Do I need to give antibiotics at high temperature. Bacterial infection and ways to recognize it

Date: 16.04.2019

About ear infections from the book of the largest American pediatrician Robert Mendelssohn “How to raise a child healthy despite doctors”:
“In my student days, professors warned with a gloomy look that untreated ear infections lead to deafness. For a long time I, with a gloomy look, predicted to my patients hearing loss and stuffed them with combinations of antibiotics, vasoconstrictor drugs and antihistamines ....
Over the years, I discovered that many of my patients, even most of them, did not receive a full course of antibiotic treatment, and some did not buy them at all. In medical circles, this phenomenon is called “patient insubordination,” and doctors and pharmacists treat it equally badly. But much more than insubordination, I was struck by the fact that recalcitrant patients recovered from infections as quickly as disciplined ones who followed all medical recommendations, and none of them were deaf!
At first, I consoled myself with a hackneyed phrase that the doctors uttered at the news that the patient who had ignored their prescriptions recovered: “Just lucky.” However, soon this argument seemed flimsy: the number of patients who recovered without treatment was too large.
This destroyed my belief in antibiotics, and I stopped prescribing them, from which my patients did not suffer much ...
…
The second mistake of the doctor - the appointment of antibiotics. It is unacceptable no matter what color the membrane: pink, red or blue flecked. The use of antibiotics is to some extent justified only in case of purulent discharge from the ear. And this happens in less than one percent of all cases of ear infections. And then I'm not sure that antibiotics are needed even then.
A number of controlled studies have shown that the use of antibiotics for the treatment of ear infections is ineffective. They are not able to prevent and possible complications - hearing loss and the spread of infection. The only thing they can do is slightly reduce the duration of the disease, but at the same time they will reduce the body's natural immune response, which will lead to the risk of recurrence of ear infections every four to six months.
The last study I know of, conducted in the Netherlands with 170 children suffering from ear infections, gives the results of a double-blind experiment. Half of the children were treated with antibiotics, the other did not take them. There was no noticeable difference in the clinical manifestations of the disease (pain, fever, discharge from the ear, change in the appearance of the eardrum, and a decrease in hearing acuity). ” 02.02.2009 08:47:06,

I have one lady I know who, every time her seven-year-old daughter begins to get sick, rushes to treat her with antibiotics. This mommy also has “favorite” drugs, which, according to her, “certainly will help from everything!”. The absurdity and frightening scale of the situation is that this mommy is not alone in her beliefs. More than 45% of parents, according to a poll conducted by VTsIOM sociologists, are confident that influenza and ARVI can be treated with antibiotics, and they also believe that the high temperature of antibiotics is reduced as well as possible.

So let's see where the error lies. When, nevertheless, the doctor advises to take antibiotic medications for hyperthermia (high temperature).

First you need to be clear about what “high temperature” means. For some, it is 37.1, and for others, 39 is postponed as 37. As for children's health, mothers and fathers tend to “exaggerate” the numbers, calling the “high” temperature increase for a beloved child to 38 degrees.

There is a generally accepted standard of hyperthermia:

Light heat - 38 -38.5
Heat moderate - 38.6-39.5
High heat - 39.5
Heat dangerous for life, extremely high - 40 and above.

each child tolerates fever differently

Causes of childhood heat

High fever is not a disease, but evidence of the normal functioning of the body’s immunity.If the temperature rose, then the child’s body resists the invasion. Most often, viruses come in without an invitation. Therefore, acute viral diseases are the main reason why the thermometer stepped over the mark at “38”, “39” and stopped somewhere between “39.5” and “40”. Thus, 90% of cases of fever are viral infections.

It is not difficult to suspect that the baby’s well-being of the baby is at the root of the problem, it has a recognizable “handwriting”. A sharp and rapid increase in body temperature to 39 degrees or, conversely, low-grade fever around 37.5, dry cough, runny nose, feeling of aches in muscles and joints, severe headache. Moreover, all these symptoms occur almost simultaneously, the condition worsens rapidly.

In most cases, the temperature rises amid a viral infection.

