Diacarb for children: instructions for use

"Diakarb" is one of the most popular diuretics, often used in diseases of the brain and eyes. Not everyone knows whether it is possible to give it to children, how to drink medicine in childhood, and what side symptoms it can provoke in the child’s body.

The drug is made only in one form - tablet. Other options "Diakarba" (capsules, shots or syrup) does not exist. One pack of medicine contains 30 round flat white tablets packed in blisters of 10 pieces.

The action of the drug is provided by its main ingredient, acetazolamide. Its dosage per tablet is 250 mg. Additionally, the drug may include sodium crosscarmellose, potato starch, povidone, and other compounds.

Diakarba has an unexpressed diuretic effect associated with acetazolamide inhibition of an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase. This enzyme is in the renal tubules, and because of its blockage, urinary excretion of bicarbonates, potassium, and sodium is enhanced.

In addition, carbonic anhydrase is also present in the choroid of the eye (in the ciliary body), and the effect of the drug on it reduces moisture productionand also contributes to reduce intraocular pressure.

However, the most important for physicians is the effect of "Diakarba" on carbonic anhydrase in brain tissue. By suppressing the activity of this enzyme, the production of cerebrospinal fluid is inhibited and intracranial pressure is reduced. This effect causes acetazolamide anticonvulsant action.

The medicine taken inside is well absorbed and after 1-3 hours it is determined in the blood at the maximum concentration that lasts up to 24 hours. The effect of the drug is observed within 12 hours after administration. The drug is excreted unchanged, mainly by the kidneys.

Treatment "Diakarbom" prescribed:

• With glaucoma.
• With epilepsy.
• With mild or moderate edema syndrome.
• With increased intracranial pressure.
• With hydrocephalus.
• With concussion of the brain.
• With acute mountain sickness.

The drug can be administered to children up to a year - for example, if a child is 1 month old identified hydrocephalus. At the same time, the use of "Diakarba" by infants (prescribing a 5-month-old baby or younger) must be supervised by a doctor.

Treatment with "Diakarbom" is prohibited:

• When hypersensitivity to any component of the tablets.
• In acute renal failure.
• With severe liver disease.
• With diabetes.
• With Addison's disease.
• With a reduced level of potassium, uremia or acidosis.

• On the part of the gastrointestinal tract, the patient may experience nausea, lack of appetite, diarrhea.
• "Diacarb" can provoke a decrease in the level of potassium and acidosis.
• The nervous system of the child may respond to treatment with Diakarbom with the appearance of paresthesias, tinnitus, visual impairment, and even convulsions. If the medication is used for a long time, a drowsy state, disorientation or touch may be possible.
• Long-term use of the drug can also affect blood formation, causing a decrease in the level of white blood cells and hemolytic anemia.
• In rare cases, the drug causes itching or redness of the skin, as well as muscle weakness.
• Long-term use of "Diakarba" can cause nephrolithiasis.

The tablet must be swallowed (do not get through, drink clean water). The dosage regimen and dosage of "Diakarba" is selected for each patient individually. If a child has a glaucoma attack, then the daily dose is calculated by the weight of the patient, multiplying the number of kilograms by 10-15. The amount of active substance in milligrams is divided into three or four doses.

In epilepsy, the daily dose is determined by the age of the baby:

1. At 4-12 months, give 50 mg of acetazolamide in 1 or 2 doses.
2. Two and three year old children are prescribed from 50 to 125 mg per day. The drug is given in full dose once or divided into two doses.
3. At the age of 4 years and older (for example, at the age of 7 years), the dosage of the drug ranges from 125 to 250 mg. The tablet should be drunk once, in the morning.

The maximum dose of the drug per day for children is 750 mg of acetazolamide.

Since the therapeutic effect of the drug is reduced after several days of its use, "Diacarb" is always prescribed with breaks of 1 day (every 1-5 days of administration). Children with epilepsy are prescribed medication for 3 days, and then they do not drink it for 1 day, after which they take it again for 3 days - and so on.

When the dose of "Diakarba" is exceeded, the side effects of the drug from the central nervous system, the digestive system and other organs increase. If the child is breathing heavily after taking the pills, has become drowsy, refuses to eat or has a rash, you should immediately consult a doctor.

• To reduce the risk of potassium loss in patients, a combination is often prescribed. "Diakarb" and "Asparkam".
• It is not recommended to combine "Diacarb" and salicylates, carbamazepine, muscle relaxants, digitalis preparations and some other drugs, as this will enhance their toxic effect.
• If you use the medicine with anti-epilepsy drugs, it can lead to osteomalacia.
• Addition "Diakarba" other diuretics will enhance its diuretic effect (with the exception of acid-forming agents). The same effect is noted when combined with theophylline.

To purchase "Diakarba" in a pharmacy, you must first obtain a prescription from your doctor. The average price of a package including 30 tablets is 250 rubles.

To prevent the medication from losing its medicinal properties, a place hidden from the light is selected for its storage, where the temperature is no more than +25 degrees. Such a place should be hidden from small children.

About the treatment of "Diakarbom" children there are different reviews. In some, the drug is praised for the fact that the drug has helped with increased intracranial pressure or edema, while in others it is said that side effects have arisen during the course of the intake (often for children after tablets are bad). At the same time, there are more positive responses from parents whose children have been prescribed such a diuretic.

Pediatricians (including Komarovsky) call the drug effective and effective for epilepsy and glaucoma, so “Diacarb” in childhood is most often prescribed for these two problems.

In addition, the drug is in demand in the practice of neurologists, who note its good therapeutic effect in perinatal encephalopathy, hydrocephalic syndrome, cysts in the brain, expansion of the ventricles of the brain and other problems. Doctors and mothers confirm that the appointment of "Diakarba" allows you to quickly eliminate such neurological symptoms as hypertonia, startle in a dream and others.