For some reason, it seems to me that this is possible only in Russian medical practice and nowhere else. It is unlikely that at least one country in the world will "guess" to use eye drops in the nose! We are talking about "Albucida".
This drug is often advised by pediatricians to their little patients from the very birth of a cold.
Naturally, parents of thinking and analyzing people involuntarily have a natural question, is it possible to drip eye drops into the nose and, most importantly, why should this be done?
In this article, we tried to consider two points of view - supporters of "Albucid" nasally and opponents of this method of treating the common cold, which include the authoritative doctor - pediatrician, TV presenter and author of books on children's health Yevgeny Komarovsky.
More details in the next video.
About the drug
To understand the intricacies of the application, you need to know exactly what "Albucid" is and how it works. So these are drops. Eye drops, which are a bactericidal agent of the sulfanilamine group. Despite the word "bactericidal", "Albucid" is not an antibiotic, as many parents mistakenly think. Rather, it can be compared to an antiseptic, but also rather tentatively.
Sulfacil sodium (this is the main active substance of drops) is effective against many pathogenic microbes, such as various cocci, bacilli, chlamydia and toxoplasma.
Drops have proved to be excellent as an ophthalmic drug, they quickly cope with microbes that cause eye diseases. Maybe for this reason, or maybe for some other reason, pediatricians once decided that sodium sulfacil would "work" just as effectively in the nose.
Their position explains the appointment of eye drops in the nose by the fact that the microbes in the eyes and in the nasal passages are approximately the same.
The question, of course, is controversial, but the fact remains: children are prescribed "Albucid" for the treatment of rhinitis if a bacterial rhinitis is suspected. By the way, bacterial rhinitis in children is rare, and eye drops in the nose are often prescribed.
Many doctors say that "Albucid" is effective for protracted rhinitis, when other drugs do not help and purulent rhinitis. Some experts even advise parents to drip sodium sulfacil to a child with onset rhinitis, even if they see that the baby is starting a viral infection and are well aware that no bactericidal agents and antibiotics have any effect on viruses.
Official instructions, data on clinical trials of the drug, information from manufacturers - none of these sources indicate the possibility of using drops in any other way, except in the eyes. Nasal use of "Albucid" is not mentioned anywhere.
The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
The other half of the doctors consider "Albucid" a waste of money (even if small) and the time that will be spent on such procedures. Evgeny Komarovsky, an authoritative specialist in the field of pediatrics, adheres to this position.
He refers to the fact that sodium sulfacil dissolves in water better than other drugs from a number of sulfonamides, which explains its high effectiveness against bacteria in the moist environment of the eyeball. But when the drug enters the nose, it simply does not have time to dissolve and begin to act, as it quickly ends up in the pharynx and then in the esophagus if the child swallows it.
This drug was recently produced in the form of a solution for intravenous injection, now this form has been discontinued, only eye drops remained.
However, the rich history of this famous drug is silent about nasal use.
When asked why doctors prescribe "Albucid" for a cold, Komarovsky replies that, most likely, the matter is in imitation of treatment. A runny nose in a child most often, or rather in 95% of cases, is viral. And doctors know this, as they also know that with a viral rhinitis nothing needs to be dripped, a rhinitis in this situation is a manifestation of the work of immunity.
But if the doctor honestly tells the baby's mother that he will not prescribe anything, the parent may consider the doctor incompetent and go with complaints to higher authorities. Naturally, it is easiest for a pediatrician to prescribe something that may not be beneficial, but harm is also not expected. And he writes out "Albucid".
Mom is busy - drips three times a day, heals. The child is recovering from his viral rhinitis on his own, as it should be. Nobody questions the doctor's competence, because the parents are sure that it was "Albucid" that helped the baby to recover. Everyone is happy.
Komarovsky recommends not to waste precious time instilling eye drops for other purposes, but to treat rhinitis correctly, creating good conditions for the child's recovery.
Fresh air, wet cleaning in the apartment, a sufficient level of air humidity (50-70%), air temperature from 18 to 20 degrees - such a microclimate will help to cope with a cold faster.
In extreme cases, according to the doctor's prescription, nasal drops should be used - such as "Nazivin", "Nazol".
Sometimes some doctors prescribe Tobrex and Oftalmodek instead of Albucid. Both of these drugs are also exclusively ophthalmic, and are not intended for instillation into the nose.
