Zodak for children: instructions for use

In the treatment of allergies in children apply effective modern means, which can be attributed, and Zodak. This Czech drug has long established itself in various allergic diseases in adults. At what age can it be used in babies and how to properly dose this medication for a child?

Zodak is produced in three different forms:

• Drops. This version of the drug is represented by a bottle containing 20 ml of clear liquid, which has no color or has a light yellow tint. In 1 ml of such a solution, smelling acetic acid, contains 20 drops. On top of the bottle there is a cap that is difficult to open for the child.
• Syrup. It is available in bottles of 100 ml, inside of which there is a colorless or yellow (light shade) transparent liquid with banana flavor. The kit also has a measuring spoon, which holds 5 ml of syrup.
• Pills. They are distinguished by an oblong shape and are covered with a film of white color. On one side of the pill there is a risk by which drugs can be divided into halves. One pack may contain from 7 to 100 tablets.

The main ingredient in any form of the drug Zodak, which has an antihistaminic effect, is cetirizine dihydrochloride. Its dosage is:

• For 20 drops (1 ml of solution) - 10 mg.
• On a measuring spoon of syrup (5 ml) - 5 mg.
• On one pill - 10 mg.

Additional substances in different forms are different, for example, drops and syrup contain purified water, methyl and propyl parahydroxybenzoate, and also propylene glycol. In both such variants of the medication, there is also glacial acetic acid (it is this which gives the characteristic smell to drops), sodium saccharinate, glycerol, and sodium acetate trihydrate. In syrup, in addition to such components, there is also sorbitol and banana flavoring.

In preparing the contents of the tablets, formulating ingredients, such as corn starch, Mg stearate, povidone 30 and lactose monohydrate, are added to cetirizine. For the shell of this solid form, a mixture of macrogol 6000, talc, titanium dioxide, hypromellose and simethicone emulsion is used.

Cetirizine, which is the basis of the drug in both liquid form and tablets, has the ability to influence the H1 receptors that bind to an allergy mediator, called histamine.

The drug is also effective in allergic inflammation in its late stage, as it is able to inhibit the synthesis of mediators supporting the inflammatory process, and also affects the movement of leukocytes. Since cetirizine lowers capillary permeability, this action prevents the drug from puffiness or helps to get rid of it faster. In addition, the drug affects the smooth muscles of the bronchial tree, removing light bronchospasm. The drug has antipruritic effect.

Absorption of cetirizine from any form of medication occurs very quickly, after which the substance combines with proteins that carry it through the bloodstream throughout the body. About 70% of the active ingredient is excreted due to the work of the kidneys, and the reception in the dose prescribed by the doctor does not cause the accumulation of cetirizine in the body.

The period for which the half-life of the drug occurs, in children over 12 years of age is 10 hours. At an earlier age, it is shorter (only 5-6 hours), and for kidney disease, it is longer. The therapeutic effect after taking the medicine Zodak is observed in half of the patients after 20 minutes and in almost all patients - after 60 minutes. The effect of the use of a single dose persists for a long time - up to 24 hours.

Treatment with syrup, tablets or drops Zodak demand:

• With seasonal runny nose, triggered by allergens;
• In allergic skin lesions, for example, in diathesis, which is manifested by atopic dermatitis;
• With year-round form of allergic rhinitis;
• With conjunctivitis caused by allergies;
• With angioedema;
• When urticaria;
• With chickenpox, as a symptomatic anti-itch remedy;
• With pollinosis;
• With mild bronchial asthma.

Zodak has its own age limit for using each form of the drug, but none of the dosage forms is prescribed for up to a year. One-year-old kids doctors prescribe only the drug in drops. If the child is 2 years old, he can be given both drops and a sweet syrup. Children older than 6 years old can be prescribed medication in pills, but if necessary, you can also give liquid forms of the drug.

We invite you to watch the cycle from Doctor Komarovsky’s demo where you’ll be told about medicines for children’s allergies.

Treatment with any form of medication is prohibited in case of intolerance to cetirizine or other ingredients of the drug.

Zodak is used very carefully in the treatment of children who have chronic renal failure. If her severity is moderate or severe, the dosage will certainly be adjusted.

Drops are not contraindicated in children who have diabetes, as their sweetness is provided by saccharin, and such a sweetener does not affect the secretion of insulin. At treatment by syrup it is necessary to consider sorbitol which is contained in such means.

In some children, medication provokes negative symptoms from the digestive system, such as a dry mouth or dyspepsia. After the abolition of the medication such ailments pass.