You can learn more about antibiotics for children, about when their use is necessary and how to take them properly to a child, by watching the following video.

What do parents need to know about temperature?

If the doctor prescribed antibiotics, in no case can not combine their reception with antipyretics.The temptation to give your baby something to drink that quickly reduces fever is great. All parents want the baby to feel better as soon as possible. But such a decrease in temperature distorts the overall picture of treatment. If the antibiotic acts correctly and in the target, the doctor will be able to understand this by independently reducing the temperature without additional medications.
If the antibiotic “works,” and the child has become noticeably better on the second or third day, his temperature has dropped, he looks more alert, you should not stop drinking or prick the antibacterial agent. The fact is that the surviving bacteria adapt to the antibiotic, and the next time the child will have to pick up a new drug, more potent. Finish the course, which was prescribed by the doctor, to the end. In addition, the disease may return, and then the unauthorized cancellation of antibiotics will trigger the transition of the disease to the chronic stage.
If the temperature of the toddler has risen against the background of an intestinal infection or food poisoning, the doctor is unlikely to prescribe you antibiotics.The exception is toddlers of up to a year who, due to diarrhea and vomiting, can quickly reach the critical stage of dehydration.

Antibiotics can not be a means of prevention.You should not give them to a child simply because “someone got sick” in his class or group in the kindergarten, or at the first sign of a cold or fever.
Starting to give antipyretic drugs is desirable not immediately, as soon as the child has a fever.Give your baby's immunity to try to cope with the disease. So the defense will be stronger.
At high temperatures, the child must organize a copious warm drink. And no matter what kind of pathogen caused by fever. The smaller the child, the faster the thermoregulation processes take place. This means that the risk of dehydration increases as a result of severe intoxication. You can drink everything except sparkling water, sour juices and milk. Ideally in case of heat, give your baby crumbs with herbal teas, tea with honey, lemon, raspberries (if you are not allergic), compote or jelly.

It is not worth while immediately raising the temperature to feed the child with antipyretic

At high temperatures, you can not wrap a child in a "hundred clothes" and cover with a blanket on top.It is best to strip the baby up to the panties and cover with a light sheet. The effects of overheating may be irreversible.
If antibiotics are prescribed, take care to restore the baby’s body as soon as possible after such a powerful therapy. Ask your doctor to recommend the names of probiotics and prebiotics, drugs that will help you quickly and gently get rid of dysbiosis after antibiotics, restore the intestinal microflora for a full and healthy child's life.
When hyperthermia should not put the child banks and mustard plasters, bathe him in a hot bath, resort to alcohol-based compresses. Dr. Komarovsky
At a temperature
How often to give

Antibiotics are antibacterial drugs that are used to treat infectious diseases. Despite the fact that without them it is impossible to cure many diseases, it is necessary to prescribe these medicines with great care. There are certain indications for the use of antibiotics in children, in addition, when using them, it is necessary to observe a number of important rules concerning the choice of drug, dosage and treatment time. Also of great importance is the age of the child.

When is antibiotics given to a child?

One of the main mistakes that parents make when treating children is the independent prescription of antibacterial drugs to the child. So, mothers often give children antibiotics for severe colds, considering them almost the only effective remedy. Among modern medicines there are many antibiotics in the form of drops, suspensions, syrups or soluble powders, produced especially for children. But they all have serious side effects and can cause undesirable effects on the health of the child. Therefore, the decision about whether to give the child antibiotics can only be made by a doctor.

There is currently no simple and fast way that would allow specialists to accurately determine the cause of the disease from the first days. The doctor decides when to give the child antibiotics based on the symptoms of the disease. So, it is known that the acute forms of rhinitis (rhinitis) and bronchitis are most often caused by viral infections. Accordingly, with such symptoms, antibiotic therapy is usually not carried out, since antibiotics do not affect the viruses. And the cause of such diseases as acute otitis (inflammation of the ears), angina and sinusitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses) in most cases are bacteria. In these cases, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to the child.

