There are two common extremes in the attitude of mothers towards antibiotics: one believes that antibiotics are a special medicine for colds and fevers, and whenever a baby has a fever, it is necessary to take the initiative to ask for antibiotics. The other sees antibiotics as a flood of beasts, and resists them regardless of the baby’s condition. In fact, how to use antibiotics, with how much, let us understand one by one! 1. What are antibiotics? The word “antibiotics” should not be unfamiliar to mothers and fathers at all, children get sick, the most common is a cold fever cough. At this point, antibiotics will appear in front of parents. A long time ago, people discovered that certain microorganisms could inhibit the growth and reproduction of other microorganisms, and called this phenomenon antibiotics. With the development of science, people finally found from some microorganisms with antibiotic substances, and this substance is called antibiotics, such as penicillin produced by Penicillium, Streptomycin produced by Streptomyces gray have obvious antibacterial effect. Therefore people will be certain microorganisms produced in the process of life, to certain other pathogenic microorganisms have inhibitory or killing effect of such chemicals called antibiotics. The concept of antibiotics has expanded from the initial antimicrobial to today’s antiviral, anti-chlamydial, anti-mycoplasma, and even anti-tumor antibiotics in clinical settings. 2. Is it true that the newer and more expensive antibiotics are more effective in treating diseases? In fact, the performance of each antibiotic varies, and it is generally necessary to select the relatively sensitive antibiotics according to the condition of the infection and the results of the bacterial drug sensitivity test, not necessarily better than the cheaper or older drugs. For example, the old antibiotics penicillin and erythromycin, which can be described as good and cheap, and stable, plus people do not often use them, the efficacy may be better. The old drug is more clear than the new drug, more conducive to diagnosis and treatment. The actual fact is that you can find a lot of people who are not able to get a good deal on a lot of things. The majority of these are anti-G-bacterial antibiotics, but in fact, as outpatients, most of the infections are community-acquired infections, and although the incidence of G-bacteria has increased in recent years, their pathogens are still mainly Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus haemolyticus and other G+ bacteria. For these bacteria, penicillins, first-generation cephalosporins have good efficacy; the use of high-grade antibiotics, especially anti-G-bacterial antibiotics, not only increases the cost and bacterial resistance, while easily causing dysbiosis, leading to secondary infection. 3, the treatment of colds and fevers special drugs – antibiotics? Some moms and dads are used to serving antibiotics as soon as their babies get a cold, and sometimes they don’t even take one, they mix and match them randomly and combine them. In fact, 95% of upper respiratory tract infections in children are viral infections, and many of the lower respiratory tract infections are also viral infections. The use of antibiotics is not only ineffective, but can easily lead to disruption of the normal flora, increasing the occurrence of toxic side effects of drugs and bacterial resistance. If your baby starts with fever, you can first perform an outpatient blood chemistry examination and find that the total white blood cell neutrophil classification is increased and the C-reactive protein is significantly increased. When these indicators support a clear bacterial infection, along with an obvious foci of infection, such as purulent tonsillitis, only then is the application of antibiotics indicated. 4, an antibiotic does not work, to immediately switch to another? The prerequisite for antibiotics to be effective is that the concentration of the drug in the blood, i.e. the blood concentration reaches an effective level. Therefore, although immediate results are not uncommon, it is not realistic to expect that the use of antibiotics will always be able to cure the disease. If the antibiotics are not effective, you should first consider whether the duration of the medication is sufficient. Changing medications early will not only not help the condition, but will also cause bacteria to become resistant to multiple antibiotics. Another common phenomenon is to stop the medication as soon as it works. Antibiotics have a prescribed course of treatment. If you stop taking them as soon as they work, not only will you not be able to cure the disease, but you may have a recurring condition because of the residual bacteria. The actual fact is that you will be able to get a lot more than just a couple of antibiotics. Some parents believe that it is best to use several antibiotics at the same time when the baby is sick, so as to prevent bacteria from escaping the net. In fact, if there is no clear clinical indication for treatment, it is not advisable to combine antibiotics, and for non-professionals, it is even more important not to do so without permission. The unreasonable combination of antibiotics will not only not increase the efficacy, but will lead to more adverse reactions occurring. 6, baby dose is half of the adult dose? The dose of antibiotics cannot simply be considered as half of the adult dose for children. The use of antibiotics must have a limit and range, the dosage of large side effects will increase. Some parents see antibiotics as “poison” and stop or reduce the dosage on their own once the symptoms disappear after the doctor has prescribed the drug for 7 days. If the dosage of antibiotics is too small, it is difficult to reach a certain concentration, and the bacteria in the body are not completely killed, so it is not only easy to relapse, but also more likely to cause drug resistance. On the other hand, insufficient dosage can easily lead to the development of drug resistance. Therefore, when you need to use antibiotics, please follow your doctor’s instructions, the dosage should be accurate and the course of treatment should be sufficient, so as to ensure the maximum effect of antibiotics and your baby can recover more smoothly. 7. Is infusion better than oral antibiotics? Outpatient overuse of intravenous medication In recent years, major hospitals have complained about a significant increase in the number of infusions in outpatient clinics. In pediatrics, the majority of outpatient visits are for children with respiratory infections, and the number of intravenous antibiotic infusions has been increasing year after year; most of these are due to parents requesting antibiotic infusions because they are concerned about “progression” or want to “get better soon”. The result is not only an increase in medical costs, but also a serious increase in drug resistance and the misconception that “no infusion is bad”. In the major children’s hospitals in the emergency outpatient clinic infusion rack, which is not uncommon for patients with colds and fevers. In fact, a cold and fever are not the same thing. A cold can cause a fever, but having a fever may not always be a cold. Usually, colds are caused by viruses, and antibiotics are not effective for viruses, so abusing antibiotics at this time will not only not help the condition, but may also increase the risk of bacterial resistance.