For children aged 4 years, communication comes first in life. They have a very high need to contact people, sometimes even strangers, in kindergarten, on a walk, on trips with their parents. In the cold or damp season, this is unsafe, because the baby becomes vulnerable to viruses, and the people around him are often carriers of influenza, ARVI, ARI, rotavirus, etc. The danger lies in wait everywhere - in the store, in the yard, in the park, in transport and especially in kindergarten. The parents of four-year-olds face a difficult problem - they need to protect an inquisitive child as much as possible and promptly provide him with assistance if the disease does begin.
Modern antiviral drugs for children 4 years old will help in both tasks. In order to choose exactly those that will help your child from the variety of drugs available in pharmacies, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician. But if this is not possible, parents need to remember some principles that should guide their choice of antivirus tool.
Baby medicine
Antivirus tools are different. According to the method of affecting the causative agent of the problem and the patient's body, drugs are distinguished that act directly, suppressing the ability of the virus to multiply or exit from the cell affected by it. These strong drugs usually have quite a few side effects. Like the group of interferons, which quickly give the patient's body a dose of protein compounds - interferons, which activate immunity against the virus. There are drugs that stimulate the production of their own interferon, there are drugs that have an effect on the crumbs' immunity - by stimulating or modulating it, "driving" as soon as possible to give a decent immune response to the pathogen that has entered the body.
Homeopathic medicines with antiviral action are presented in a large segment on the shelves of pharmacies. They are practically devoid of side effects, but their effectiveness has not yet been clinically proven due to excessively small doses of active substances, similar to the particles of the viruses themselves, which they contain.
The ideal antiviral medication for a 4-year-old child should be:
- Safe, non-toxic.
- Corresponding to the age allowed by the manufacturer for admission in a particular age group.
- Convenient in form of application. For children, these are forms of syrups, suspensions, rectal suppositories. Some four-year-olds are already able to swallow the pill themselves, but usually doctors recommend switching to the tablet form of medicines a little later, at 5-6 years old. The optimal forms for children aged 4 years are rectal suppositories, syrups, suspensions, solutions, drops and ointments for local and nasal use.
- Not falsified. Most often, expensive foreign drugs are counterfeited. Their cheap Russian counterparts act no worse, but they become the object of attention of "black pharmacists" much less often.
How often can you give?
Do not think that antiviral drugs, since they are sold without a prescription, can be taken as much and whenever you want. Uncontrolled and chaotic intake of antiviral drugs can disable the child's own immunity. It will turn out to be a vicious circle - you are treating your baby with good drugs for a cold, and he gets sick more and more often.
In the next video, Dr. Komarovsky will tell us everything about the children's immune system and its features, which in turn will help us understand that it is better not to start self-medication with antiviral drugs. You can also read the opinion of Doctor Komarovsky about antiviral drugs for children in a separate article.
To prevent this from happening, and the child's immunity was able to independently recognize and remember all the threats and ways to deal with them, it is recommended to give antiviral drugs no more than twice a year. If you decide to use these medicines for the prevention of influenza, then you need to remember that this should be done only during periods of increased incidence, and not all year round, and only if someone around the child has already contracted a viral infection.
For prophylaxis, a dose is usually given that is half the therapeutic dose. And they do it in certain courses, for example, "2 through 5" - they give the drug once a day for two days, and then take a break for five days. And so for 2-3 weeks, it is possible for a little more than a month, if the baby does not have strong immunity.
Treatment with antiviral drugs
All antiviral drugs are most effective when given in the very first hours after the onset of symptoms suggesting the onset of a viral infection. If a child has a fever, a reddened and sore throat, a cough, a runny nose, he complains of chills and a feeling of body aches - this is not a reason to immediately run to the pharmacy for an antiviral drug. Allow the baby's immunity to turn on the protective mechanisms on its own.
If the temperature of a four-year-old child rises rapidly, and has exceeded 39, intoxication, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea have been added to the general malaise, then taking antiviral drugs will be fully justified.
If a child has a high fever, and you do not know what to do, how to provide emergency care, watch the following video by Doctor Komarovsky.
Usually, antiviral drugs are prescribed as part of a complex treatment with other medicines, depending on the symptoms... The fact is that only a few of this pharmacological series can boast of proven effectiveness. The effectiveness of antivirus tools is a rather dubious issue, and controversy around it continues.
List of products for children 4 years old
- "Aflubin" - homeopathic drops for oral administration.
- "Grippferon" is a drug of the interferon group in the form of nasal drops and nasal spray.
- "Interferon" is a drug of the interferon group in the form of drops, ointments, rectal suppositories.
- "Arbidol" - tablets, capsules, powder for suspension preparation.
- Derinat is an immunomodulator in the form of a solution for external use and a solution for injections.
- "Oscillococcinum" - homeopathic sublingual pills.
- "Acyclovir" is a drug of direct action on the virus in the form of tablets, ointment, cream, eye ointment.
- "Anaferon for children" - homeopathic sublingual pills.
- Viburkol is a homeopathic remedy in the form of suppositories for rectal administration.
- "Tamiflu" - capsules and powder for suspension.
- "Kipferon" is an immunostimulant in the form of rectal suppositories.
- "Imupret" is a plant immunostimulant in drops and tablets.
- "Oxolinic ointment" - nasal and external ointment with antiviral effect.
- "Tsitovir-3" - capsules, powder for syrup preparation, ready-made pharmacy syrup.
- "Ergoferon" is an interferon drug produced in lozenge tablets.
- "Viferon" is a preparation of the interferon group in the form of suppositories for rectal administration.
- "Isoprinosine" is an immunostimulant drug that is taken in tablets.
- Orvirem is an antiviral drug in the form of a syrup.
Indications for use
There can be many indications for the use of antiviral drugs for a 4-year-old child. This is chickenpox, measles, and the flu virus. It is important for parents of a four-year-old to know that there are the most dangerous infections that cannot be treated on their own. At the age of 4, the child continues to develop immunity, as well as the nervous system. Therefore, the influenza virus, for example, with improper treatment, can cause severe complications in the form of neuritis. Acoustic neuritis (the most common complication of influenza) leads to deafness.
You should not independently select drugs for the treatment of infections caused by the herpes virus or papilloma. Shingles in a four-year-old child is also a reason to visit a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist.
Do not try to cope on your own and with the so-called "intestinal flu" - enterovirus infection. This disease is very insidious, it threatens dehydration of the child's body, and can be fatal. With her, antiviral drugs are often shown to children as part of droppers, which must be done in a hospital under the supervision of a doctor.
Among the relatively mild infections caused by viruses - rhinovirus infection, respiratory syncytial infection. They are characterized by a relatively low temperature, cough, runny nose. In most cases, such infections do not require medication at all. You can do it in folk ways.
Folk remedies
Do not forget about folk remedies for treating viral infections. If your four-year-old is sick, you can give him linden tea, a decoction of chamomile, herbal tea based on nettle and rose hips. Drinks should be plentiful and warm.
Black radish with honey is given to lower the temperature, moreover, it has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and antiviral effect.
A good remedy for ARVI is onion juice. It can be dripped into the nose after diluting it with boiled water.
The tannins found in strong tea leaves are great for viral eye infections.
If a child needs antiviral drugs, we suggest you watch the transmission cycle of Doctor Komarovsky, where you will learn what antivirals are, and what are immunostimulants, when it is better to use them and answers to many other questions.
