The problem of most antiviral drugs is the age limit - they are contraindicated in children from the first months of life. Therefore, a number of products specifically designed for use in pediatrics have appeared on the market. For example, “Tamiflu” for children is prescribed from a year, but this does not negate the presence of side effects and special instructions for admission, which it is important to get acquainted in advance.
Material Content:
The composition of the drug
Tamiflu is available in capsule form only. The matte gelatinous shell of a grayish color has a light yellow cap. Inside is a white powdery substance that may have a creamy or yellowish tint.
The drug is based on the antiviral drug oseltamivir, in each Tamiflu tablet - 75 mg. Among the additional components: corn starch, povidone, talc, croscarmellose sodium, sodium fumarate.
The body and lid contain food additives E171, 172, paint and gelatin, which is the basis of the capsule.
Pharmacological action, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics
When ingested oseltamivir phosphate turns into its metabolite - oseltamivir carboxylate, which acts directly on the virus. It is an inhibitor of neurominidase, an enzyme that allows the pathogen to multiply by releasing it from infected cells.Blocking the spread of the virus limits its transition to "healthy" cells while the body itself provokes the production of antibodies.
Oseltamivir is active against influenza A and B.
- The drug quickly enters the bloodstream through absorption in the digestive tract and immediately forms its metabolite.
- It is processed by the hepatobiliary system (in the liver with the help of special enzymes - esterases). At the same time, 75% of the dose is a derivative of oseltamivir, and about 5% is the starting material, which can not be processed, but does not exhibit toxicity.
- It is excreted in the urine, pre-treated by the kidneys and through tubular secretion.
- The elimination half-life is up to 10 hours.
It is worth noting that the removal of the active substance from the body in children under 16 years of age is much faster than in adults. In elderly patients, the drug accumulates in the blood in a volume 25–35% larger than in the main groups of patients. As for pregnant women, the exposure (plasma concentration) of oseltamivir in this category of patients is 30% lower than in others.
In what cases is Tamiflu prescribed for children
As a standard, give Tamiflu capsules to children when the first signs of influenza infection appear.
Symptoms may include:
- increase in body temperature;
- cough, runny nose;
- headaches and "breaking" of bones and joints.
Due to such manifestations of the disease, the child becomes irritable, tearful, moody.
The drug is also used for prophylaxis in the presence of infections in the family or with frequent visits by a child to places with a large concentration of people during mass flu diseases.
The remedy in question is not a substitute for the influenza virus vaccine.
At what age can a child be given
You can give Tamiflu to your child from the age of one. Using the drug at an earlier age can be dangerous.
A feature of the tool is the difference in the form of admission. So, for therapy, children over 8 years old are allowed to give whole capsules, but before this age, it will be necessary to prepare a suspension at each application.
Capsule instructions
If the child has the first signs of flu, the most effective will be taking the drug in the first 2 days after they are detected.
The standard single dose is 75 mg of the active substance - 1 capsule. It should be taken 2 times during the day, regardless of food intake. The course of treatment is 5 days.
For children, a dose adjustment should be made relative to body weight.
For this, a suspension is preliminarily prepared according to the following instructions:
- Prepare 5 ml of pure water, measuring the required volume, for example, using a syringe.
- Divide the capsule into two parts and pour the contents into the liquid. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes in a small container.
- Following the dosage indicated below, draw the required volume of solution into the syringe. Send liquid to a spoon or mix with another substance.
- Give the baby.
You do not need to collect an undissolved white precipitate - these are inactive additional substances of the drug.
The dosage of Tamiflu, depending on body weight, is shown in the table below.
| Baby weight | Single dose suspension | The amount of active component |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 15 kg | 2 ml | 30 mg |
| 15-23 kg | 3 ml | 45 mg |
| 23-40 kg | 4 ml | 60 mg |
Do not leave the solution for further use. Each time you need to use a new capsule.
To get rid of the bitter taste of Tamiflu, you can dilute the contents of the capsule in a small amount of a sweet composition - yogurt, fruit puree, condensed milk, honey or any other liquid or cream product. This method is also used when it is impossible for a child or adult to swallow a capsule. The maximum amount of “masking” substance is 1 teaspoon.
For prevention, during the next 10 days after contact with the patient or during mass flu diseases, take 1 capsule of Tamiflu per day.Or, if a patient younger than 8 years old cannot swallow a hard shell, you can prepare an oral suspension according to the above recipe.
