Viral infections occur in children very often, especially if they are in a children's team or public places. For the prevention of acute respiratory infections or for the treatment of the disease, if it was not possible to avoid it, homeopathic medicines are often used. One of the most popular means of this group is called Oscillococcinum. Can it be given to children and in what dosage?
Release form
Oscillococcinum is produced by a French company "Boiron" only in one form, which are granules that dissolve easily on contact with water or saliva. They are white in color, almost spherical in shape and have no smell. These granules taste sweet.
They are placed in plastic white tubes of 1 gram each. One such tube is one dose of the drug. The granules in it are tightly closed with a polyethylene stopper. Tubes are packed in blisters of 3, and one box contains 2, 4 or 10 blisters (from 6 to 30 doses).
Composition
The active component of the granules is the extract, which is obtained from the organs of the musky (also called barbarian) duck. The substances extracted from the liver and heart of such a bird are diluted to 10 to minus 400 degrees. To make the drug sweet and quickly dissolve in the mouth, the active ingredients are combined with sucrose and lactose
Operating principle
Oscillococcinum refers to homeopathic remedies that are recommended to be taken at the first manifestations of acute respiratory infections - fever, cough, headaches, chills, body aches, sore throat, rhinitis and others. The active ingredient of granules, according to many studies, is able to improve the condition of patients and facilitate the course of a viral infection. However, the mechanism of the extract's effect on viruses or the human immune system is not described by the manufacturer.
Indications
Most often, Oscillococcinum is prescribed for influenza, which has a mild or moderate course. In addition, the granules can be used for other acute respiratory diseases caused by viruses.
At what age is it allowed?
The drug has no age restrictions, so Oscillococcinum can be given both to infants or toddlers attending kindergarten, and to schoolchildren and adolescents. The tool is called harmless, but it is recommended to use it in children after a doctor's appointment, because sometimes complex therapy is required, which requires other medications.
Contraindications
Granules should not be given to children who are hypersensitive to their components. For example, due to the presence of milk sugar in the preparation, Oscillococcinum is contraindicated in patients with both lactase deficiency and lactose intolerance. You should not take this remedy and with a hereditary violation of the absorption of glucose-galactose, which is called malabsorption.
Side effects
According to the data in the annotation to the granules, their intake does not cause any side effects. However, in extremely rare cases, the use of Oscillococcinum can cause allergic reaction.
If some ailments appear while taking the drug, you need to inform the doctor who is observing the little patient.
Instructions for use and dosage
To open the preparation, you need to press on the blister from the transparent side, squeeze out one tube, and then open it. The method of taking Otsillococcinum depends on the age of the child:
- If the remedy is given to a baby, the granules are dissolved in water and the resulting solution is poured into a bottle, and then given through the nipple.
- For the smallest, the drug can also be given from a spoon, having previously dissolved the contents of the tube in a small volume of water.
- For older patients, the granules can be poured directly into the mouth (under the tongue) and asked to hold them in the mouth until they are completely dissolved by saliva.
It is advised to give Oscillococcinum to a child 15 minutes before feeding or eating. If the child has just eaten, the pellet intake should be postponed for at least 1 hour.
The dosage of the drug is not affected by the patient's age, but it depends on the stage of the disease:
- If a viral infection has just begun to show negative symptoms, the first dose of Oscillococcinum should be taken as soon as possible. If the development of the disease has not stopped, it is recommended to re-dissolve or swallow the dissolved drug every 6 hours another 2-3 times.
- If the granules are prescribed in the midst of the illness, then they should be taken for 1-3 days twice a day - one dose in the morning and another in the evening.
- If the drug is recommended for prophylactic purposes, then it is given to the child during the season of the spread of ARVI once a week, one dose.
Overdose
Until now, there have been no cases when a very large dose of Oscillococcinum had a harmful effect.
Interaction with other drugs
The use of granules does not interfere with the treatment with other homeopathic remedies, as well as with any medicines, including antiviral, antibacterial, antipyretic and other medicines.
