Alteyka cough syrup for children: instructions for use

Cough appears in babies quite often, so many mothers are interested in effective medications that help get rid of this symptom and at the same time have a minimum of side effects. These requirements correspond to herbal expectorants, for example, Alteyka. In order for small patients to take this drug with pleasure, manufacturers offer syrup that is sweet to the taste.

The drug is a yellowish-brown liquid with a thick consistency and a peculiar aromatic odor.

One bottle contains 100 or 200 ml of medication, and for accurate dosing, a measuring spoon is put into the package.

The component, due to which “Alteyka” has healing properties, in this preparation is a dry extract, obtained from the Altea root. In terms of active substances, every 5 milliliters of syrup contains it in a dose of 7.5 mg. Auxiliary ingredients differ from different manufacturers: sugar, methylparaben, citric acid, 96% ethanol and other compounds are among them.

We also note that Alteyka is also available in tablets that are recommended to be chewed. They have a grayish-brown color and a round shape, and the active ingredient is also dry Althea extract in a dose of 100 or 120 mg per tablet. In children, this form of medication is used from 3 years in the same cases when using syrup.

The roots of Althea, which are the raw material for the manufacture of "Alteyka", contain many polysaccharides, starch, amino acids and pectins. These compounds are able to reflex stimulate the salivary and bronchial glands, which contributes to the formation of sputum. At the same time, such secret properties as adhesiveness and viscosity are normalized, and the activity of the ciliated epithelium and smooth muscles increases, which facilitates coughing up mucus.

Besides, Althea extract envelops the mucous membrane, reducing the activity of inflammation and accelerating the regeneration of damaged tissues. Such action of syrup is in demand not only in case of bronchial lesions, but also in the inflammatory process in the digestive tract.

Vitamins, oils, microelements and other valuable compounds contained in the medicament also contribute to eliminating nervousness, improving the appetite and sleeping a sick child.

“Alteyka” is most often used for various diseases of the respiratory system, if cough is a symptom of both dry and unproductive wet cough.

The drug is also in demand for some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, if a child has a peptic ulcer, gastritis with high acidity, enterocolitis, or esophagitis.

Usually, manufacturers do not recommend giving Alteyka to children under two years old, but in the annotation to some syrups it is noted that such a remedy can be used even in infants.And indeed the doctor may prescribe this medicine to babies of the first years of life, but it is not worth giving it without consulting a specialist (especially a baby up to a year).

Restrictions for young patients are associated with insufficient maturity of their immune and digestive systems, which increases the risk of a negative reaction to plant extracts. The use of "Alteyka" in infants should be monitored by a pediatrician.

• There are few restrictions on using such a tool. Alteyka is not used in patients with hypersensitivity to Althea extract or any excipient.
• Syrup should not be used in diabetes, as the composition of the liquid form of this drug includes sugar.

There are no other contraindications for treatment with this remedy.

Sometimes a child’s body reacts to Alteyka with an allergic reaction, increased saliva production or discomfort from the stomach.

Before giving “Alteyk” to a child, you need to shake up the contents of the vial to dissolve the sediment. If there is ethyl alcohol in the composition, the dose prescribed by the doctor is additionally diluted in boiled water taken in a volume of 10-15 ml.

The tool is used before meals in such single doses:

• if the baby is between two and six years old, 5 ml each;
• if a child is 6-14 years old, then 10 ml per reception;
• if the medication is prescribed to a teenager over the age of 14, then 15 ml each.

The frequency of taking the drug is 4-6 times a day, and the duration of treatment is from 7 to 14 days.

If the doctor considers it appropriate to use such a drug in a child under two years old, then the drug is used according to this scheme:

• babies in the first year of life are given 2.5 ml of the drug once or twice a day;
• “Alteyka” is given in the same single dose, but three times or four times a day for a child from one to two years old.

When using a high dose of syrup, you may experience severe nausea or vomiting. It is recommended that a child with an overdose be given plenty of drink and, if required, induce vomiting, and then give a sorbent.

If a child takes any antitussive drugs (drugs that inhibit the cough reflex), the simultaneous reception of "Alteyka" is contraindicated. With any other drugs to combine such a syrup is permissible.

The drug belongs to non-prescription drugs, so there are no difficulties with its purchase. The price of the bottle is influenced by the volume of the medicine and the manufacturer.

While the bottle is not opened, "Alteyku" can be stored at room temperature. The shelf life of a sealed syrup is usually 2 or 3 years.

The use of Alteyki in children with an unproductive cough is mostly positive. Moms praise such a drug for a natural basis, affordable price, fairly quick action in case of respiratory diseases and a pleasant taste. But many parents attribute high sugar content to the disadvantages of this syrup.

Among the minuses, they also occasionally mention the appearance of an allergic reaction, due to which they had to cancel the drug and look for a replacement for it. At the same time, most children like Alteyka and do not cause such syrup as any side effects.

A full replacement of "Alteyka" in the form of a syrup can be "Altea syrup". It has similar characteristics, the same indications and possible side effects.

Other analogues of "Alteyki" are:

• Gedelix;
• "Prospan";
• "Licorice syrup";
• "Linkas";
• "Doctor Theiss";
• "Herbion";
• Pectolvan Ivy;
• Bronhikum S;
• Tussamag;
• "Bronchipret".

All of these drugs are herbal remedies that act on the respiratory tract by extracts from ivy, plantain, thyme, licorice, primrose and other useful plants. Such drugs are presented in the form of syrups and solutions, and therefore do not cause protest in children. Many of them can be given even to babies, but the appropriate analogue should be selected only with a doctor.