When a child suffers from a cough, doctors recommend effective expectorants, among which Ambroxol can be called. Can this medicine be given at an early age, how can it harm the child's body and how to take it correctly?
Release form
Ambroxol is produced in the following forms:
- Syrup. It is represented by a slightly viscous transparent liquid with a yellowish tint or no color. The taste and smell of syrup is banana, apricot, raspberry or fruity. The content of the active substance in 5 ml of such a sweet suspension can be either 15 mg or 30 mg. One package of the medicine contains 50, 100, 125 or 150 ml of syrup, as well as a measuring spoon or measuring cup.
- A solution that is used for inhalation or ingested. One milliliter of such a clear, colorless or brown drug contains 7.5 mg of the active ingredient. The package contains 40 or 100 ml of liquid and a measuring cup.
- Injection. This is a sterile liquid packaged in 2 ml ampoules that can be injected both intramuscularly and into a vein. One ampoule contains 15 mg of active substance (7.5 mg of ambroxol per 1 ml of solution).
- Pills. Each of these white round or cylindrical tablets contains 30 mg of the active ingredient. One pack can contain from 10 to 100 tablets, packaged in blisters of 10 or 20 pieces.
Composition
The active substance in any form of Ambroxol is represented by the compound "Ambroxol hydrochloride". The syrup contains additional substances such as water, flavors, benzoic acid, glycerol, citric acid, sodium saccharinate and other ingredients.
In addition to ambroxol, tablets contain lactose, potato starch, talc, silicon dioxide, and calcium or magnesium stearate. The solution for oral administration contains not only ambroxol and water, but also citric acid, benzalkonium chloride, sodium chloride, and sodium hydrogen phosphate.
Operating principle
Since Ambroxol affects the production of mucus in the bronchial tree, this medicine is classified as a secretolytic (mucolytic). After entering the patient's body, the drug is almost completely absorbed and transferred to the lung tissue. There, its active substance activates the production of sputum glycoproteins and changes the structure of polysaccharides. As a result, the secret becomes more fluid, which makes it easier to cough up.
In addition, Ambroxol has the property of stimulating the motor activity of the respiratory tract. The drug acts on the ciliated epithelium, resulting in a more active movement of the cilia of these cells. This effect helps the expectorant action of the medicine. In addition, in the alveoli, Ambroxol prevents the breakdown of the surfactant, and also improves its production.
From what age is it allowed to take?
The use of Ambroxol in pediatrics is permissible from birth. When indicated, such a drug is prescribed even to newborns, including infants, whose birth occurred earlier than the required date. In this case, treatment with Ambroxol under the age of one year must certainly be under the supervision of a specialist. The tablet form begins to be given from the age of 6, when the child can swallow the pill without much difficulty.
Indications
The appointment of Ambroxol to a child is justified with a wet cough, if the sputum formed in the respiratory tract has a high viscosity, which prevents the child from coughing it up.
This situation occurs:
- With acute bronchitis.
- With pneumonia.
- In chronic pulmonary pathologies with obstruction.
- With asthma.
- If bronchiectasis is detected in the respiratory tract.
For newborns, Ambroxol is indicated for respiratory distress, which is called distress. Also, such a medicine is often prescribed for cystic fibrosis.
Contraindications
Reception of Ambroxol is prohibited in case of hypersensitivity to its active substance or to other components, for example, lactose in tablets.
This medicine is also not recommended:
- With convulsive syndrome.
- With a high risk of stagnation of mucus in the respiratory tract (if bronchial motility is impaired or the secret is formed in too much).
- With ulcerative pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.
- With liver failure.
- For serious kidney disease.
Instructions for the use of syrup for children warns of the caution of treatment with such Ambroxol in case of problems with carbohydrate metabolism.
Side effects
- The child's digestive system may react to Ambroxol's reception by thinning the stool or, conversely, with constipation. If the drug is used for a very long time, it provokes nausea, abdominal pain, heartburn and even vomiting.
- Another common side effect of Ambroxol is allergies, which can be provoked by the fragrances and other chemicals included in the composition. While taking the medication, the child may complain of an itchy rash or swelling of the skin. Occasionally, the drug causes dermatitis, and in some children, the very first dose of Ambroxol leads to anaphylactic shock.
- Rarely, the child's body responds to treatment with Ambroxol with headaches, drying out of the oropharyngeal mucosa, weakness, dysuric symptoms, and nasal discharge.
- In some children, taking Ambroxol leads to an increase in nervous excitability.
- If the drug is injected into a vein too quickly, it will cause severe headache, shortness of breath, fever, chills, numbness, and low blood pressure.
Instructions for use and dosage
A single dose of Ambroxol, as well as the frequency of taking the medication, is determined taking into account the age of the child:
- Babies under 5 years old, for example, at 4 years old, are given 7.5 mg of the active substance each. This corresponds to 1 ml of oral solution, half a measuring spoon of syrup containing 15 mg / 5 ml of ambroxol, or 1/4 measuring spoon of syrup with a higher concentration (30 mg / 5 ml).
- For children aged 6-12 years, the dosage of Ambroxol per dose is 15 mg. If you need to give the solution inside, then measure 2 ml of liquid. A syrup with an active ingredient concentration of 15 mg / 5 ml is given in 1 scoop (5 ml), and a more concentrated syrup (30 mg / 5 ml) is given in half a spoon (2.5 ml).
