How many Antibiotics is TOO much? - Children's Health Message Board

my4sons · 05-28-2003, 10:02 AM

It seems my 3 children have been on a course of anti-biotics at least 5 or 6 times this past winter-spring. IS THIS NORMAL(for other children) when one of them reaches school age and is passing it on to the others? I am wondering if my kids have a bad immune system or something. It seems every time one of them gets a fever, it evolves into something bad (croup, enlarged lymph nodes, strep, etc) if I don't get them antibiotics. Just want to hear from other mothers how much their kids use antibiotics over the winter - spring months & if their Doctor has ever become concerned that they are on them too much. I worry about this.....About them someday becoming resistant due to SOO much use.

Sarah68 · 05-29-2003, 03:16 AM

Unfortunately, antibiotic use is a viscious circle. They get sick and have a course and then the antibiotics in themselves can leave you with a decreased immunity and due to this decreased immunity due to the antibiotics, they then pick something else up that then requires antibiotics and so it goes on. 5 to 6 courses during the winter is a lot and the more you take the more resistant you will become to them.

My whole family uses the natural alternatives and homeopathic remedies for these ailments work just as well as antibiotics can. BELLADONNA is a good homeopathic alternative for a strep throat and something such as DROSCERA is a good cough remedy for croupy type coughs. Also, there is no real need to take antibiotics for croup, as you can relieve a lot of the symptoms of this by taking your child into the bathroom with the taps running to create steam. It is the moisture that they need and this can really help.

I use the homeopathic alternatives all the time and all my family seem to have really great immunity and hardly ever get sick at all. If they do, they either throw it off naturally themselves in a few days, or if it gets really troublesome, the correct homeopathic remedy will then sort the problem out in a matter of 24-48 hours.

Anyway, hope this helps and this is what I have been using for a long time with really great success?

Good luck

mlgable · 05-29-2003, 06:37 AM

Yes it does seem like you kids immune system is weak. I would consider changing their multivitamin to something different and well as adding a good antioxidant supplement to this routine. I am surprised if the doc is passing out antibiotics that freely as they only work on bacterial things and not viral things. Your best bet though is to get their immune system back in shape and you may be wise to check into the all natural remedies for things like Sarah suggested.

amphigory · 05-29-2003, 07:54 AM

In addition to the alternative therapies suggested by Sarah (if you're comfortable with them), I'd suggest getting a different doctor if that's a possibility for you. This sort of indiscriminate prescribing of antibiotics seems to be pretty rough on your children, and I would think it would disturb their normal bacteria flora (which renders them more susceptible to reinfection). Good luck.

my4sons · 05-29-2003, 03:26 PM

I don't think my Doctor is giving them to me indiscriminately at all. I mean, my youngest ended up in the hospital for Croup for one night, the steam route, bathroom, cool air I am familiar with and this DID NOT work. (It did with an older child years ago, but my youngest was having a hard time breathing- very noisy lasting an entire day, he had "strider".) My Doctor doesn't give me these quickly, I always try to wait it out a few days and see if things will clear up, I don't run them to the Doctor the 1st or 2nd day at all, I usually WAIT until I feel something is wrong before I even take them to the Doc.... one cold ended up with my 6 yr old having enlarged lymph nodes where he then had to have his blood tested to rule out something more serious, again, antibiotics worked within days, the lymph node was down. Then my 5 yr old got a cold, and he ended up Snoring real loud at night, never did get a fever, but I was concerned as he had "Sleep Apnea", then I was told to go to a specialist thinking he would get his tonsils out, and again, was perscribed antibiotics and within 2 days the snoring was Gone, and his tonsils back to normal size, here he had Strep throat. So I believe my children DO need these, it's just that why is every virus turning into a bacterial problem? Is this common when you live in a cold state? I am from PA, I have been talking to some friends, and they are describing the same kind of thing with their kids and also a nurse the other day. So maybe I am not so alone after all. I know when summer gets here, this will stop, thank God.