At the same time, antibiotics can be used in the treatment of diseases of viral origin. But antibacterial drugs act directly on the causative agents of infection, without exerting an antipyretic effect or destroying the virus. For this reason, it is possible to treat a child with antibiotics for ARVI only if there are certain indications that indicate that the disease is complicated by a bacterial infection.

A complication in the form of a secondary bacterial infection arises from viral diseases of the respiratory tract due to the fact that the child's body, weakened by the virus, becomes especially susceptible to bacterial microorganisms. The most common signs of such complications are high fever (from 38 degrees), which lasts for at least three days, discharge from the nose and throat of a purulent or mucopurulent character and purulent plaque on the tonsils. With these symptoms, treatment requires the use of antibacterial drugs.

In some cases, antibiotics are prescribed for the sluggish course of the disease, when the child does not have a high temperature, but for a long time (from one and a half to two weeks) symptoms such as weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting are present. All of these signs may also indicate the presence of a bacterial infection and the need for antibiotics.

In addition, antibiotic therapy, when giving antibiotics to a child is mandatory, is required when confirming the following diseases:

pneumonia;
acute purulent sinusitis;
acute streptococcal tonsillitis;
acute otitis media in children under 6 months;
epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis);
paratonsillitis;
exacerbation of chronic sinusitis.

Make the right decision about whether to give the child antibiotics, as well as the right to appoint an antibacterial drug and a scheme for its use can only be a doctor. Using the wrong antibiotic can lead to serious side effects, including acute allergic reactions and disruption of the normal functioning of the internal organs. Many antibacterial drugs that are not capable of causing noticeable harm to adults pose a serious danger to a child and can cause destruction of tooth enamel, growth disorders, dysbacteriosis, and damage to the liver and kidneys. Immunity of the child after antibiotics is significantly reduced, which can lead to a rapid recurrence of an infectious disease.

When prescribing an antibiotic, it is necessary to take into account the age of the child, the general condition of his body, the nature of the pathogen and his sensitivity to specific active substances of drugs, the severity of the disease and the individual sensitivity of the child to the components of the drug. It is important for parents to understand that only a doctor is able to relate all these factors and prescribe effective and safe antibiotic therapy, and an incorrectly chosen drug can only worsen the situation.

How to restore a child after antibiotics?

Immunity of the child after antibiotics needs to be restored. The main side effect of antibacterial drugs is that they destroy not only harmful microorganisms, but also beneficial microflora. Therefore, often after a course of antibiotics, prophylactic treatment is prescribed, which is necessary to strengthen the weakened immunity.

The most common complication after the use of antibacterial drugs is dysbacteriosis. Therefore, the treatment of a child after antibiotics should be directed to the restoration of normal gastrointestinal microflora. If antibiotic therapy was prolonged, the doctor may prescribe special preparations containing lacto-and bifidobacteria. They normalize the intestinal microflora, eliminate dysbacteriosis and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

How to restore the child after antibiotics, the pediatrician should tell parents. All that parents can do is to provide the child with balanced nutrition and rest. Any special preparations (dietary supplements or vitamin complexes) for treating a child after antibiotics can be used only after consulting a specialist.

Children's cough is always a cause for concern not only for the child himself, but also for his parents, who often immediately practice antibiotics for children when they cough without fever. It can be caused by various reasons, most often, viral ailments and catarrhal bacterial infections. Cough spasm may be different in nature, as well as other symptoms of a cold infection. However, the presence of cough is not always the reason for the need to take precisely antibacterial drugs; only a doctor can determine their importance in therapy.

Before deciding on the treatment, the local doctor must determine the true cause of the cough spasm. Medications are chosen depending on the source of the cough, for example, allergies are often accompanied by severe irritation of the mucous membranes, causing tearing and all the symptoms of acute respiratory illnesses. In this case, the use of antibacterial drugs will not make any sense, but only harm the already weakened children's body.

