dumb question, but my 10yo had a bad sore throat and gross yellow discharge from nose. took him to dr. possible sinus infection, but not streph. prescribed amoxyicillan. one dose in am and one in pm.
It's 4:30 now. would you give it to him with a snack, wait 2 hrs till dinner, or wait until bedtime???
I ask because I would want to give it now so he starts feeling better sooner but if it has to be kept at a consistent level I wouldn't want to wake him at 4 or 5 am.
normally I just estimate that it was given at approximately the same times, but the last few times he had had this ( meaning needing antibiotics once last year and once the year before) It seemed like I either ran out of antibiotic (liquid) before the 10 days were up or we just squeaked out enough and he was still a little sick.
So now i'm doubting my understanding of how to give it to him. I must be doing something wrong it he isn't getting completely better for what it's worth I waited about a week to take him to dr and he is really sick in my mommy eyes super run down, face/glands swollen, going thorugh half a box of kleenex a day, coughing when he tries to talk.managing to still play but not at 100%
so the question is when to give it? and how precise in the timing must I be??
I know it sounds dumb because yes I am using the right syringe, filling it to the right line, and only giving it twice a day. and the timing shouldn't affect the amount. He doesn't get sick often but it has been such an ordeal that I wanted to make sure I was doing it right, and I have heard to take 2 doses close together to get started but I've only heard that for adults. Do they suggest that for kiddos?? thanks it's just been a long day and i'm ready to cry and this is what is pushing me over the edge.
I would give it to him now and then give a second dose around 10:00 or 11:00 tonight. I like to get it going ASAP to get them the fastest relief.
There should be enough medicine to last, per how many days you need to give it to him.
Are you sure you are giving him the proper dosage?
Just give it to him, twice a day as prescribed, and try to give it at the same times, everyday.
So, typically for me, I give to my kids, in the morning when they wake up, and at night before bed.
Sometimes with Amoxycillan, it can upset the stomach. You can give it to him with crackers. But don't give it with milk etc., because it may interfere with the effectiveness of the medicine.
The medicine, SHOULD have the directions on it with info.
And anyway, if you give it to him now.... its not like the medicine will make a difference in 5 minutes.
Just give it to him, at a reasonable time frame... so that it is at reasonable times, that you give it to him twice a day. Not waking him up at 4:00am just to give the the other dose.
2 things:
Give the ABX now, & then ____@____.com it says to give with food, a couple of animal crackers would be sufficient for the bedtime dose. Starting tomorrow, give it in the morning & evening, roughly 12 hours apart, but this is not an ABX that requires an exact timing.
Liquid ABX are difficult to administer & still have enough @ the end. For my dogs & rabbits, I have found that I run out about 2-3 doses before "the end", either because my dosing spoon measures high (think the ability of a liquid to form a flat top or a round top on a spoonful), some of the fluid got on the outside of the oral syringe in addition to the measured dose, or some of the medication is stuck to the sides/bottom of the bottle & cannot be extracted.
I have had luck a few times going back to the pharmacy & explaining that I needed just a little bit more to complete the full course of ABX. Other times, I've needed the vet to call in an additional script. I have "wised up" & now ask my doctor to prescribe a few extra doses so that I have enough liquid to give what is required. (for example, they calculate for 16 days, but I only need to give for 14 days)
Pay attention to how much you have as you get close to the end, so that if the pharmacy requires another script to be called in by your doctor, you have a day for that to take place. Luckily, Amoxicillin is an inexpensive drug, & you can get an additional script from Walmart (or similar pharmacies with a generics program) for around $4.
Your doctor may even say that the last couple doses are not critical, if you appear to run out early. And probably they are not, but if your son is not significantly improved by that time, another full course of the ABX may be needed, or a stronger, more focused spectrum drug may need to be prescribed.
Hope your little one feels better soon! T.
You give the first dose tonight, doesn't matter what time it is, and the next dose will be given tomorrow morning and then again in the evening. The key here is to get the antibiotic to a good blood level that will enable it to start killing the infection properly. Usually by the third or fourth dose or by 48 hours, you have achieved this blood level. You then continue to dose the medication on time each day to sustain it. You will see improvement in how your son feels within 2-3 days and certainly by the fourth day the symptoms should be almost gone. You still follow the course of medicine to ensure that the bacteria cannot regroup and cause a super-infection that would now become resistant to the amoxicillin. The most common reasons for antibiotic resistant infection is not finishing up medication and creating a geared up superbug or also treating kids with antibiotics that actually have a viral infection and not a bacterial infection. If you don't see improvement with an antibiotic onboard by day three....time to go back to the pediatrician. The bug may be resistant or might need a stronger medication to kick it. I hope your little guy feels better soon. From what you wrote here, you are doing all you can.
I could tell you what my pharmacist would say but then neither of us are doctors. Give him the dose now, and a second dose tonight to start the 12 hour intervals. I know this is what my pharmacist would say because he always tells me take two right away and then go to the regular dosing. I forgot the reasoning though but it doesn't hurt you. I think something about getting it up to a level where it starts killing stuff.
Wait until tonight. You want it to be every 12 hours as much as possible. A full stomach also helps him not get nauseated.
It will take about 2 days for him to feel better. As hard as it is to see him so sick, it takes for the some time for the antibiotics to kick in.
Good luck and hope he feels better soon!
Give it to him now and then again in the morning then follow however many hours between doses.
You could try having him rinse his nose out with warm saline using a neti pot.
When ever we get a runny nose, the saline seems to help clear the nose for awhile.
We also like Vick's vapor run on the neck and chest if the nose is congested.
Keep him hydrated - soup, tea, what ever feels good on this throat.
If it helps, have him take a steamy shower several times a day to help clear up his sinuses.
He'll get over it eventually but some of the bugs going around right now like to linger.
You don't have to be super precise, however you want it to be as evenly spaced out as you can to keep a fairly constant level of medication in his system. You can do breakfast and dinner if it upsets his tummy, or breakfast and bedtime. For the first dose I would do with dinner to get it started, then get on whichever schedule works best. Just be sure to give it as ordered until it is gone! Hoping for a quick healing!
ask your pharmacist several things. Ask about the timing of the drug dose and whether he needs to take it with meals. Are you dosing with a regular spoon or using the measuring spoon that the pharmacy provides. Are you filling the med to the correct line --it probably has markings for teaspoons and for grams??? Is the doctor writing a prescription with enough medication to last for 10 days (20 doses)??? Perhaps the dose is tied into weight and the doctor has not recalculated the amount of drug that is needed to last the 10 days. The timing of the drug dose and the preciseness of the dose does vary on the drug and the condition of the patient. Hope your son gets better soon!
When my kids get sick I give them a dose as soon as we get it and then do breakfast and dinner (provided it isn't within 90 minutes of each other) since our meals are both about the same time every day. I hope he feels better soon.
Start now and then get on a regular schedule tomorrow. If u run out of medicine early you either didn't get enough when u picked the rx up or you are giving it incorrectly. Call your pharmacist when this happens. If your child is still sick at the end the treatment call your doctor. He will either extend your treatment or prescribe another medication.
The timing doesn't need to be precise. But amoxicillin may not be antibiotic your child needs if he is still sick at the end of it. It's NOT your fault. Different germs require different antibiotics. Amoxicillin is not one of the strongest.