Terms of sale
To buy Oscillococcinum at a pharmacy, you do not need to show a doctor's prescription. The average price of a box containing 6 doses varies from 340 to 380 rubles, for a pack with 12 tubes you need to pay about 600-700 rubles, and a package with 30 doses costs about 1400 rubles.
Storage features
The shelf life of sealed tubes is 5 years. Until its completion, Oscillococcinum should be stored at a temperature not exceeding 25 degrees Celsius, choosing a place where children cannot reach the granules and direct sunlight will not act on them.
Reviews
There are both good and negative reviews about the use of Otsillococcinum for ARVI or influenza. In positive reviews, parents who trust homeopathy call such a remedy effective and harmless. They praise the granules for their pleasant taste, convenient form of release, the ability to give to children and buy without a prescription.
According to them, taking 1-2 doses made it possible to stop the development of the disease at a very early stage or to transfer the infection easier. Despite the rather high cost, such mothers are called Oscillococcinum beneficial means, because taking it helps to avoid the use of other medicines (antitussives, antibiotics, expectorants, etc.).
At the same time, you can see a lot of negative reviews, in which Oscillococcinum is called placebo and pacifier. In them, mothers complain that the drug did not affect the disease in any way and the child had to be given other medicines that affect viruses.
Many doctors who support evidence-based medicine also speak negatively about Oscillococcinum. Among them is the popular pediatrician Komarovsky, who considers homeopathic granules, although harmless, absolutely useless. However, the drug very popular in France, where it is sold over the counter and is the most sought after flu treatment.
In addition, it was created many decades ago and such a long presence on the pharmaceutical market gives some right to classify it as an effective remedy.
However, many doctors oppose homeopathy and state that the mechanism of action of the extract from the internal organs of the duck on the immune system is not clear, and the dilution of the active substances is so great that the granules can be called ordinary sugar balls.
Such physicians associate the positive effect of taking Oscillococcinum in the first days of the disease with the activity of the immune response of a particular patient (the body itself actively resists the virus and the disease does not develop).
And therefore, the question of whether to give Oscillococcinum to a sick child must be decided individually, taking into account the attitude of parents to homeopathic treatment, and the condition of the little patient.
If, after the first intake of the granules, 24 hours have passed, and the child does not feel well, you should consult a doctor and examine the baby, and then start giving him other medications that the pediatrician will recommend.
Analogs
Oscillococcinum can be replaced by other homeopathic remedies (among them there are cheaper ones), which have a similar effect:
- Aflubin drops based on gentian, bryony, iron phosphate, aconite and lactic acid. They can be prescribed for acute respiratory viral infections, colds, flu and various inflammatory diseases from birth. There are also Aflubin tablets, prescribed from the age of 5.
- Agri for children... This homeopathic remedy, which helps in the treatment of acute respiratory diseases, contains bryony, iron phosphate and other substances. The tablet form is used in children from 1 year old, and granules - from the age of three.
- Viburcol... At the heart of such rectal suppositories, allowed for children of any age, are substances from belladonna, chamomile, nightshade, pulsatilla and plantain. These suppositories are in demand for many inflammatory processes.
- Anaferon. Such tablets for children contain antibodies to interferon, which have undergone special purification. They are approved for patients over 1 month old and are used for viral infections or for their prevention.
- Ergoferon... The basis of such a solution is also antibodies to interferons, but other substances are added to them. The drug is prescribed for children 3 years of age and older for the treatment of rotavirus enteritis, chickenpox, whooping cough, herpes and other infections. It also comes in pills that are approved from the age of six months.
- Influcid. These homeopathic pills include substances from aconite, bryony, gelsemia and others. They are used for colds and flu in patients over three years old. There is also a liquid form of Influcid (drops), which is prescribed from the age of 12.
In addition to homeopathic medicines, Oscillococcinum can be replaced by antiviral drugs (Kagocel, Arbidol, Orvirem, Amizonchik, etc.), and immunostimulating agents (Grippferon, Viferon, etc.), but their use without consulting a doctor is not recommended.