Cough spasm can be caused by mechanical damage to the mucous membrane of the throat, in this case, the use of any drugs for bacteria also does not make sense, because its signs will disappear along with healing. Some parents, preferring not to go to the doctor once more, begin to treat coughs caused by viral infections with antibiotics. However, antibacterial drugs have absolutely no effect on viral formations, but only reduce the immunity of the child’s body, which is necessary to combat external stimuli.

The use of antibacterial drugs when coughing in a child makes sense if the doctor accurately established a bacterial infection in the body. This can be determined by the following features:

Symptoms are increasing gradually, a cough, runny nose and fever appear over a few days.
There is shortness of breath.
The temperature rises above 38 degrees, and after she was hit by antipyretic drugs, after the end of their action, she grows again. A high temperature during a bacterial infection can persist for more than three days.
The presence of various signs of intoxication of the body with pathogenic microbes, they can even manifest in the form of vomiting and diarrhea.
Drowsiness and drowsiness, as well as noticeable fatigue on the background of prolonged high temperature.
100% indications for taking antibacterial drugs are such illnesses as whooping cough, tracheitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis and pleurisy.

However, even the presence of these symptoms is not a reason for self-prescribing antibacterial drugs without the participation of a pediatrician. Many antibiotics not only have strong side effects, but are also contraindicated in children. Only a qualified doctor can choose a drug.

What is the peculiarity of children's antibiotics?

Treatment with antibacterial drugs is a dangerous effect, especially for a child's fragile organism. However, in some cases, to do without drugs such a plan will not work. There is a certain group of antibacterial drugs that are approved for use in children. Such drugs have a special composition that does not harm children's health, because their effects are gentle.

The main feature in the choice of antibacterial agent is to determine the need for their reception.

Only a doctor can do this activity, because self-healing attempts mean a risk to endanger the health of the child. Since in early childhood there is a certain problem with taking medications, preference should be given to suspensions and other liquid forms. Tablets are not suitable for all children, because swallowing can cause an emetic reflex. That is why most often antibacterial drugs are prescribed to children in the form of a dry substrate, which turns into a suspension with the help of ordinary boiled water. Measuring spoon complete with medicine will allow you to accurately calculate the dosage.

If the child’s body does not take the medicine in oral form, intramuscular or intravenous administration remains the only way out. In the first case, the attending physician prescribes injections, which is no less common practice for complicated infectious diseases, in the second, a course of droppers is carried out, which is preferably carried out in a hospital.

The choice of dosage and frequency of use of children's antibiotic is influenced not only by the disease itself, but also by the age and weight of the child. The duration of the course is usually determined by the complications that are possible with a particular disease. In addition, if there is too long an improvement, the doctor may consider it appropriate to extend the duration of the reception to the maximum allowed.

Children's antibiotics may be narrowly targeted and not suitable for each case. If there is no visible improvement in the treatment of an antibacterial drug, an adjustment of treatment and a change of drug are required, and only a pediatrician can perform this action.

Since antibacterial drugs have a large list of side effects, an important point is the constant monitoring of the child's condition. In addition to the pediatrician, his parents should monitor the condition of the baby. The slightest deviations from the previous state for the worse require a re-examination of the doctor.

The names of the best cough antibiotics in a child with and without fever

Treatment of cough, regardless of the cause of its occurrence, as well as the presence of associated symptoms, is carried out through a single drug. It can be changed only if there is no positive dynamics of treatment, and only a doctor can prescribe a new drug. Most often, children’s coughs are prescribed broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs that have a negative effect on various pathogens.

The purpose of a specific drug is difficult to determine the type of pathogen. The analysis of this type is available for not every clinic, and the duration of his waiting can be up to two weeks, which can be a critical moment for the child's body.

Each drug is prescribed based on the type of disease, as well as the age and weight of the child. It should take into account the possibility of individual allergic reactions to a particular component in its composition.

