Vitamin D is considered one of the most important vitamins for young children. To prevent its deficiency, many children are prescribed preparations containing this vitamin. One of the most popular remedies is Aquadetrim. To know how to use this medicine in childhood correctly, you need to figure out when it is prescribed to children, how to take such drops and when Aquadetrim is not needed.
Release form
Aquadetrim is available in liquid form - in drops. It is a clear, colorless liquid that may slightly opalesce. Aquadetrim drops have anise aroma. One package of medication is represented by a 10 ml bottle equipped with a dropper-shaped stopper.
Composition
The main ingredient in Aquadetrim is colecalciferol. This is the name of vitamin D3, which contains 15 thousand IU in one ml of the drug. 1 ml contains 30 drops of Aquadetrim, that is, one drop of the medicine contains 500 IU of vit. D.
Additional components of the drug are citric acid, sodium hydrogen phosphate and macrogol glyceryl ricinoleate, as well as benzyl alcohol and purified water. The sweet taste of Aquadetrimu is provided by the added sucrose, and the special smell is the anise flavor.
What you need to know about vitamin D for all parents of infants will be briefly told by Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky:
Operating principle
Aquadetrim is a medicine that affects the exchange of two minerals important in the child's body. One is calcium and the other is phosphorus. The medicine regulates their metabolism, as a result of which the bones are mineralized, and the skeleton of the child develops correctly.
In Aquadetrim, vitamin D is represented by the D3 form. It is a natural form that forms in people's skin when exposed to the rays of the sun. If we compare it with the D2 form, then colecalciferol has an increased activity (by about 25%).
The drug is important for the absorption of phosphates and calcium salts in the intestine, the transport of these compounds throughout the body and their entry into the bone tissue. Also, Aquadetrim has an effect on their excretion from the body through the kidneys.
Without a sufficient amount of vitamin D, which helps to provide the drug, the child may not only have bone calcification, but also the work of the myocardium, muscle tone, blood clotting, the work of the parathyroid glands, the state of the immune system and the nervous system. The lack of such a compound in food or due to a short exposure to the sun's rays causes rickets.
Indications
In childhood, the main reason to prescribe Aquadetrim is to prevent hypovitaminosis D and, as a consequence of this problem, rickets. Also, the drug is prescribed for therapeutic purposes with diagnosed vitamin D deficiency and rickets, if it has already developed in the baby. In addition, the use of Aquadetrim is indicated for the prevention or treatment of such diseases:
- Osteomalacia.
- Hypoparathyroidism.
- Hypocalcemic tetany.
- Pseudohypoparathyroidism and other rickets-like diseases.
From what age is it allowed to take?
Instructions for the use of Akvadetrim indicate that such a medicine is given to children who are 4 weeks old. It means that the drug is contraindicated in the neonatal period... However, you should not give Akvadetrim to a month-old baby without consulting a doctor. This is due to both possible side effects and the risk of overdose. For this reason, only a doctor should prescribe Aquadetrim for both children under one year and an older child, for example, at the age of 2 or 5 years.
In the video, Dr. Komarovsky will talk about the benefits of vitamin D and how to replenish its reserves.
Contraindications
Instructions for use prohibit giving Aquadetrim in such cases:
- If the baby's sensitivity to the components of the medicine is increased.
- If the child has hypervitaminosis D.
- If calcium oxalate stones are found in the child's kidneys.
- If a blood test shows excess calcium (hypercalcemia).
- If calcium is detected in urine (analysis showed hypercalciuria).
- If the baby has kidney disease, as well as kidney failure.
- If active pulmonary tuberculosis is diagnosed.
- If the patient has sarcoidosis.
The medicine is used very carefully if the infant's anterior fontanelle is small at birth (this is evidence of a predisposition to its earlier closure).
Side effects
Sometimes a child's body can react to Aquadetrim:
- Loss of appetite.
- Nausea.
- Muscle pain.
- Vomiting.