Occasionally Zodak can cause an allergic reaction, for example, angioedema, pruritus or urticaria, so after the first use you should carefully monitor the little patient.

The drug may have a sedative effect, causing drowsiness and fatigue. Taking pills or a liquid form of the drug can cause migraines, dizziness, or nervous excitement.

Very rarely, the drug causes problems with sleep, vision or taste, tremor, loose stools, fainting, lowering of platelet levels, tachycardia, rhinitis, weight gain and other symptoms.

Zodak in the drops diluted in a small amount of water, and then drink. Diet at the time of taking such a medicine, according to its annotations, is not affected.

Drink syrup undiluted, but if necessary it can be taken with water or other non-carbonated liquid (tea, fruit juice).

The tablet form is swallowed without chewing and chewing. This drug is washed down only with clean water without gas.

The clinical picture and other factors influence the duration of treatment, but most often Zodak is prescribed for 7-10 days. If the disease requires more prolonged therapy, a course of treatment is prescribed for 3 weeks after an interval of 1 week.

Children at the age of 1-2 years are given only drops in a single dosage of 5 drops, that is, at one time the baby under 2 years old receives only 2.5 mg of cetirizine hydrochloride. The drug is prescribed twice - in the morning and before bedtime.

A child aged 2-6 years (for example, 4 years old) is given one of these forms of the drug:

• Drops in a daily dose of 10 drops, which corresponds to 5 mg of cetirizine. Reception can be once (10 drops are given to the child in the evening) or twofold (the drug is given twice in 5 drops).
• Syrup is given in a daily dose of 1 scoop. The drug, as well as drops, can be given in full in the evening or divided into two single doses for half a measuring spoon.
• If the age of a small patient is from 6 to 12 years, he is given 10 mg of cetirizine per day. The dose of the medicine and the frequency of administration, depending on the form, will be as follows:
• 20 drops per day per dose or twice in 10 drops of the drug.
• 2 scoops of syrup once a night or 1 spoon twice a day.
• 1 tablet in the evening or 1/2 tablet twice a day.

For children over 12 years old, the dose of different forms of Zodak will be as follows:

• Twenty drops once in the evening.
• Two measuring spoons of syrup 1 time per day.
• One tablet per day, usually at night.

The dosing of the medication is also influenced by the concomitant diseases of the child. For example, liver pathologies are forced to limit the daily amount of cetirizine, and the presence of renal failure reduces the age dosage at least 2 times.

If you exceed the dose of cetirizine, it will lead to the appearance of symptoms of overdose, such as rapid pulse, irritability, fatigue, drowsiness, headache, weakness and others. Since there is no antidote to the drug, the child is washed in the stomach and given sorbents, and then symptomatic treatment is used.

Zodak can be prescribed together with many other drugs, with the exception of drugs with a depressant effect on the central nervous system and drugs containing alcohol. In addition, you should carefully apply the drug with theophylline.

All drug options Zodak - is a non-prescription drugs that are freely implemented in pharmacies. On average, the price of a bottle of drops is 200 rubles, and a pack of 10 tablets costs 140 rubles.

Zodak tablets should be kept at home at a temperature of less than +25 degrees. To store the drug in the drops or syrup special conditions are not required. It is only important not to allow a situation in which the medicine can reach and drink a small child. Shelf life and syrup, and drops, and tablets the same. He is 3 years.

And in this video, Doctoro Komarovsky will tell us all about seasonal childhood allergies.

According to parents who gave Zodak to their children with allergies, the drug is very effective and copes well with itching, rash, throat swelling and other negative symptoms.

Moms who use drops, speak positively about them. They like convenient packaging and a small consumption of such a medication. This drug is often chosen instead of drops. ZyrtecSince the active substance of these drugs is the same, but Zodak costs less.

The disadvantages of medication include its side effects, since in many children cetirizine causes drowsiness, which is why the medication is given only in the evening. In addition, some babies do not like the taste of drops and syrup.

Any means containing cetirizine can be a replacement for Zodak. These include Tsetrin, Zyrtec, Letizen, Parlazin and other medicines. Most often, Zodak at an early age is replaced drops Zyrtekallowed from the age of six months.

You can also treat allergies in a child with other antihistamine medications permitted in childhood, for example:

• Fenistil drops containing dimeinden. They are prescribed to kids older than a month.
• Syrup Erius, which is composed of desloratadine. This medication is indicated for children 1 year old.
• Clarinet syrup based on loratadine. It is prescribed for children over 2 years old.
• Suprastin tablets approved for children over 3 years. They contain chloropyramine.
• Pills Tavegilcontaining clemastine. They are appointed from the age of six.