The most common drugs in pediatrics are as follows:

Flemoxin Solutab. It is indicated for chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and various forms of angina, accompanied by high body temperature. May be used from early childhood. It is prohibited in case of allergic reactions of the food type.
"Amoxicillin". One of the most widely used cough medicines prescribed regardless of the presence of high temperature, provided that it is a bacterial infection that was diagnosed. Allowed to newborn babies, even those that are considered premature. It is not recommended to use the drug for intestinal diseases, kidney failure, asthma and blood diseases, since it affects the composition of the plasma.
Augmentin. It is indicated for ENT diseases, angina and bronchitis of varying severity. It is allowed for therapy from the age of three months on the baby, but it is strictly not recommended for use in case of liver diseases.
"Ecoclav". Preference is given to this drug in any form of bronchitis, is used to eliminate the outbreak of pneumonia with a high temperature and is effective from angina. Approved for use from birth, but is prohibited in diseases of the renal system.
"Amoxiclav". The analogue of Augmentina, used to treat obstructive bronchitis, accompanied by severe coughing. Also effective in laryngitis and tracheitis, allowed from birth.
"Supraks." Effective with bronchitis, accompanied by high fever, but its use is allowed only from the six-month age of the child. Chronic kidney disease is a major contraindication to use.
Sumamed. Another version of a broad-spectrum antibacterial drug. Most often used to treat bronchitis with high fever and pneumonia. Resolved with six months.

The choice of antibacterial drug for the child, therefore, is a serious undertaking that requires qualified knowledge. A pediatrician, after examining a baby, will be able to diagnose, determine the appropriateness of taking antibacterial drugs, and also make a choice of medication and determine its dosage, frequency and duration of therapy.

Antibiotics are very serious drugs, despite being sold without prescription from any pharmacy. Reception of such drugs should be carried out only as prescribed by the doctor, otherwise you can face a lot of complications and errors. For example, the temperature when taking antibiotics - is this a normal phenomenon or pathology? Of course, the answer to this question should be addressed directly to the attending physician, since it depends on the specific disease, the type of antibiotic used, its dosage, and many, many other reasons. Nevertheless, we will try to briefly understand the problem.

Causes of temperature when taking antibiotics

For most educated patients, it is no secret that antibiotics should be used only for infectious diseases caused by bacteria. Such drugs do not work on viruses and fungi.

It is also worth noting that in hospitals in the treatment of severe and complicated infectious diseases (for example, pneumonia or meningitis), the responsibility for a competently selected and properly prescribed antibiotic rests entirely with the doctor, who constantly monitors the patient and has the results of the necessary research and analysis . In the treatment of simple infectious diseases that do not require the inpatient stay of the patient, the situation is different. Antibiotics can be used independently, indiscriminately, without any treatment regimen, which can not only bring benefits, but also do much harm. At best, a doctor will be called who, prescribing a treatment, will be confronted with a fact: for example, parents themselves ask to prescribe an antibiotic to the child, without having the slightest idea whether he really is necessary. Unfortunately, many doctors, instead of wasting time and nerves on explanations, simply meekly prescribe the drug. As a result, it is absolutely inexpedient to use it.

Nevertheless, let us return to the issue of temperature during antibiotic therapy. Why does this happen?

The antibiotic is appointed out of place: the disease is not caused by bacterial flora, so the drug does not work.
Any antimicrobial medication is selected taking into account the sensitivity of microorganisms to it. It often happens that a medicine is prescribed without sensitivity tests. In such cases, the selected drug simply does not affect the desired microbes, which means that it was initially selected incorrectly.
Incorrect dosage: the wrong treatment regimen does not allow to kill the infection - the bacteria simply slow down their development, continuing their destructive effect.
Antibiotics are not prescribed to reduce the temperature: such drugs are designed to kill infectious pathogens, and not affect the thermoregulation centers. For these purposes, use special antipyretics.
Some antibiotics can cause fever as a side effect of taking the drug.
If the patient first recovered after taking antibiotics, but then the temperature increased again, there may be a chance of another infection being added to which this antibiotic has no effect.

