How Can Severe Cold And Cough In A Child Be Treated?

Posted on Thu, 19 Apr 2018

Question: Hi, my 4 months 4 days baby has cold and cough... one time XXXXXXX rmp doc prescribed novomax drops for this.. I didnt use this till now.. pl suggest wheather novomax is good if not pls suggest any other medication... and pl suggest the usage also ( how much ml , how many times per day and how many days ) that should be given... thanks inadvance.

Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Please mention body weight

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone carefully through the details and understand your concern. Most often such symptoms including croup are due to viral infections. Irrespective of treatment it usually spontaneously resolves in 5-7 days. Such infections are usually associated with an allergic component and giving Atarax drops should help. Cetirizine is an over the counter alternative that can also be given instead. I would need the body weight of the child to comment on the dose.

If your child is otherwise active and playful, I would not be concerned and I would not insist on giving Novomax without a blood test. Novomax is an antibiotic and would help only in a bacterial infection. If the child seems lethargic, it would be a good idea to visit a doctor and to get the child evaluated. If the respiratory rate is greater than or equal to 50 breaths/min you would need to take her to a doctor for the possibility of underlying pneumonia. If the rate is lesser, you need not worry or give antibiotics.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. Diptanshu Das (19 minutes later)

Her weight is 5600 gms and she is active only doc.. and I feel she has little gas also.. kindly let me know atarax drops works both for cold and cough .. and suggest the thing for little gas also... thank you... her weight is ok for her age 4 months 4 days.. thanks inadvance

Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Antibiotic not needed

Detailed Answer:
Pardon me for the delay in responding. The weight gain is good. Since the child is otherwise active I do not think that antibiotics like Novomax are needed. It would be considered required if the respiratory rate is more than 50 per minute (count the number of chest movements in one full minute).

Give Atarax Drops 0.5 ml thrice a day for the next few days.

You need not assume that the child has gas issues. You need to shift to exclusive breast feeding in order to eliminate the gas issues.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad