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 the defenses. For this purpose, homeopathic remedies are often used, one of which is Anferon. It is available in two versions - for children and for adults.

At what age is it acceptable to treat with tablets for children, for which diseases they are prescribed and can they be used for prophylactic purposes? What is the scheme for taking such a remedy and are there any side reactions to it? Each mother is interested in these questions if the child’s doctor has appointed Anaferon for children.

The tool is manufactured by the Russian company "Materia Medica" only in pills that need to be absorbed. They are characterized by white color and flat cylindrical shape. On one side of the pills there is a risk and the inscription MATERIA MEDICA, and on the other side of the risk is missing and written ANAFERON KID.

The active ingredient in pediatric Anaferon is antibodies to human gamma interferons. In the production process, they undergo a so-called affinity purification, as a result of which they are applied to the lactose monohydrate in the amount of 0.003 grams per tablet.

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

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

Abstract tablets pills them immunomodulatory, as well as antiviral effect.

The drug has activity against:

• Herpes viruses;
• Enterovirus;
• Parainfluenza viruses;
• Rotaviruses;
• Influenza viruses;
• Tick-borne encephalitis viruses;
• PC viruses;
• Adenoviruses;
• Coronaviruses;
• Caliciviruses.

When taking the funds, the concentration of these viruses in the body decreases, and the production of interferons and cytokines to combat infectious agents increases. The drug stimulates the immune response to the attack of viruses, both cellular and humoral. Under its action increases the activity of effector T-cells, killer cells and phagocytes, as well as increased production of antibodies.

The drug is prescribed in children:

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

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 of the drug is not used for lactase deficiency, glucose malabsorption syndrome or congenital galactosemia. Other contraindications, except for the age of 1 month, to the children's form of Anaferon is not.

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

Anaferon for children give little patients one tablet at a time. The child should hold the drug in the mouth until the tablet is completely dissolved. The tool is not accepted during meals.

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

Anaferon should begin to treat the child at the first symptoms of infection.. In most cases, this regimen is used: the medicine is absorbed in the mouth every half hour for the first 2 hours, and then another 3 tablets are taken with approximately the same interval between them until the end of the first day. From the second day until the recovery Anaferon resolves 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 reconsider the prescribed treatment.

For prevention during the epidemic season, the medication is given to the child 1 tablet per day for 1-3 months. In order to prevent exacerbations of herpes remedy can be prescribed and a longer course - up to 6 months.

The dosage “1 tablet per day” is also used in the complex treatment of immunodeficiencies or bacterial infections.

Anaferon for children can be combined with any drugs with antiviral action, antibiotics and other medicines. Cases of incompatibility with other drugs are not met.

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

Keep the tablets at home should be at room temperature - no higher than +25 degrees. Like other medicines, storage should be away from children. Use the tool if more than 3 years have passed since the release, it is impossible.

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

Mothers speak about the drug in different ways, since the attitude to homeopathic treatment of modern parents is both positive and sharply negative. Those who like homeopathy, consider this tool effective and note that Anaferon helps with rotavirus, relieves the temperature of SARS and other infections.

The advantages of the drug are low cost, pleasant sweet taste, no side effects, the ability to take a long time and be used for preventive purposes. The negative effects of the drug in children who took Anaferon for children almost never occurs.

Moreover, in many reviews parents who are unsure of the positive effect of homeopathic remedies note that the treatment did not give any effect. Many mothers initially abandon Anaferon, replacing it with other antiviral agents that affect viruses, and not the child’s immune system.

Instead of a child Anaferona, the doctor may recommend:

• Ergoferon. This tool also belongs to the homeopathic and contains antibodies to gamma-interferon, but they are supplemented with other antibodies. The drug in solution is given to children older than 3 years, and in the form of lozenges it can be used from 6 months of age.
• Arbidol. This antiviral medication is prescribed to babies from the age of two. The basis of this drug is umifenovir, active against influenza viruses 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 bowel disease, viral hepatitis, influenza, candidiasis, and many other infections. They can be prescribed even for premature babies. The drug is also available in forms that are applied to the skin, tonsils, nasal mucosa (ointment and gel). In this case, the gel is allowed for babies of the first year of life, and the ointment can process the skin only in children older than 1 year.
• Orvirem. Such a medication based on rimantadine has an antiviral effect and is prescribed for influenza or another acute viral infection of the respiratory tract. It is a syrup prescribed by pediatricians for children older than a year.
• Kagocel. This medicine activates the production of interferon, therefore it is used for ARVI and herpes infections. It comes in tablets that are prescribed for children 3 years and older.
• Grippferon The basis of this drug is alpha interferon, so that it has an immunomodulatory effect. Dosage forms of Grippferon are spray and drops. When indicated, their use is possible even in nursing babies.
• Aflubin. This tool is also referred to homeopathy and is used in drops from birth, and in tablets from the age of five. The drug is prescribed for colds, parainfluenza, influenza, rheumatism and other diseases.
• Zovirax. This drug has activity against herpes viruses, therefore it is prescribed only when infected with such viruses. It is produced in tablets, in the form of ointment and cream, as well as in injectable form. It can also be replaced by generic Acyclovir (he has the same active ingredient, but the price is much lower).

In the following video, the pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky gives several recommendations for strengthening children's immunity.

Also watch the video, where the doctor discusses the issue of taking immunopreparations with an immunologist.

And also you can familiarize with opinion of Dr. Komarovsky on the antiviral drug "Anaferon" in another article.