If the drug is prescribed expediently and competently, then the temperature may drop only on the third or even the fourth day, so if you do not have to worry about the temperature when you take antibiotics, you just need to continue the prescribed treatment.
To begin with, it should be noted that antibiotics cannot be prescribed to a child very often. First, it depresses the baby’s own immunity. Secondly, the hematopoietic system, the liver, and the digestive system of the child suffer. Pediatric antibiotic therapy is used only in extreme cases, if the bacterial nature of the disease is confirmed. If you are taking antimicrobial agents, and the temperature when taking antibiotics in a child lasts 3-4 days or more - it means that the treatment regimen is chosen incorrectly.
If you take a high temperature while taking antibiotics, allergies to drugs may occur. Penicillin drugs are especially dangerous in this sense, and, usually, an allergic reaction appears when you take the medicine again. An increase in temperature can manifest itself as the only and only symptom of an allergy. As a rule, this occurs 4-7 days after the start of treatment and completely disappears when the antibiotic is canceled for several days. In case of allergy, temperature can reach 39-40 ° C, of the additional signs - tachycardia.
If the antibiotic is prescribed correctly, then the temperature of 37 ° C when taking antibiotics may be associated with the mass death of bacteria due to the start of treatment. The death of microbes is accompanied by the release into the blood of a large number of toxins - products of the breakdown of bacterial cells. Such a temperature during antibiotic therapy is considered normal and does not require its special reduction.
When taking an antibiotic, a temperature of 38 ° C or lower may persist for some more time. The main thing is to follow the results of blood and urine tests: there should be no pathology in them. Continue the treatment prescribed by your doctor.

Diagnosis of temperature when taking antibiotics

The most common method of determining the temperature at home is to touch your forehead with your hand or lips. Of course, this method is not very accurate, but is only a preliminary definition of the violation. In order to know the exact indicators, you must use a thermometer. The choice of thermometers is currently quite large: electronic, rectal, ear, oral thermometer, or in the form of frontal strips.

As for the diagnosis of the causes of temperature increase, here the doctor chooses the technique, depending on the disease, the patient's age, the magnitude of the temperature indicators, the appropriateness of the prescribed antibiotics, etc.

Diagnostics may include:

objective examination, anamnesis;
blood test (general and biochemical);
general urine analysis;
allergy tests, consultation with an allergist;
radiograph;
functional examination of the digestive system (for example, an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity);
examination of the cardiovascular system (cardiography, ultrasound of the heart and blood vessels);
seeding biological materials for sensitivity to antibiotics.

The diagnosis is clarified by detection of the causative agent of an infectious disease during blood culture.

Treatment of temperature when taking antibiotics

To treat or not treat fever when taking antibiotics, the doctor must decide. Of course, in order to make the right decision, you need to know the reasons for such a reaction.

If the temperature is associated with an allergic reaction, then the antibiotic is canceled or replaced by another. Additionally, antihistamines are prescribed: suprastin, tavegil, etc., at the discretion of the physician.
If the temperature increase is caused by the inappropriate prescription of an antimicrobial drug, then the antibiotic is canceled and a more appropriate drug is prescribed. It can be antiviral or antifungal drugs, depending on the detected disease.
If in the course of diagnosis associated diseases are detected, then treatment of all pathologies is prescribed, taking into account the reasons that caused them. For example, if you initially treated bronchitis, and later the temperature rose due to the development of pneumonia, the doctor will definitely revise the treatment, and the antibiotic will be replaced by another, more effective (or even a few).

Regarding the prediction of temperature increase during antibiotic therapy, the following can be said: if the antibiotic is prescribed and chosen correctly, then this temperature will stabilize with time and the patient will recover.

With self-prescribing and taking antibiotics, the prognosis can be unpredictable. Taking the pills on their own, without the advice of a doctor, the patient himself assumes all responsibility for possible negative consequences.

In addition, cases with wave-like manifestations of temperature have an unfavorable forecast, when alternation of temperature indicators of different heights occurs at certain time intervals. Often this indicates the development of complications.

The temperature when taking antibiotics in many cases can be considered normal, but sometimes this situation is also a sign of the addition of complications. What happened in each particular case — norm or pathology — let the medical specialist decide. The task of each patient is to choose a competent doctor, to strictly follow his recommendations and not to self-medicate.