How often a child of 3 to 5 years can be given ANTIBIOTICS medecines. What are side effects if given too often

Question

Hi everybody - Good Day to all.
I have a daughter who since her birth have problem of throat infection when ever she takes some cold things. Now since two years she has been effected too much and ever month or two she has this problem and each time we take her to child specialist, the doctor gives her ANTIBIOTICS. With the caught syrup or other medicine it does not work.
In last two years she may have taken ANTIBIOTICS minimum 10 to 15 times or even more.

Now she has some skin infection like white patches on her face and neck. We are showing some skin specialist to her for this problem.

Can somebody tell me isn't it too much for a child of less than five years to give ANTIBIOTICS ever 2 to 3 months?
And is the skin infection due to the ANTIBIOTICS or it can be other problem?
Is there any permanent solution for the throat infection problem for the child. She will be five years on 27th December 2006.

I will be very grateful for all of your answers and thank you in advance

Answer 1

i would tak eher to another doctor - that does sound like too much antibiotics to me.

also make sure you SANITIZE everything around her and that she may touch or put in her mouth. She could be getting contaminated by the same thing over and over. get her a new toothbrush. make sure your family (including her) WASH, WASH, WASH your hands (biggest cause of illness is not washing hands)

Answer 2

I am a nurse and the first answer to your question is yes, a child can take antibiotics too much. The problem with antibiotics is that if prescribed too often the child grows more resistant to the drugs and requires a stronger antibiotic each time she is sick. If the problem is with the throat, the doctor should have already suggested that you see a throat specialist and possibly have the child's tonsils taken out. The patches on the skin could definitely be a side effect of the antibiotic use. I would seek a second opinion and would change to a pediatrician who is a little more interested in trying other options with a sick child, not just throwing an antibiotic at the problem every time the child is sick. Good luck and hope she is well soon.

Answer 3

Too many antibiotics can cause resistant infectaions and fungal infections, such as oral thrush. Children of this age get fever after every every month or two. This is due to viral infection and does not need antibiotics.She will grow out of this at about 5 years age, when her immunity develops. Sometimes doctors prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily because they think that parents expect it, and they do not want to lose the patient to another doctor. If she has a runny nose or runny eyes along with cough, it is definitely viral. Cold things do not cause this, as commonly believed. I would recommend changing your pediatrician (child specialist). The white patches have to be seen to be diagnosed properly, but they are probably pityriasis alba. This is cured with steroidal ointment and is not a side effect of antibiotics. I am a pediatrician.