actovegin in a pharmacy is possible only after presenting a prescription from a doctor. A pack of 50 tablets costs about 1400-1500 rubles, and for 5 ampoules of 2 ml of Actovegin you need to pay about 600 rubles.

Storage conditions and shelf life

The tablet form of Actovegin is stored at a temperature of no more than +25 degrees Celsius in a place where the child cannot reach. The injection solution should be stored under the same conditions if the ampoules are intact. After opening, the medicine is not stored, but used immediately, since there are no preservatives inside the ampoules. The shelf life of the medicine is 3 years.

Reviews

On the use of Actovegin in children, there are both positive reviews and complaints of ineffectiveness. Mothers who noted the good effect of such a medicine emphasize that Actovegin helped to eliminate the consequences of damage to the central nervous system during childbirth or in case of injury.

They also note predominantly good drug tolerance. Allergic reactions to Actovegin are rare, and most babies do not have side effects.

Basically, positive changes are seen in children with speech delay, when the child simultaneously takes Actovegin and Cortexin. Mothers notice that the baby revives, speaks better, responds adequately to requests.

The doctors' comments on this drug are also mostly good. Neurologists have long been using it in pediatric practice, noting its neuroprotective effect and high efficiency in encephalopathies.

Analogs

A drug with the same effect as Actovegin is Solcoseryl... This medicine is also based on purified calf blood. The product is available in a solution for injection, as well as in the form of a gel, ointment and paste.

Replacement of Actovegin in the treatment of children is possible with other drugs that act on the brain. However, any of these funds should be prescribed by a specialist. Instead of Actovegin, your doctor may recommend: