Colic remedies for newborns: list of drugs

Anti-colic medications for newborns are medications that are used to treat colic in infants. The frequency of this problem makes parents often use such medications. But, like all medications, these medications have a number of negative effects and features of use that you need to know about.

What medications are there for colic?

Before you start treating colic, you need to know the cause of its occurrence. It is known that a child is born with an immature digestive system and physiological features of the digestion processes. The intestines of a newborn baby have a more compact structure and are quite long. Therefore, it has a significant number of bends, which allows food to linger in the intestines longer and is one of the factors in increased gas formation. The mucous layer of the small intestine in infants has a significant number of glands, but the muscular layer is underdeveloped. There are two layers of longitudinal muscles in the muscular membrane, and the transverse layer is practically not developed. Therefore, during intestinal peristalsis, a lot of gases are formed that are difficult to remove. Due to the weakness of the muscular layer, an increased amount of gases leads to bloating of the entire tummy of the baby and this causes discomfort. Such increased gas formation is colic. Also, gas formation and bloating are increased by the mother's improper nutrition during breastfeeding. This is one of the most important principles of normal well-being of the child. After all, the products that the mother eats, the child receives with milk four hours later. Due to the unpreparedness of the child's gastrointestinal tract, he cannot perceive all the products, so any extra food already causes discomfort to the child. That is why the best remedy for colic in newborns is proper nutrition of the nursing mother. There are general rules for such nutrition:

1. the mother must exclude all spices from the diet, limiting salt, as well as fried foods;
2. You should not drink whole milk, at least during the first month of the baby’s life;
3. the need for calcium and phosphorus can be met by cottage cheese and kefir, which should not exceed 250 grams per day;
4. Coffee should also be excluded, only green tea without any additives;
5. chocolate and sweet baked goods should also be excluded;
6. The diet should contain sufficient amounts of vegetables and fruits.

Colic begins to bother the baby already in the third week of life and is accompanied by spasmodic pain in the abdomen. Therefore, they manifest themselves in the baby's crying for several hours a day, restless sleep, and excellent health between colic attacks. It is very difficult to calm the baby, so there is a need to use special medical means.

The mechanism of action of most drugs for treatment emerges from the mechanism of colic formation.

It is very difficult to find an effective remedy for colic in newborns, since there are individual characteristics of the child's body, and different drugs act differently on different children. The rating of remedies for colic in newborns is headed by drugs based on simethicone. This is the active ingredient of many drugs for the treatment of colic and is a polymer content that is stabilized by silicon dioxide. The mechanism of action of such a drug is to reduce the surface tension of gas bubbles that form in the child's intestines. Due to this, they burst and reduce painful sensations in the abdomen.

The names of simethicone-based drugs differ only in the manufacturers, but the active substance is the same. These include: Bobotik, Espumisan L, Colikid, Infacol.

Among other drugs used to treat colic, there are known drugs based on herbal extracts containing fennel, dill, and chamomile. These herbs have the property of reducing the severity of gas formation due to their effect on intestinal motility and peristalsis. Such drugs include: Bebinos, Baby Calm, Plantex. Inexpensive remedies for colic in newborns are prepared from herbs at home. To do this, it is better to buy fennel and chamomile herbs at the pharmacy and prepare a weak aqueous solution. You can give the child five drops. But it should be taken into account that the use of such a remedy greatly increases the risk of allergic reactions in the child, since the drug is not clearly dosed. Therefore, parents can use such inexpensive remedies at their own peril and risk.

Features of taking drugs for colic

Indications for the use of anti-colic drugs are confirmation of colic, if there are no other reasons for the child's concern.

The release form of different drugs is slightly different.

Bobotik is a simethicone-based anti-colic remedy. It comes in the form of an emulsion, which is dosed in drops. 1 milliliter of the drug contains 66 milligrams of simethicone, which is equivalent to 25 drops. Therefore, the dosage for a newborn at one time is 16 drops, the method of application is to give with a spoon before feeding or dilute with a mixture.

Espumisan L is available as a solution of 30 and 50 milliliters. 1 milliliter contains 40 milligrams of the active substance. The dose per dose is 25 drops, the method of application is the same.

Infacol is a suspension that is available in 50 and 100 milliliters. 1 milliliter contains 40 milligrams of the active substance. The required dose for one dose is 0.5 milliliters before meals.

SAB Simplex is an American remedy for colic in newborns, which also contains simethicone. The dosage is slightly different - 15 drops per dose before or during feeding.

Kuplaton is a Finnish remedy for colic and bloating in newborns. The active ingredient used here is dimethicone, which is similar in mechanism to simethicone. The dosage of the drug is 4 drops before each feeding.

The pharmacodynamics of all drugs based on simethicone or dimethicone have the same principles. The drugs act only due to physical reactions and do not react with the intestinal wall or blood flow. The drug is a surface-active substance that reduces the tension of gas bubbles and promotes their removal.

Pharmacokinetics. The substances are not absorbed into the systemic bloodstream, therefore they do not have a systemic effect.

Contraindications for use: congenital defects of the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal obstruction.

Side effects may only be in the form of allergic reactions. Overdose of the drug in observations did not reveal any effects. Interaction with other drugs is not observed, since there is no systemic effect. Storage conditions - without direct effects of weather conditions, the term is no more than two years.

As for other herbal preparations, they also have their own release and administration features.

Bebinos is a product that contains fennel, chamomile and coriander extract. The drug works by reducing spasms of intestinal muscle fibers and reducing the amount of gases. The method of application and dosage is 3-5 drops per dose no more than three times a day orally. Side effects may be in the form of allergic reactions, so you need to adhere to the dosage. The shelf life of an open bottle is reduced from three years to one year. Overdose can cause the opposite effect and increase peristalsis and gas formation.

Plantex is a herbal preparation that reduces spasms in the child's intestines and accelerates the removal of gases. The preparation contains fennel extract. The release form is granules, which must be dissolved in warm boiled water before use. The dose of the preparation for newborns is 2-3 sachets per day. Side effects may manifest themselves as an allergic reaction. The granules must be thoroughly dissolved in water, and only then taken.

Speaking about colic and its treatment, the main thing that parents should know is that these are temporary phenomena that disappear without a trace after three months. Colic is not a disease, but a condition in which the child simply needs help to survive it. Therefore, treating colic with medications may be ineffective; the mother's diet and her patience are more important.

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