Acute and chronic bacterial infections can be successfully treated with cefixime. This antibiotic is part of the Suprax and Pantsef preparations. For children, the instructions for use "Supraks" provides for the use of a suspension with a sweet taste.
Material Content:
Composition (active substance), release form
Cefixime belongs to the group of cephalosporins. These are beta-lactam antibiotics of natural or semi-synthetic origin. The dosage of cefixime varies: 100, 200 and 400 mg.
The contents of the bottle with granules before dilution looks like a powder of a light cream color. Cefixime in the form of a trihydrate in 5 ml of a ready-to-use Suprax suspension - 100 mg. The liquid has an almost white color, sweet taste and aroma of strawberries (flavoring). A measuring spoon with applied divisions is attached to the powder bottle.
The suspension is mistakenly called Suprax syrup in everyday life, but the first dosage form has a number of features that you should be aware of.
A syrup in medicine is a solution, that is, a homogeneous mixture. Manufacturers of drugs prepare it from the active substance and thick sugar syrup. Almost always a clear liquid is obtained, sometimes with sediment if plant extracts are used.
A suspension is a suspension consisting of the smallest undissolved particles in a liquid. To get it, you need to dilute the granules with water.Before each use, the vial must be shaken, since the powder slowly settles at the bottom, and at the top there is a liquid that does not have therapeutic value.
- Dispersible tablets "Supraks Solutab" have an oblong shape, light orange color, strawberry flavor. The product dissolves in the oral cavity, so it does not need to be washed down with water. The content of cefixime is 400 mg. In one package - 7 or 10 tablets.
- Suprax capsules with different dosage of cefixime are two-tone: 200 mg - white and yellow, 400 mg - white and blue. The gelatin shell contains a yellowish-white powder. Capsules are packaged in blisters of 6 pcs. Suprax medicines are produced in Italy, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.
Therapeutic effect and indications for use
Cefixime belongs to the third generation of cephalosporins, its spectrum of action is wider compared to the first two generations. The antibiotic blocks the bacterial enzyme responsible for creating a full-fledged membrane. Microbes are readily available for cefixime after cell division. The action of a bactericidal antibiotic leads to the death of bacteria, but endospores persist.
The antibiotic acts on a wide range of pathogens, including:
- pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli causing food poisoning, gastroenteritis, peritonitis, cystitis, colpitis;
- Moraxella catarrhalis - the cause of otitis media, sinusitis, infections of all parts of the respiratory tract;
- pathogenic pneumococci that cause sinusitis, otitis media, meningitis, pneumonia;
- group A beta-hemolytic streptococci - the cause of acute respiratory infections, scarlet fever;
- hemophilic bacillus - one of the causative agents of meningitis, pneumonia;
- Proteus mirabilis - a bacterium that causes cystitis, pyelonephritis.
The Suprax antibiotic for children in the form of a thick liquid is used from 6 months to 12 years. The use of the drug allows to improve the condition of a sick child already on the second or third day of treatment.
Cefixime is slightly susceptible to destruction by beta-lactamases (bacterial enzymes), and slightly inhibits the intestinal microflora.
Indications for the use of Suprax in pediatrics:
- uncomplicated cystitis, urethritis, pyelonephritis;
- bacterial pharyngitis, tonsillitis and sinusitis;
- acute and chronic bronchitis;
- otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear).
During seasonal infections, pediatricians usually do not refer their patients to the laboratory to determine the causative agent of angina or pharyngitis. A small child with symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections, sinusitis, or otitis media is prescribed an antibiotic immediately to prevent bacterial complications.
Instructions for use and dosage of Suprax for children
You can drink an antibiotic regardless of food intake. It is recommended not to reduce or exceed the indicated dosage of the medicine and the duration of the course. If you take an antibiotic for 2 to 3 days instead of a week, then the risk of the emergence of resistant bacteria, a chronic form of the disease, increases.
With an unauthorized increase in dosages and duration of the course, dysbiosis develops. Pediatricians usually prescribe a probiotic together with an antibiotic to prevent the negative effect of the former on the intestinal microflora.
Tablets Supraks Solutab
Manufacturers recommend this form of antibiotic release to treat children if their body weight is more than 25 kg. It is better to give the child a Supraks Solutab tablet, dissolved in a small amount of cooled boiled water. The dosage for children weighing 25-50 kg is 200 mg (½ tablet), the frequency of use is once a day.
The duration of treatment depends on the type and location of the infection. In most cases, Supraks Solutab take from 7 to 10 days. Streptococcal angina is treated with an antibiotic for 10 days. The course of therapy for uncomplicated urinary tract infections lasts 7 days, pyelonephritis - 2 weeks.
Suprax capsules
The drug in this form of release can be taken by children over 12 years old.Adolescents are recommended to give 1 capsule in a dosage of 200 mg in the morning and evening. The shell should not be broken in order to divide the contents into more than two parts. You can not chew the capsule, you need to swallow it whole.
Suspension for children
Cefixime in liquid form can be taken not only by children older than 6 months, but also by adolescents, adults who have difficulty swallowing capsules.
The daily dose of cefixime for children is calculated using the formula 8 mg x 1 kg of weight.
On average, it turns out that a child from 6 to 12 months old needs to be given 2.5 to 4 ml per day, from 1 year to 4 years - 5 ml, from 5 to 11 years - 6 to 10 ml of suspension.
The powder should be diluted with warm boiled water in a vial. First pour 1 tbsp. l and shake. Then add water to the mark on the bottle, shake the contents vigorously. After 5 minutes, the suspension can be taken. If there is a fear that the medicine will irritate the baby’s stomach, then give it with food.
Interaction with other drugs
"Suprax" is not recommended to be taken together with "Loperamide", "Imodium" and other means that slow down the motility of the digestive tract. The same rule applies to allopurinol, diuretics that delay antibiotic excretion. Undesirable interaction with antacids (Almagel, Maalox, Rennie, etc.), which slow down the absorption of cefixime. Such an experiment leads to a delay in the onset of recovery.
Contraindications, side effects and overdose
Cefixime and auxiliary ingredients of capsules, suspensions, tablets can cause allergic reactions. All cases of intolerance to the components are a contraindication to the use of the drug. There is a cross allergy to cephalosporins and penicillins that are similar in structure. The reaction manifests itself in the form of a rash, itching, Quincke's edema.
Side effects are often observed from the digestive tract. Heartburn, abdominal discomfort, nausea, diarrhea may appear. With prolonged treatment and overdose, candidiasis of the intestine develops.
"Suprax" rarely has a negative effect on the blood, urinary system and nervous system. You must tell your doctor about all unusual reactions to the drug.
What is better Suprax or Sumamed
The choice of antibiotic depends on many conditions. Affect the age characteristics of the patient, the nature of the course of the disease. For antibiotics, there is another important factor - antibiotic therapy during the previous month.
If a child has a sore throat again a month after a sore throat, tonsils become red and swollen, then the pediatrician usually does not prescribe the same antibiotic that he previously treated.
The drug of choice for bacterial infections of ENT organs in children is amoxicillin with clavulanic acid. These are the active substances of Amoxiclav, Augmentin, Panklava. Patients who are allergic to penicillins are prescribed azithromycin. Usually, pediatricians in such cases prescribe Sumamed to children over 6 months of age in the form of a suspension with a fruity taste. The medicine is less likely to cause allergies.
Azithromycin in Sumamed is a bacteriostatic antibiotic. Staphylococci, E. coli, and bacteroids acquire resistance to it. This is the main reason that a child with an allergy to amoxicillin or after treatment with this antibiotic is ineffective is prescribed cephalosporins. For example, cefixime copes well with bacterial tonsillitis.
Identifying the best antibiotic among the most popular is a futile task. The choice depends on so many factors, specific circumstances. One thing is certain - the so-called old antibiotics are almost no longer prescribed. Bacteria have become resistant to them and do not respond to the use of such agents.
Cheap Suprax analogues
Cefixime is part of drugs with various trade names. Structural analogues are cheaper than Supraks - Pantsef and Zefspan. The cost in pharmacies of tablets and powder in bottles is from 260 - 360 to 430 - 530 rubles.“Iksim Lupine” is almost two times cheaper than the soluble tablets “Supraks Solutab” and “Ceforal Solutab” (cost over 800 rubles).
Children with the same indications are also prescribed group analogues of cefixime: Zinnat (cefuroxime), Cephalexin. Other cephalosporins - cefazolin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone - are used in the form of solutions for intravenous and intramuscular administration.
To cope with the infection, you need to use antibiotics, to which pathogens are sensitive. Children are better given oral medications in the form of a syrup or suspension. Injection forms for babies are prescribed for complications. Treatment with Suprax allows you to do without injections for tonsillitis, otitis media or sinusitis.
