Drops "Sinekod" for children: instructions for use

When a cough with sputum, which is called wet cough, occurs, various drugs with an expectorant effect are used. But in some cases, the cough is dry and causes the sick person to suffer day and night, without bringing relief.

To eliminate it, medications are used that can affect the cough reflex. One of them is Sinekod. Such a medicine in the form of drops is in demand in adults with laryngitis, whooping cough and other diseases with a strong unproductive cough. But can it be used in childhood and how to do it correctly? How can excess dose harm and are there analogues of such a medication?

Release form

Sinekod drops are released in small glass bottles, which have a dropper dispenser. One bottle contains 20 ml of a solution that smells like vanilla. It is transparent and often colorless, but it can also be yellowish. In addition to drops, Sinekod is also represented by syrup, and this medication does not have such forms as tablets, injections or capsules.

Composition

The active substance, thanks to which drops can affect the cough reflex, is called butamirate citrate. Each milliliter of solution contains this ingredient in a dose of 1.5 mg.

Among the excipients in the drug are glycerol, 96% ethyl alcohol, benzoic acid, water, 70% sorbitol and sodium hydroxide. They help the medication stay in liquid form and not deteriorate during storage. For a sweet taste, sodium saccharinate is added to the preparation, and the aroma of the drops is due to the presence of vanillin in its composition.

Mechanism of action

Sinekod has a central effect, because butamirate can affect the cough center in the brain. In many diseases of the respiratory tract, the cause of coughing is the formation of phlegm, which must be removed. When it appears, the receptors begin to send signals to the brain in order to activate the cough reflex and eliminate the irritating factor.

But if the cough is dry, then there is practically no sputum, and the cause of the signals from the receptors located in the mucous membrane is the inflammatory process and irritation of the respiratory tract. And when, in response to an increase in the activity of the cough center, a dry cough begins, it does not bring relief, because there is no sputum, no signals to remove it from the airways come and the reflex remains active.

As a result, the brain continues to receive signals about irritation of the mucous membrane and the need to remove sputum, which is not there, so the cough does not end. And in this case, there is a need for Sinekod, as in a medicine that will inhibit the cough reflex, thanks to which the patient's condition will improve.

The drops not only help to get rid of coughing attacks, but also lower the resistance of the airways, and also promote more oxygen into the bloodstream.

In addition, they also have some bronchodilatory effect, that is, the use of Sinekod helps to expand the lumen of the bronchi. All these effects simultaneously facilitate breathing and eliminate tissue oxygen deprivation, which speeds up recovery.

Indications

Since Sinekod in drops affects the cough reflex, it is prescribed in situations where a child suffers from a dry cough, which worsens his condition. Especially often, this symptom manifests itself at night, disrupting the baby's sleep. The medication is in demand for such diseases:

whooping cough;
tracheitis;
laryngotracheitis;
bronchopneumonia;
bronchitis;
tracheobronchitis;
laryngitis;
pharyngitis;
emphysema of the lungs;
pleurisy;
bronchial asthma

Drops can also be used before various manipulations on the airway (for example, before bronchoscopy) or before surgery. If a child has ARVI, Sinekod is usually not prescribed, because with such problems, a dry cough quickly turns into a wet one. Nevertheless, if one of the symptoms is a painful dry cough, you can use drops, but as directed by a doctor and only until the time when the sick baby begins to form and cough up phlegm.

At what age are children prescribed?

Sinekod drops can be used from an early age, because the instructions for this form of medication in contraindications indicate an age of up to 2 months. If the baby is already two months old, it is permissible to give him a solution, but only after a doctor's examination. Although the medication is considered safe, it is not a narcotic drug and rarely causes side effects, its use without the prescription of a pediatrician in children of the first years of life is unacceptable.

The syrup contains much more active substance in 1 ml, therefore it is not used until 3 years of age.

Children under three years old are allowed to give Sinekod exclusively in drops.

Contraindications

The medicine is not used in the treatment of children who have an intolerance to any ingredient in the drops. In addition, the remedy is not given for diseases of the respiratory tract that occur with a wet cough.

Side effects

Occasionally, during the treatment with Sinekod, there is:

allergic rash;
feeling of nausea;
liquefaction of the stool;
dizziness;
drowsy state.

If any of these ailments appear, the use of drops is discontinued and a doctor is consulted.

Instructions for use

The medication is prescribed to drink before meals four times a day. Shake the bottle before each use so that the components of the solution are well mixed. Sinekod is recommended to drip into a clean spoon or other small container.

To measure the required number of drops, the bottle is turned vertically over the spoon and the drops falling into the container are counted. Next, the drug is given to the child to drink without diluting with water. As soon as the baby swallows the medicine, you can offer to drink it with water in a small amount.

A single dosage of Sinekod depends on the age of the little patient:

If the baby is not yet a year old, then he needs to be given 10 drops at one time.
If the baby's age is between a year and three, then for such a patient a single dose of the medication is 15 drops.
For children 3 years old and older, 25 drops are measured at one time.

