At the age of five, children are quite vulnerable. The child's still fragile immunity is not able to give an adequate response to numerous external threats. Added to this is the psychological load - the baby begins to prepare for school, many children at the age of 5 attend early development schools. Many factors, put together, become the cause of frequent colds, viral infections. Modern antiviral drugs help parents and doctors protect the five-year plan.
Mechanism of action
Antiviral drugs are synthetic and herbal. Their classification is based on the difference in the principle of exposure to the virus.
Direct-acting drugs destroy viruses, prevent them from freely leaving the affected cell and spreading further. Immunomodulators and immunostimulants induce the child's immunity to produce antibodies at a faster rate and give an immune response to a viral attack. Interferon preparations contain interferon protein, which is one of the main defenses in the body. Antiviral drugs of homeopathic origin act on small particles of active substances, many of which are identical to the viruses themselves.
And in the next video, pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky will tell you everything about children's antiviral drugs and how they are used.
Efficiency
Out of hundreds of anti-virus products, only a few can boast of clinically proven effectiveness. This segment of drugs has not been sufficiently studied, and there is no reliable data yet that even an expensive antiviral agent has a 100% effect.
With homeopathic pills and drops, things are even more complicated. It is practically impossible to study their effectiveness due to the fact that the active substances in them are presented in negligible doses. Official medicine does not recognize the effectiveness of homeopathy, many doctors claim that the desired effect when taking homeopathic medicines can be achieved only thanks to the placebo effect.
Choice
We already know that drugs against viruses differ in their mechanisms of action. Medicines that directly attack viruses negatively affect the entire child's body as a whole. Interferons, the composition of which is due to proteins obtained in the laboratory from donor blood when exposed to viruses, have a lot of side effects. Immunostimulants and immunomodulators for children 5 years old are the most acceptable option. But their frequent intake can cause immune instability, when the child's own immunity becomes "lazy", stops resisting bacteria and viruses, and the baby starts to get sick often and severely.
Homeopathic remedies are a matter of taste. They have no contraindications and side effects, but the effectiveness of their reception is also a big question.
When choosing an antiviral agent, be sure to consult with your doctor. It is very important to take into account the age characteristics of the child, the presence of concomitant diseases, including chronic ones.
Another useful video by Dr. Komarovsky about children's antivirals.
More preferred are drugs in dosage forms convenient for children: syrups, drops, suspensions, solutions, rectal suppositories, ointments and gels, sprays. Children at the age of 5 can start giving pills if the child has already learned to swallow them. Capsules "five-year-olds" are contraindicated.
Treatment and prevention
Antivirals should not be given to your 5-year-old for any reason. Taking antiviral drugs like this will only complicate the situation, worsen well-being and jeopardize the baby's immune defenses.
- For the treatment of influenza and SARS. Medicines are given in the first hours after the onset of signs of infection (rapidly increasing body temperature, respiratory manifestations - runny nose, cough, headache, joint and muscle pain, pain in the eyes, lacrimation). If you did not start taking the drug in the first 36 hours, then it no longer makes any sense. At a temperature of 37.0-37.5, antiviral agents are not needed. You can think about taking them if the child's temperature rises above 38.5.
- For prevention. Such funds can be taken as a preventive measure. This is true during periods of seasonal growth of infectious diseases, provided that there are already sick people around the child. Prophylactic doses are 2 times less than therapeutic ones. Taking immunomodulators and immunostimulants more than twice a year is not recommended.
List of medicines for children 5 years old
The cost
When choosing a medicine for a five-year-old child, many parents are guided by prices. Many names of children's medicines against viruses are presented in pharmacies today.
All of them are divided into original and so-called "generics" based on originals. The former are more expensive. Generics are much cheaper. The average cost of an original medicine is from 350 to 600 rudders, an analogue is from 100 to 200 rubles.
At the same time, relatively inexpensive generics have proven to be no less effective than the originals. The crux of the matter lies in the active ingredient. Knowing what is the basis of an expensive original drug, you can easily select an affordable replacement drug for it.
General recommendations
If a child at the age of five has a cold more than 6 times a year, this is a reason not to choose effective pills and injections for him, but to consult an immunologist as soon as possible. Most likely, the baby will need additional research - an immunogram, which will show why the body is so poorly resistant to microbes and viruses.
If it is possible to stop taking antiviral medications, it is better to do so. The baby's immune defense will cope with the infection and "write" information about it into its database. With a subsequent collision with such a pathogen, the threat recognition system will work and antibodies to it will develop faster.
There are situations in which you need to immediately start taking antiviral pills or syrup. Parents usually cannot independently assess the severity of the child's disease, and therefore it should be entrusted to the doctor. It is important to know that it is better not to take a baby with suspected viral infection to the clinic in order not to contribute to the spread of the infection. The doctor should be called at home.
If a child has a viral disease, the parents are obliged to inform the kindergarten that the baby attends, and to other groups where he is (sections, circles, institutions of additional education). Some diseases require a mandatory strict quarantine.
When taking antiviral medications for a child, it is important to ensure the correct drinking regime with a predominance of warm fortified drink. It can be compotes, rosehip decoction, herbal tea with lemon or black currant. To calculate the amount of water you need for your five-year-old child, you need to multiply its weight by 30.
Reviews
Parents of children aged 5 and older often complain of systematic childhood illnesses. The antiviral drugs of the mother of such children are used both on the advice of a doctor and after an independent choice. More often than others, parents choose homeopathic pills and drops. So, according to moms and dads, a good medicine is Oscillococinum, Viburkol.
"Remantadin" causes headaches in some children, parents also complain about "Interferon", because it also exhibits side effects, and it is rather difficult to calculate the exact dosage of the medicine on your own in case of flu or colds in a child.
We also offer a view where inexpensive children's antiviral drugs are presented.
