Constipation is a problem that has no age. Difficulty with bowel movements is experienced by both children and adults. But if older people and even babies after three or four years can be helped to cope with constipation with the help of various medications or a special diet, then with babies the situation is much more complicated. The list of funds allowed for use by newborns and children up to a year is very limited, but this does not mean that crumbs cannot be helped. There are quality and safe medicines that can be used from a very young age. More often than other medicines, pediatricians prescribe Dufalac for infants. What this medicine is and how safe it is, you will learn from the article.
A mild tool for solving scrupulous tasks
Constipation in newborns is not uncommon. Most often they occur in those children who are on artificial feeding due to insufficient production of enzymes by the pancreas. In children of the first years of life, this organ is still immature and does not function as it does in adults. The second common cause of difficulty in defecation in infants is poor intestinal motility and their elementary inability to poop. Therefore, parents should do everything to facilitate this process - if necessary, supplement them with water, prevent multi-day constipation, and establish normal gastrointestinal microflora.
Treating constipation is a difficult task even for a qualified doctor. It is he who must find out the cause of this problem in the child and decide how to deal with it. If there are no contraindications for the use of laxatives, then the best solution would be drugs based on lactulose, one of which is Dufalac. For babies, this is almost an ideal remedy. It has a mild effect on the body and is not addictive. Nevertheless, before giving it to a child, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the instructions for use and possible side effects.
Syrup action
Constipation is the condition of the body in which difficult or insufficient bowel movements occur. There may be many reasons for this, but the most common is the hardening of feces in the intestine and its delayed peristalsis. Because of this, going to the toilet "for the most part" becomes a real problem, both for adults and for babies. Dufalac is a syrup based on lactulose, a synthetic substance that is a prebiotic and a gentle laxative. This is its main difference from other medicines for constipation.
Lactulose is not absorbed by the walls of the intestine, increasing the osmotic pressure in it. As a result, in the departments of the digestive organs, where the accumulation of chyme occurs, it retains fluid that dilutes the feces and increases their volume. Further, they irritate the intestinal wall, which accelerates the process of defecation.
In addition, lactulose increases acidity in the digestive tract, thereby creating a favorable environment for the development of “beneficial” microflora. Pathogenic microorganisms, in contrast, die under such conditions. This in turn helps to eliminate the processes of decay in the colon.
Contraindications
Despite the relative safety, Duphalac syrup can not always be given to infants. There are a number of reasons that are a contraindication for taking this drug:
- galactosemia;
- individual intolerance to lactulose or other substances that are part of the drug;
- lactose intolerance;
- diabetes;
- hepatic encephalopathy;
- intestinal obstruction;
- inflammation of appendicitis.
The last two points require special attention. In the case of acute intestinal obstruction or the appearance of obvious symptoms of inflammation of the appendix, the child must be urgently taken to the hospital. It is strictly forbidden to give laxatives to the baby!
Can this drug be given to children? From what age?
Is Dufalac approved for infants? Instructions for use do not prohibit giving it to children, but not from birth, but only from six weeks of age. That is, when the baby is one and a half months old, he can be treated with constipation or dysbiosis using lactulose-based syrup. As we have said, this substance is safe for children, because it is a synthetic substitute for lactose, which is present in large quantities in dairy products. However, some babies are intolerant of this carbohydrate of the saccharide group, and before starting treatment with Dufalac, it is worth consulting a pediatrician.
"Dufalac" for babies. Instructions for use
A syrup can be given in its pure form, but sometimes it is diluted with water, for example, if it is difficult for a child to swallow a slightly viscous substance. Treatment with this drug gives a positive result after a while, at one time it does not provoke bowel movements, since it does not irritate the muscles of the intestines, but gently softens its contents. This usually occurs on day 3-4, but if bowel movements have not occurred, you should consult a doctor.
In order to establish the process of bowel movement in a child, one should know how to give Duphalac to an infant. The manufacturer does not give strict instructions on this subject, but doctors recommend taking the medicine in the morning before eating. If the daily dose of the drug needs to be divided in two, then it is drunk in the morning and in the evening, but always at the same time. During the treatment of the patient, it is important to observe the correct drinking regimen. The amount of fluid you drink must be increased slightly so as not to provoke a congestion in the intestines.
Dosage, duration of treatment
So, readers already know how to give Dufalac babies. How much it needs for children of different ages, find out in this section. For babies up to a year, which apply to infants, a lot of syrup is not needed. The maximum daily norm for patients in this age category is 5 ml. Children up to seven years old can use no more than 10 ml, and for schoolchildren 7-14 years old - up to 10-15 ml. However, this is the maximum dosage, for a start it is better to halve it. If 2.5-3 ml of syrup per day does not help the baby cope with constipation, then it will be necessary to increase its amount to 5 milliliters.
The first course of treatment lasts for 7-10 days, during which time the work of the intestine should normalize. To fix the therapeutic effect of the drug, it will have to be given for at least one month, in some cases it will take four months.
Side effects and their elimination
At the first opportunity, any medicine should be discarded. This also applies to Duphalac syrup, despite the fact that it is not addictive, and generally has a beneficial effect on the body, it can also have side effects:
- violation of the bowel movement reflex (rarely);
- flatulence (very often);
- nausea, vomiting (rarely);
- diarrhea (often).
If a child has all or some of these disorders, it is necessary to cancel the use of Dufalac and consult a doctor about the advisability of further treatment with this drug. Manifestations of a side effect are removed symptomatically. It is worth noting that increased gas formation is not a reason for refusing lactulose-based drugs. Usually flatulence goes away on its own after a few days, and in order to prevent discomfort in the abdomen in a child, he is prescribed drugs with simethicone in parallel with Duphalac (Infacol, Espumisan, Espicol, Bobotik, etc. )
How to cancel Dufalac?
Dufalac is safe for infants because it is almost completely metabolized in their body, and lactulose derivatives are eliminated very quickly. Mostly with feces - more than 90% and only 8% with urine. This medicine is allowed to be taken for several months or even years, but a sharp rejection of it can provoke new constipation in the child. To prevent this from happening, you need to gradually reduce its dosage. This will help the body to establish independent work of the intestine.
Syrup Reviews
Lactulose-based drugs, one of which is the remedy described by us, has been used in pediatric practice for more than fifty years, so it is not surprising that over the years a huge number of parents around the world expressed their feedback about them. “Duphalac” for infants by moms and dads is usually characterized well, and most of them note that it is an effective medicine that helps with constipation. But among the positive reviews there are also negative opinions.
Sometimes stool normalization in children does not occur, and in some babies there is an allergic reaction to additional components of the syrup. In such cases, it is necessary to refuse to use it. Most often, there is no effect from treatment, because parents do not know how long and how long to give Dufalac to infants. Parents expect him to have an immediate result, one that produces laxatives that irritate the intestinal mucosa, which is basically wrong, because these drugs have completely different mechanisms of influence on the body.
Analogs of Dufalac
This medicine is not scarce, it can be purchased at almost any pharmacy and in many countries it has the same brand name. Nevertheless, Dufalac has analogues - the same syrups based on lactulose. Among the most common are Italian “Normase”, Belarusian “Lactulose”, Russian “Prelax” and “Lactusan”, Croatian “Portalac”. Along with these drugs is Export, a laxative that is made not based on lactulose, but from lactitol, an alcohol extracted from lactose. It can be used by babies from only one year old. You can also pay attention to the drug "Dinolak". It is also allowed for babies from one and a half months of age. It differs from analogues by the presence of simethicone in its composition.