When giving Sinekod to a child, you need to make sure that the sick baby has drunk the drops in the right dose. If the patient spits out the medicine, it is impossible to re-give it immediately after that, because this will increase the risk of overdose. In such a situation, you need to wait until the next scheduled intake and give the baby a full dose.

The duration of Sinekod therapy for each child is determined by the attending physician, but the medication is usually used in short courses, not exceeding seven days.

If, after a week of taking, the cough still bothers the baby, a second doctor's examination and other treatment are needed.

Overdose

Although the drug is considered relatively safe in childhood, even a slight overdose of it can provoke drowsiness, dizziness, severe nausea or diarrhea. In some children, the excess drops will cause vomiting or lower blood pressure. With such symptoms, they resort to gastric lavage and give the patient a medicine from the group of sorbents.

Interaction with other medicines

Since the main action of Sinekod is to suppress cough, such drops should not be prescribed simultaneously with mucolytic drugs and expectorant drugs. If such agents are used together, the sputum will become more fluid and at the same time will accumulate in the respiratory tract. This can provoke bronchospasm and congestion of mucus in the respiratory tract, which often causes secondary infection.

You can prescribe Sinekod with any other medicines. This drug is often prescribed together with antibacterial agents (Macropen, Sumamed, Ospamox, etc.), antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Terms of sale

Sinekod drops are sold in pharmacies without a prescription, but a doctor's examination before buying this drug for a child is required, especially for patients under three years old. For one bottle of medicine you need to pay an average of 350 rubles.

Storage features

It is necessary to keep a bottle of drops at home out of the reach of babies, because such a product has a sweet taste and a pleasant aroma, which, with easy access, threatens an overdose. Sinekod storage temperature should not exceed +30 degrees Celsius.

The sealed drops have a fairly long shelf life of 5 years. The opened bottle does not require special conditions (it does not need to be kept in the refrigerator), and the shelf life does not change after the first use.

Reviews

Parents about Sinekod in drops respond mostly positively, calling this medication a highly effective remedy for dry and barking coughs. According to many reviews of mothers, this medicine quickly helped with tracheitis, laryngitis, whooping cough and other respiratory diseases, alleviating the condition of the little patient.

Parents consider the main advantages of drops to treat babies with such a drug, sweet taste and ease of use. Among the disadvantages of such a Sinekod, a high price is often mentioned, because the syrup is cheaper and there are less expensive analogues based on butamirate.

Also, some patients complain of an unpleasant taste of the medication. In addition, although rare, drops can cause negative side effects, such as nausea or skin rashes.

The doctors' reviews about Sinekod drops are also mostly good. Even the popular pediatrician Komarovsky classifies it as an effective drug, but does not recommend taking it without the appointment of a pediatrician or other specialist, because in some young patients it can provoke a worsening of the condition.

Analogs

You can replace Sinekod with other antitussive drugs - both based on the same active ingredient and with a different composition. If it is impossible to apply drops, the doctor may advise:

Drops Codelac Neo. The action of this agent is also provided by butamirate citrate, presented in the same dosage. Like Sinekod drops, such a medicine smells like vanilla and has a sweet taste, it is allowed from 2 months and helps with dry cough, but one bottle of it is cheaper. Codelac Neo is also produced in syrup - like Sinekod syrup, it is prescribed to patients over 3 years old.

Omnitus syrup... The effectiveness of this drug for coughing is also associated with the presence of butamirate in its composition. The medicine can be given to children over 3 years old, that is, it is rather an analogue of Sinekod in syrup. In addition, Omnitus is also available in film-coated tablets. Such a remedy with a dosage of 20 mg can be given to schoolchildren and adolescents, since it is prescribed from the age of 6.
Drops Stopussin... The difference between such an antitussive drug from Sinekod is the presence of two active substances in the composition at once. One is butamirate and the other is guaifenesin. The medicine is in demand to eliminate dry irritating cough and can be prescribed to children from 6 months of age. It is also presented in a solid form, but such Stopussin is contraindicated up to 12 years.

Libeksin tablets. Such a prenoxdiazine-based antitussive agent does not affect the brain, but affects receptors in the bronchi. Such tablets are often used for tracheitis, bronchitis and other diseases with an unproductive cough. They can be given to children of any age, but with caution and only if the drug has been prescribed by a doctor.
Bronholitin syrup... The antitussive effect of this drug is due to the combination of glaucine with ephedrine. These ingredients further dilate the bronchi and eliminate swelling, which helps to make breathing easier. Children can be given this medication from 3 years old. Its analogues are the drugs Bronchoton and Bronchocin, which are also represented by syrups.
Paxeladine syrup... Its action on the brain is provided by oxeladin. The medication not only reduces the severity of the cough reflex, but also stimulates breathing.