- Polyuria.
- Weakness.
- Depressive state.
- Joint pain.
- Dry mouth.
- Increased body temperature.
- Headaches.
- Changes in urine tests (increased levels of protein, hyaline casts, leukocytes) and blood (increased levels of calcium).
In some children, sleep is disturbed (the child does not sleep after medication), constipation appears, and body weight decreases. In addition, allergies can occur to Aquadetrim, for example, a skin rash.
What to do if these symptoms appear? First of all, stop the medication and consult your doctor. The doctor will examine the child, prescribe the necessary treatment and advise that the food given to the child contains less calcium.
Instructions for use
How to give Aquadetrim
The medicine is given to the child to drink by dropping the required amount of the drug into a spoonful of water or other liquid (can be mixed with baby food). This is best done in the morning after a meal.
Dosage
- For prophylaxis, Aquadetrim is prescribed for children over 1 month old, 1-2 drops a day, which corresponds to 500-1000 IU of vitamin D. This dosage is sufficient for babies who walk enough in the fresh air and get vitamins from food.
- In summer, the daily dose of Aquadetrim can be reduced. up to one drop or the drug is canceled.
- To babies who were born prematurely as well as children born from multiple pregnancies, the prophylactic dose will be 2-3 drops of Aquadetrim (this is 1000-1500 IU). The same dose is recommended for babies if their living conditions are unfavorable.
- For the treatment of rickets, the dosage of Aquadetrim is set individually, given the course and severity of the disease. The therapeutic dose of the drug is from 4 to 10 drops per day (from 2 to 5 thousand IU). Treatment is started with a dose of 2000 IU, and then, if the child tolerates the drug well, the number of drops gradually increases over several days.
- How many drops of Aquadetrim to give in the treatment of hereditary diseases, which are called rickets-like, should be determined by the doctor.
A video review of the drug Akvadetrim can be viewed here:
Duration of use
The drug for rickets is prescribed for 4-6 weeks under the control of analyzes and the general condition of the child. If therapy needs to be continued, Aquadetrim is started again after a week's break. The treatment is completed when a pronounced therapeutic effect is obtained, after which they switch to the prophylactic dosage recommended for all children (500-1000 IU).
But up to what age should Akvadetrim be given to healthy babies as a preventive measure? Most pediatricians advise to continue taking such a drug for up to 2-3 years, interrupting the application only for the summer period. When indicated, babies continue to be given droplets both in the summer and over the age of 2 years.
Overdose
The following reaction may occur to an exceeded dosage of Aquadetrim:
- Decreased appetite.
- Vomiting attack.
- Restless behavior.
- Increased thirst.
- Nausea.
- Stomach ache.
- Diarrhea or, conversely, constipation.
- Excretion of urine in large quantities.
- Joint or muscle pain.
- Headaches.
- Stupor and other mental disorders.
- Weight loss.
Doctor Komarovsky said a few words about an overdose of vitamin D in a child's body:
With an excessively high dose, for example, if the child drank half of the tube of Aquadetrim, kidney function is disrupted, blood pressure rises, baby is sleepy... In such situation there is a risk of eye problems, affecting both the iris or cornea and the optic nerve.
Also, an excessive intake of Aquadetrim can cause stones in the organs of the excretory system, the deposition of calcium in the walls of blood vessels, in the skin and internal organs. In rare cases, the drug provokes the development of cholestatic jaundice.
In a situation where a child has drunk a lot of Aquadetrim by mistake, it is important to immediately cancel the medicine and give the baby a lot of liquid. Since it is dangerous to health, in many cases, a child with an overdose of Aquadetrim is hospitalized.
Interaction with other drugs
- Vitamin D from Aquadetrim will be less absorbed if the child is taking cholestyramine, rifampicin, or anti-epilepsy drugs at the same time.
- If the baby is prescribed simultaneously thiazide diuretics and Aquadetrim, this can increase the level of calcium in the blood.
