Anaferon for children: instructions for use

When a small child often suffers from colds and viral diseases, parents want to support his immunity and strengthen his defenses. For this purpose, homeopathic remedies are often used, one of which is Anaferon. It is available in two versions - for children and for adults.

At what age is treatment with tablets for children permissible, for what diseases are they prescribed and can they be used for prophylactic purposes? According to what scheme is such a remedy taken and can side reactions occur to it? These questions are of interest to every mother, if the doctor prescribed Anaferon for children to her baby.

Release form

The product is produced by the Russian company Materia Medica only in tablets that must be absorbed. They are characterized by a white color and a flat cylindrical shape. On one side of the tablets there is a risk and the inscription MATERIA MEDICA, and on the other side there is no risk and it is written ANAFERON KID.

One cell package includes 20 tablets, and one carton pack can contain either one or two or five such blisters, that is, you can purchase from 20 to 100 pieces per box. Other dosage forms of Anaferon, such as syrup, ointment or capsules, are not available.

Composition

Antibodies to human gamma interferons are the active component in children's Anaferon. During the production process, they undergo the so-called affinity purification, as a result of which they are applied to lactose monohydrate in an amount of 0.003 grams per tablet.

The antibodies themselves are diluted with water and alcohol to 10-16 nanograms per gram of active substance. It is the degree of dilution that is the main thing that makes children's tablets different from the adult Anaferon.

In addition to lactose, tablets for children also contain magnesium stearate and microcrystalline cellulose. These ingredients make the product hard and sweet in taste.

Operating principle

Annotation to the tablets notes they have immunomodulatory and antiviral effects.

The drug has activity against:

Herpes viruses;
Enteroviruses;
Parainfluenza viruses;
Rotaviruses;
Influenza viruses;
Tick-borne encephalitis viruses;
RS viruses;
Adenoviruses;
Coronaviruses;
Caliciviruses.

When the drug is taken, the concentration of these viruses in the body decreases, and the production of interferons and cytokines to fight infectious agents increases. The drug stimulates the immune response to the attack of viruses, both cellular and humoral. It increases the activity of effector T cells, killer cells and phagocytes, and also increases the production of antibodies.

Indications

The drug is prescribed in childhood:

For the treatment of influenza or ARVI.
As a means of complex treatment of herpes infection - with chickenpox, labial herpes, herpes sore throat, genital herpes and infectious mononucleosis.
When infected with enterovirus.
With coronavirus infection.
With rotavirus infection.
In the complex therapy of patients with viral tick-borne encephalitis.
For the prevention of influenza and other viruses.
With frequent colds and SARS.
As a component of the complex treatment of bacterial infections or Tuesday immunodeficiencies.

From what age is it allowed to take?

The manufacturer claims the safety of Anaferon for children, even for babies. It is permissible to give the tool to babies older than a month, as indicated in the instructions for the medication. At the same time, in childhood, only a drug intended for children is used, and an adult analogue is allowed to be used only from the age of 18.

Contraindications

Tablets should not be given to children who have been diagnosed with hypersensitivity to their components. In particular, due to the presence of lactose in the composition, the drug is not used in case of lactase deficiency, glucose malabsorption syndrome or congenital galactosemia. There are no other contraindications, except for the age of up to 1 month, to the infant form of Anaferon.

Side effects

If you use the tablets in the dose recommended by the manufacturer, there are no side effects from them. Negative symptoms are possible only in those patients who have an individual intolerance to any of the Anaferon ingredients. If they occur, treatment with such pills should be abandoned by choosing another agent with antiviral or immunomodulatory effects.

Instructions for use and dosage

Anaferon for children is given to young patients one tablet per appointment. The child should keep the drug in the mouth until the tablet is completely dissolved. The product is not taken with meals.

If the medication is prescribed for babies under 3 years old, the tablet can be dissolved in water, and then the resulting suspension can be given to the child to drink. For dissolution, take boiled water in a volume of 25 ml (tablespoon). It should be at room temperature.

You should start treating a child with Anaferon tablets at the first symptoms of infection... In most cases, the following regimen is used: the medicine is dissolved in the mouth every half hour for the first 2 hours, and then, until the end of the first day, 3 more tablets are taken with approximately the same interval between them. From the second day until the moment of recovery, Anaferon dissolves one tablet three times a day.