- For children over 12 years old, a single dose of the drug is represented by 30 mg of the active substance. This is a whole tablet, 4 ml of solution, 10 ml of syrup with a concentration of 15 mg / 5 ml (two full measuring spoons) or 5 ml of syrup with an ambroxol content of 30 mg / 5 ml (one spoon).
The medicine is given after meals to keep the digestive tract from irritating. Children of the first two years of life should be prescribed Ambroxol by a doctor, and the frequency of taking a syrup or solution is 2 times a day. At the age of two to 5 years, the medication is given in the same dose, but already three times a day.
For children 6 years and older, the medicine is offered either twice or three times a day. Very often, in the first few days, the frequency of taking Ambroxol will be higher (3 times a day), and then decreases to 2 times. The duration of the drug use in each case is set individually.
Inhalation with Ambroxol is done 1-2 times a day through a nebulizer, mixing liquid medicine with saline in equal proportions. They are recommended from 5 years of age at a dosage of 15 to 22.5 mg of ambroxol per procedure (2-3 ml of solution for inhalation). For children under 5 years of age, as directed by a doctor, for inhalation, you can use 1-2 ml of Ambroxol in solution (7.5-15 mg).
The injection use of Ambroxol in newborns provides for a daily dosage of 10-30 mg of the active substance for each kilogram of crumbs weight. The introduction of the drug is performed 3-4 times a day. The drug can be administered by drip, diluted with saline or dextrose.
The daily dose of the drug for intravenous administration at the age of 1 month to 2 years is 15 mg (1 ampoule), at the age of 2-5 years - 22.5 mg (1.5 ampoules), and for children over 5 years old - from 30 to 45 mg (2-3 ampoules). For babies up to two years of age, this dose is divided into two injections, and for children over 2 years old, it is permissible to divide the daily dosage into three injections.
Overdose
An unnecessarily high dose of Ambroxol increases salivation, provokes severe nausea, lowers blood pressure, or causes vomiting. To treat an overdose of an oral medication, you should rinse the stomach as quickly as possible, and then give the child foods rich in fats. Further, it is important to carefully monitor the patient's condition and, if necessary, immediately seek medical help.
Interaction with other drugs
- If Ambroxol is prescribed together with antitussive drugs that affect the cough reflex, it can provoke stagnation of mucus in the airways.
- Prescribing some antibiotics together with Ambroxol (Erythromycin, Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, Cefuroxime) will promote greater penetration of antibacterial agents into the bronchial secretions.
- Solution for injections cannot be added to the same syringe with medications with a pH higher than 6.3.
Terms of sale
You can buy any form of Ambroxol in a pharmacy without a prescription, but a doctor's consultation, if the drug is intended for a child, is desirable. The price of twenty Ambroxol tablets ranges from 30 to 50 rubles, you need to pay 40-60 rubles for a bottle of syrup, and 40 ml of Ambroxol solution costs an average of 80 rubles.
Storage conditions and shelf life
The medicine should not be freely available to a small child. Ambroxol storage temperature should not exceed +25 degrees Celsius. A place for tablets, syrup or solution should be selected dry and away from direct sunlight. Do not store Ambroxol for longer than indicated in the expiration dates of the drug on the package. For tablets, this period is 3 years, for syrup - 2 years.
Reviews
The use of Ambroxol in the treatment of cough in children is generally well spoken about. Reviews of mothers emphasize the effectiveness of the drug and quick help to children both with dry coughs and with problems with coughing up sputum. The medicine is in demand for bronchitis and other diseases of the respiratory system. Children generally tolerate it well, and allergies or other side effects are rare.
Analogs
If the use of Ambroxol is not possible, the drug can be changed to any other drug containing the same active ingredient.
A replacement can be the following analogue:
- Ambrobene. Such a German drug is represented by a wide variety of release forms. Among them are raspberry syrup, and a solution that you can drink, and tablets. The drug is also available in capsules with an extended period of action and in injectable form (ampoules with a solution for injection into a vein).
- Hemofarm. This Serbian Ambroxol is produced in the form of raspberry syrup and effervescent lemon tablets containing 30 or 60 mg of the active substance.
- Lazolvan. This Greek medicine is one of the most popular among Ambroxol analogues. The drug is produced in syrup with a concentration of the active ingredient in 5 ml of 15 mg or 30 mg. This medicine tastes like wild strawberries or wild berries. Lazolvan is also represented by mint lozenges (containing 15 mg of ambroxol), 30 mg tablets of active ingredient and a solution that can be drunk or used for inhalation.
- AmbroHEXAL. This medicine is produced in Germany in the form of a solution (dosed in drops), capsules, tablets and raspberry or apricot syrup.
- Haliksol. This Hungarian medicine is represented by strawberry-banana syrup containing 30 mg of ambroxol in 10 ml, as well as tablets.
- Ambrosan. Such a Czech drug is produced in tablets, as well as in the form of a solution with an active ingredient concentration of 7.5 mg per milliliter for oral administration.
- Flavamed. This medicine from Germany is produced in tablets, as well as in a solution, 5 ml of which contains 15 mg of ambroxol.
- Bronchorus. Such a domestic analogue of Ambroxol is represented by raspberry syrup (each ml contains 3 mg of the active substance) and tablets.
- Medox. This Slovak drug is available both in tablets and in the form of a honey syrup containing 15 mg of ambroxol per 5 ml of the drug.