- When Aquadetrim is prescribed to a child who is given glycosides, the toxic effect of such heart drugs will increase, which threatens with arrhythmias.
- The simultaneous administration of Aquadetrim and calcium preparations with a high dosage of this mineral is not recommended.
Terms of sale
To buy Aquadetrim at a pharmacy, you do not need to present a prescription. The average price of one package of such drops is 180-200 rubles.
Storage conditions and shelf life
So that the medicine does not lose its properties, it must be kept away from light, and the air temperature at the storage site should not exceed + 25 ° C. To Akvadetrim, as well as to other medicines, babies should not have access. The shelf life of the medicine is 3 years, but after opening the contents are recommended to be used within 4-6 months.
Reviews
There are mostly positive reviews about Aquadetrim and its use in children.... Many parents believe that this medicine is very important for the normal development of babies, especially in winter. Confirmation of the effectiveness of the drug for them is the absence of rickets symptoms in children taking prophylactic doses of Aquadetrim.
However, there are also negative opinions, for example, some parents do not like the dispenser in the package, someone thinks the oil solution is more effective, and someone is concerned about rather long lists of contraindications and side effects.
However, children generally tolerate Aquadetrim well. Allergic reactions to such a drug are rare, and if the doses prescribed by the doctor are observed, Aquadetrim does not cause other side effects.
Analogs
Instead of Aquadetrim, you can use an aqueous solution of Vitamin D3 from other manufacturers. This is an equivalent replacement for Aquadetrim, since the medicine is represented by the same form of the vitamin, dissolved in water.
Also, for a child with rickets or for the prevention of this disease, Aquadetrim can be replaced with an oil solution, for example, a medicine Vigantol... Finnish vitamins are also a good option, for example, Sana-sol D3-tipat in coconut oil (such an analogue is allowed from 2 weeks of age), Minisun Drops D3 or drug Drops D3 from DeviSol.
Aquadetrim or Vigantol - which is better?
The main difference between such preparations containing vitamin D3 is represented by the base of the solution - in Aquadetrim it is purified water, and in Vigantol - medium-chain triglycerides (and therefore it is an oily solution). Both drugs are available in 10 ml bottles, and one drop of both Vigantol and Aquadetrim gives the child 500 international units of colecalciferol.
Pediatricians prescribe any of these remedies for rickets, as well as for disorders of calcium metabolism. Both Akvadetrim and Vigantol are prescribed to prevent hypovitaminosis D in children in the first 2-3 years of life. Both medicines are approved for use from 4 weeks of age. They have the same side effects, one method of use (the droplets are mixed with liquid in a spoon and given to the child) and there is practically no difference in price.
The differences between drugs are the following:
- Vigantol is represented by a thicker liquid, which is yellowish and odorless, but Aquadetrim is more liquid, colorless, smells good and tastes sweet.
- The composition of Vigantol is simpler, because apart from vitamin D and triglycerides, there are no more chemical additives in it. At the same time in Aquadetrim contains preservatives, sucrose and flavorings, to which children may react with allergies.
- Vigantol is not recommended for problems with the biliary tract, intestines and liver... The rest of the contraindications for both drugs are identical.
- Aquadetrim is given to children daily, and in the instructions for Vigantol there is a recommendation give drops for 5 days in a row, and then take a break for two days, and then continue using in the same mode (give for five days and not for two days).
- You need a prescription to buy Vigantol in a pharmacy, and Aquadetrim is an over-the-counter medicine.
- Vigantol has a longer shelf lifeand (it is 5 years) and temperature storage conditions are limited to + 15 + 25 ° C. At the same time, after opening the bottle, both drugs should be used within 6 months.
To determine which source of vitamin D is best for a particular child, it is worthwhile together with a pediatrician who observes the baby from birth. The doctor will assess the baby's nutrition, living conditions, skin color, season and other factors, after which he will recommend the most suitable remedy and its dosage.