If the child has been taking the remedy for three days, and there is no improvement in the condition, you need to contact the pediatrician to review the prescribed treatment.

For prophylaxis in the season of epidemics, the medication is given to the child 1 tablet per day for 1-3 months. In order to prevent exacerbations of herpes, the agent can be prescribed for a longer course - up to 6 months.

The dosage "1 tablet a day" is also used in the complex treatment of immunodeficiencies or bacterial infections.

Overdose

There were no cases of overdose of tablets in the treatment of children for the entire time of using Anaferon. As the manufacturer notes, if a child accidentally drinks several pills, this can only lead to symptoms of dyspepsia caused by taking fillers in this medication. Exceeding the dose of the active substance has no toxic effect.

Interaction with other drugs

Anaferon for children can be combined with any medicines with antiviral action, antibiotics and other medicines. There were no cases of incompatibility with other drugs.

Terms of sale

Children's Anaferon refers to medicines that are sold without a prescription. Since the tablets are manufactured by a domestic company, they are available at most pharmacies. The average cost of one pack of 20 tablets is 200 rubles.

Storage conditions and shelf life

You need to keep the tablets at home at room temperature - not higher than +25 degrees. As with other medicines, storage should be away from children. You cannot use the product if more than 3 years have passed since the release.

Reviews

Many doctors attribute Anaferon to drugs, the effectiveness of which has not been proven. The popular pediatrician Komarovsky has the same opinion. Doctors question the therapeutic effect of the tablets due to the very low concentration of the active substance. According to doctors, taking Anaferon in childhood is comparable to using a placebo.

Moms speak about the drug in different ways, since the attitude towards homeopathic treatment among modern parents is both positive and sharply negative. Those who like homeopathy consider such a remedy to be effective and note that Anaferon helps with rotavirus, relieves the temperature in ARVI and other infections.

The advantages of the drug are called low cost, pleasant sweet taste, absence of side effects, the ability to take for a long time and use as a preventive measure. The negative effects of the medication in children who took Anaferon for children practically do not occur.

However, in many reviews parents, unsure of the positive effect of homeopathic remedies, note that the treatment did not give any effect... Many mothers initially refuse Anaferon, replacing it with other antiviral agents that act on viruses, and not on the child's immune system.

Analogs

Instead of children's Anaferon, the doctor may recommend:

Ergoferon. This remedy is also homeopathic and contains antibodies to interferon gamma, but they are supplemented with other antibodies. The drug in solution is given to children over 3 years old, and in the form of tablets for resorption, it can be used from 6 months of age.
Arbidol. This medication with antiviral action is prescribed to babies from the age of two. The basis of such a medicine is umifenovir, which is active against influenza and coronaviruses. The drug is released in suspension, coated tablets and capsules. Solid forms are prescribed for children over 3 years old.
Viferon. Such rectal suppositories containing alpha-interferon are used for viral intestinal lesions, viral hepatitis, influenza, candidiasis and many other infections. They can even be given to premature babies. The drug is also available in forms that are applied to the skin, tonsils, nasal mucosa (ointment and gel). At the same time, the gel is allowed for children of the first year of life, and the ointment can be used to treat the skin only in children over 1 year old.
Orvirem. Such a medication based on rimantadine has an antiviral effect and is prescribed for the flu or other acute viral infection of the respiratory tract. It is a syrup prescribed by pediatricians for children over a year old.
Kagocel. This medication activates the production of interferon, therefore it is used for ARVI and herpes infection. It comes in tablets that are prescribed for children 3 years of age and older.
Grippferon. The basis of such a drug is alpha-interferon, due to which it has an immunomodulatory effect. Dosage forms of Grippferon are spray and drops. When indicated, their use is possible even in infants.
Aflubin. Such a remedy is also referred to as homeopathy and is used in drops from birth, and in tablets - from the age of five. The drug is prescribed for colds, parainfluenza, flu, rheumatism and other diseases.
Zovirax. This drug has activity against herpes viruses, therefore it is prescribed for infection only with such viruses. It is produced in tablets, in the form of ointment and cream, and in injectable form. It can also be replaced by the generic Acyclovir (it has the same active ingredient, but the price is much lower).