Antibiotics for child?

Question

Can a 7 year old who weighs about 65 pounds take 500mg amoxicillin pills? She has a badly infected finger and I would like to know if I can give her the antibiotics that I already have in case it doesn't get better soon. We have no insurance right this moment so, what do you think.......

Maybe I should have been a little more clear of my intentions before asking my question. I am fully aware that medications have expiration dates. I am also aware that unless you complete a dose of antibiotics, you run the very high risk of not knocking out the infection. I am also aware, though I was surprised no one else brought it up, that if the infection is staff and I were to self treat with antibiotics and then it didn't cure the infection, I could run the risk of my child contracting MRSA. I would never give my child or myself anything like this without first calling a doctor or pharmacist. I was merely curious if a person claiming to be qualified could answer my inquiry as to a child even being able to take this antibiotic in pill form at this mg. And FYI I have no insurance because of the stupidity of my ex husband, but this will be recitfied shortly. My child is seeing a doctor tomorrow morning anyway just in case you wanted to know.

Until then, if anyone with the proper credentials would like to add their input I would love to hear what you think. Specifically, as I always think the worst, if she does have a staph infection, what is the standard treatment for that, or could you describe what it might look like if she had a staph infection?

An odd thing to note, is that myself snd my son both had a sore on our foot that became infected all at the same time (ours is better though) and even more strange is that before anyone had them the kids were both sick with very red swollen tonsils but NO OTHER SYMPTOMS. they just came back from a visit with their father for 2 weeks and that is when i saw the infectious sores and saw that their tonsils are still swollen some but still no other symptoms. However, the day after they returned I became very ill for 2 days with a 100 fever, body aches, stiff neck, and very sore throat. I am feeling better now but throat is still sore. What would cause all this??????????

Answer 1

Children are usually dosed by weight.
You probably won't kill a kid with an overdose of antibiotic, but could cause severe and potentially life threatening diarrhea with some antibiotics.
Here is an important consideration...not all antibiotics kill all organisms, and if you give her the wrong antibiotic, you can make the situation even worse.
Check your community for a free clinic. Remember that ERs are required by law to provide reasonable services free to people who can not afford them. Contact your local or county health department; if they do not have free services, they can point you in the right direction.
Meanwhile, try rinsing the cut with peroxide or mouthwash, then rinsing and drying. Then put Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment on it.

Answer 2

I'm really sorry you don't have insurance.
Is there a free or low-cost health care clinic in your area? A lot of doctors etc. will help out with samples of medications provided by manufacturers, but I would expect those to be newer meds than you're talking about.
But I also believe that what you're suggesting is a bad idea. First of all, why do you already have these antibiotics? If they were prescribed for you previously, you almost certainly should have taken them all.
If you still have them, do you have a complete course? If you (or your child) don't take them for as long as is recommended, you run the risk of not wiping out the infection, but rather just knocking out vulnerable germs and having the infection 'bounce back' worse than before. (There's a lot of suspicion that inappropriate use of antibiotics is one reason we've ended up with so many resistant microbes.)
Are these antibiotics out of date? Have they been stored appropriately?
Second, even if the pills are still fine, they may not be effective against this particular infection. Has your child ever taken amoxicillin before? Do you know how to recognize symptoms of allergy?
There are other low-cost treatments you can try--soaking the finger in saline solution, for example. But as I think you already know, the best option would be to get your daughter to see a healthcare provider.
Good luck, and again, my sympathies about your insurance situation--is it possible your state or county has some overlap coverage you might qualify for?

Answer 3

Amoxicillin is generally a poor choice for skin infections... in the good old days, it probably would've worked well. After many decades of antibiotic use, however, most of the bacteria that cause skin infections have learned to be resistant to it.

See the doctor as you're planning. The correct course of action (antibiotic/which antibiotic versus minor surgery) depends on what a careful in-person examination of the finger reveals.

Answer 4

If you cannot take her into the doctors, or have free clinic in the area for children, please call the pharmacy first. You should not give old prescriptions if the have expired so check the expiration date on the amoxicillin pills. Is she allergic to anything? At least the pharmacist can provide answers that are reliable and will know the appropriate dosing amount.

Answer 5

hospitals have to treat people when they are in danger such as a infection take her to one.......... Or you could risk your kids life by asking stupid questions from people you dont know online. whatever seems like good parenting to you i guess....

Answer 6

You may OD and kill your child .

Take the child to a doctor.