Drug interaction
Another advantage of the drug is its low activity in relation to the drugs that are taken with it together.
- It is unlikely that a negative reaction to taking medications with aspirin, amoxicillin, cimetidine, paracetamol, warfarin, antacid drugs, remantadine is unlikely.
- In the treatment and prevention of influenza, no negative effects have been recorded with corticosteroids, analgesics, opioids, beta-blockers, diuretics, antibiotics and some other drugs.
With maintenance therapy by most popular means, the activity of oseltamivir is low and causes noticeable changes in plasma exposure to the substance.
- Reception of "Tamiflu" and probenecid, which is a catalyst for enhanced tubular secretion in the kidneys, accelerates the excretion of the main metabolite from the body by about two times.
Given the latter fact, when using Tamiflu, caution should be exercised for people with kidney pathologies and those who take drugs that affect tubular secretion (methotrexate, chlorpropamide, and others).
Contraindications, side effects and overdose
Contraindications include:
- the fact of hypersensitivity to oseltamivir or other substances in the composition of the drug;
- early age (up to 1 year);
- significant pathologies in the activity of the excretory system, for example, acute renal failure (acute renal failure).
In the latter case, Tamiflu should not be completely abandoned, but a doctor’s consultation is required to accurately adjust the dose to avoid negative consequences.
Among the adverse reactions, dyspeptic disorders are often found, especially nausea or vomiting (in children under 8 years old). After 1 to 2 days after the start of the drug, they disappear on their own, so they are not a reason for refusing such therapy.
Other disorders that occur with the use of Tamiflu are listed in the table below.
| Incidence of adverse events effect | Description of Negative Action |
|---|---|
| Often | Nausea, headache |
| Often | Insomnia, nightmares accompanying it, vomiting, rhinorrhea, cough, pain in the upper abdomen, asthenia (general state of fatigue), hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), “breaking” of limbs, conjunctivitis, earache |
| Infrequently | Short arrhythmia, dermatitis, cramps (only in adults), hearing impairment |
| Seldom | Irritability, anxiety, impaired consciousness, delirium, visual impairment, bleeding in the stomach or intestines, angioedema shock, thrombocytopenia (platelet deficiency in the blood test) |
| Rarely | Stevens-Jones syndrome, hepatitis, including fulminant, liver failure |
| Unknown | Nosebleeds, diarrhea, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), an allergic reaction, including facial swelling |
It is important to note that in children there are practically no reactions from the categories “rare” and “very rare”.
With influenza against the background of a fever, significant disturbances of consciousness sometimes appear - delirium, confusion, delirium. They are characteristic of patients at an early age (up to 16 years), but they appear briefly and do not pose a danger to life.
Symptomatic overdose is similar to the most common side effects. It is fixed in most cases in children, therefore, the drug should be given with caution to patients under 8 years old, and at the same time, carefully monitor the dose. If signs of an overdose are found, symptomatic therapy should be carried out, since there is no specific medicine for it.
Antiviral drug analogues
Tamiflu is one of the most expensive flu medications on the market. The high cost is justified by directed action and effectiveness, but this does not exclude the availability of drugs of this kind in pharmacies.
- One of the possible analogues of Tamiflu is Relenza. The drug is based on a related substance - zanamivir, but is available only for inhalation use. Relenza has fewer side effects, but this affects the effectiveness of the drug. In addition, inhalations are prescribed only from 5 years.
- Amiksin is also used to treat flu, but its indications include other viral infections, including herpes. The drug is a strong immunomodulator and differs from Tamiflu in principle of action. He has very few adverse reactions, but only children from 7 years old can take the drug.
- Another analogue is Cycloferon. It is used to treat acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, viral hepatitis and other similar diseases. A negative effect on the body is reduced to a possible allergy and the development of hypersensitivity to one of the components. The difference is that they give Tamiflu to the child from the first year of life, and Cycloferon only from the fourth.
- The most eye-catching drug is Anaferon. There are in the form of tablets for adults and separately for children. The second option is shown from one month of age. There are practically no side effects, but the effectiveness is much lower. However, Anaferon is the safest and most widely used drug.
Before choosing this or that analogue it is necessary to consult with the pediatrician.
Other substitutes include:
- "Arbidol";
- Ingavirin
- "Kagocel".
Tamiflu is an effective treatment for influenza in children from one year old. Despite the speed and subsequent absence of relapses, the drug has a number of serious side effects, therefore, when taking it, caution and constant communication with your doctor are necessary.
