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Giving antibiotics to children is not advisable
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Scientists from Canadian, Belgian and Israeli universities have described the most common long-term effects that can occur in people who took antibiotics in childhood. Information on this matter was published by employees of the Canadian McMaster University in the periodical Nature Communication.
Taking antibiotics in childhood can over time negatively affect the state of the intestinal microflora, as well as the quality of neurochemical processes in some areas of the brain responsible for the functionality of the immune defense. Long-term antibiotic therapy, as well as taking drugs with a wide range of antibacterial activity, can cause deterioration in social adaptation and weakness of the nervous system in many people, which is manifested by increased anxiety and irritability.
Similar information was obtained by scientists based on studies conducted on rodents.
Antibiotics, in particular penicillin, were given to several categories of rodents by scientists. These were pregnant female mice, newborn baby mice, and rodents aged 3-6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the specialists tracked the dynamics of subsequent changes that occurred with the experimental animals over several years. A comparative analysis of such changes was also conducted, taking into account the indicators of mice that were not exposed to antibiotic therapy.
The authors of the study expressed confidence that the information they obtained was reliable and could be applied to the human body.
Of course, the use of antibiotics in childhood is a very controversial issue. Some doctors prescribe antibiotics "just in case" - and this is, of course, wrong. However, there are many cases when antibiotics can save a child's life - in such a situation, taking such drugs is really more than justified. Although the risk of developing side effects from antibacterial drugs is always high: this is dysbacteriosis, digestive disorders, allergic processes. Also, we should not forget about the danger of "addiction" of pathogenic microorganisms to the effects of antibiotics: if the treatment is carried out incorrectly, there is a high probability that the next time the body gets sick, it will simply "refuse" to resist the infection on its own, and instead will demand stronger antibiotics.
Specialists are especially concerned about the prescription of antibiotics to children aged 0 to 3 years. The immunity of such children is just beginning to form, and their body is just learning to cope with an infectious attack on its own.
In the future, it is planned to continue such studies. In particular, scientists are interested in conducting experiments that will provide information on the effect of combined use of antibiotics and probiotics - for example, lactobacilli. Perhaps such a combination will be able to smooth out the negative effect of antibiotic therapy.
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