Suspension "Diflucan" for children: instructions for use

In the treatment of candidiasis or infections caused by other fungi, antifungal agents based on fluconazole are often used. One of them is the French medicine Diflucan, which is produced by the Pfizer company. One of its dosage forms - the sweet suspension - is especially in demand in the treatment of children. Is it possible to give this drug at an early age and how to dose it correctly?

Suspension "Diflucan" is available in plastic bottles, inside of which is a white powder. After adding water, it becomes a white, thick, orange-flavored syrup. One bottle is placed in a box together with a measuring spoon, allowing you to measure 5 ml of the medication, and also give the child 2.5 or 1.25 ml (for this, additional divisions are provided inside the spoon).

In addition to the suspension, Diflucan is also produced in capsulespresented in three different dosages, as well as in injection form - in the form of a solution that is injected into a vein.

The main active component of Diflucan is fluconazole. Such an active ingredient in 5 ml of suspension can be 50 mg or 200 mg, respectively, one milliliter of the drug can contain fluconazole in a dose of 10 mg or 40 mg.

Additionally, the drug includes xanthan gum, sodium citrate dihydrate, sodium benzoate and titanium dioxide. There are drugs and silicon dioxide, and citric acid (both compounds are anhydrous). The sweet taste of the liquid is due to sucrose, and the pleasant aroma is made from orange flavoring made from water, maltodextrin and orange essential oil.

Diflucan is a drug group of antifungal drugs, since fluconazole in its composition can inhibit the synthesis of sterols in fungal cells. The drug affects candida, cryptococcus, fungi Microsporum, Trichophyton and others.

The ingested suspension is rapidly absorbed, and its bioavailability is estimated at 90% and above. In this case, food does not affect the absorption and action of the drug. After 30-90 minutes in the blood plasma, the concentration of the active substance Diflucan becomes maximum, and the half-life of the drug occurs approximately 30 hours after administration. Most of the medication (more than 80%) is excreted in the urine.

Most often, Diflucan in the suspension is prescribed to children with mucosal candidiasis, for example, from stomatitis. In addition, the drug can be used in case of Candida damage to the respiratory tract, esophagus, eye mucosa, urinary tract, pharynx, inner lining of the heart, peritoneum and other organs.

The tool is effective in the disseminated form of candidiasis and candidaemia, as well as in genital forms of candidiasis (vaginal infection in girls and balanitis in boys). Diflucan is also used prophylactically to prevent the recurrence of candidiasis or to prevent the development of a fungal infection with reduced immunity, for example, during radiation therapy or after organ transplantation.

A more rare reason to prescribe Diflucan to a child is infection with cryptococcus, including damage to such fungi of the lungs, skin, and the meninges. Also, the drug can be used for mycoses of the skin, for example, for pityriasis, mycoses of the feet or onychomycosis.Such a drug is also prescribed for systemic mycoses caused by coccidioids, histoplasmas, paracoccidioides or sporotrihums.

There are no age restrictions for the use of Diflucan in childhood, however, it is possible to give this medicine to newborns and infants only under the supervision of a pediatrician. It is unacceptable to give such a medicine without consulting a doctor.

Treatment with Diflucan is not prescribed in case of hypersensitivity of a small patient to any of the components in the composition of such a suspension. Special attention from the doctor requires the use of this drug in children with impaired liver, allergic rash and the risk of arrhythmia (with organic heart disease and electrolyte imbalance).

• The use of Diflucan can lead to negative reactions of the digestive tract, among which abdominal pain, flatulence and diarrhea are most frequent. It may also cause nausea and other symptoms of dyspepsia.
• The drug sometimes affects the patient's nervous system, causing headaches, changes in taste, dizziness, and even seizures.
• Diflucan can have a toxic effect on the liver, disrupting its function and provoking jaundice or hepatitis.
• Taking the medicine can cause a skin rash and other allergic reactions, including anaphylactic.
• Some children may have a negative effect of the drug on blood formation. In such cases, a blood test shows leukopenia (the number of white cells decreases mainly due to neutrophils) and thrombocytopenia.
• The negative effect of fluconazole on the heart can be manifested by arrhythmia and changes in the ECG.

Having opened the bottle with the powder, pure water is added inside (it is recommended to boil it and then cool it) in the volume 24 milliliters. Next, close the bottle and shake vigorously to achieve good mixing of the drug with water and uniformity of the drug. Before each administration of the medication, the suspension should also be thoroughly shaken.

Suspension is given to the child. 1 once a day. The dosage of the drug is determined on the basis of the severity of the infection and its nature. Usually, if Candida is damaged, mucous membranes are prescribed in a dose of 3 mg active compounds on 1 kilogram of body weight of the baby per day.

If a small patient has a generalized candidiasis or a child has become infected with a cryptococcal infection, the daily amount of fluconazole in milligrams per kilogram of weight will be from 6 before 12. The doctor determines the dose more precisely, given the severity of the disease.

With prophylactic purposes with reduced immunity and high risk of fungal infection, the daily dose of Diflucan for a child ranges from 3 before 12 mg on 1 kilogram of weight. Individual calculation of the dosage is required for children with diseased kidneys and babies of the first month of life, since excretion of fluconazole in newborns is slower.

Too much of a dose of the suspension can adversely affect the nervous system of the child; therefore, a drug drunk in excess should cause immediate medical attention.

• The use of the drug with cyclosporine, theophylline, rifabutin, phenytoin, zidovudine or sulfonylurea drugs requires the supervision of medical personnel.
• The drug should not be combined with drugs such as terfenadine, cisapride or tacrolimus, because with such combinations the risk of side effects on the heart or the kidneys increase.
• With the appointment of Diflucan note the increased therapeutic effect of benzodiazepine drugs.
• The drug can be combined with azithromycin, hydrochlorothiazide, cimetidine, antacid agents.
• If given with Diflucan along with anticoagulants, it will increase the risk of bleeding.
• Rifampicin affects the concentration of fluconazole in the blood and its excretion, therefore, when treating this antibiotic, higher doses of Diflucan are recommended.

To purchase Diflucan at the pharmacy, you must first consult your doctor for a prescription for such medication. On average, one vial of suspension with a concentration of fluconazole in 5 ml of a liquid preparation in a dose of 50 mg costs 500-550 rubles.

Both the sealed powder and the slurry already prepared can be kept at room temperature at home. The manufacturer warns that the drug should not be frozen or heated to a temperature of +30 degrees and above. To store the medication should choose a place hidden from a small child.

Unopened bottle can be stored for the entire shelf life, which is 3 years. After mixing with water, the preparation should be stored no longer than two weeks.

In the majority of reviews of moms who gave Diflucan to children from thrush in the mouth, high efficacy of the drug is noted. Parents emphasize that the intake of the suspension accelerated the recovery, and the tongue, unpleasant smell, bleeding gums and other manifestations of candidiasis soon disappeared in children. Liquid form of the drug is praised for ease of dosing, and for a pleasant taste. The disadvantages of the drug moms include a high price and a small volume of the bottle.

Other drugs containing fluconazole, for example, can be a replacement for Diflucan. "Flucostat", "Mikosist", "Fluconazole Sandoz ", "Mycoflucan" and others. However, they are all represented only by solid form (capsules, tablets) or by injection.

Also, instead of fluconazole preparations, the doctor may prescribe funds acting on yeast fungi with another active substance. It can be medicines, including nystatin, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, natamycin and other compounds. At the same time, a physician must choose an analogue, since each of these medicines has its own nuances of use.