'Precautionary' antibiotics - to take or not?

[littlefrog]

DS, 18 months, has had quite a rattly cough for a while, and when he talks/babbles it sounds sometimes as if he's losing his voice.
DH took him to the dr today, who said that he has a viral infection of some kind, but that these things can turn bacterial, so here are some antibiotics.
I'm not happy about giving antibiotics to little children unless they're necessary, and I wondering whether they really are in this case? What do you think? Should I just give him them, or wait and see if he gets better? He seems mostly fine in himself - no temperature, not even much of a runny nose.

Strange of your doc.
If there is no temperature, I wouldn't use them.
Anyway, if he doesn't have a bacterial infection yet they won't prevent one, because there is no bacteria to kill, iykwim?

wait and see

viruses will not respond to antibiotics, which if given may upset his tum, then you have two problems!

if he is not much better in 3-4 days, or his symptoms worsen, then consider giving them

some docs give prophylactic Antibiotics if there are underlying probs with immunity or known chronic illness, such as cystic fibrosis, but if this is not the case, they should not be necessary

thanks. will follow your advice, which also follows my gut instinct - avoid medicine if possible!

Use home remedies first, my fav is made with honey & onion (chopped up onion + little chooped up garlic soaked up in 1/4 small jar of honey), then serve liquid on a teaspoon, if you manage to avoid a/bs then the immune system will become stronger long term

no way. cut down on dairy for a bit

Nothing really works for a cough; including antibiotics. I'm really sorry. Coughs are horrible.

We're constantly in this dilemma with dd2, but she has an underlying condition which means her airways are narrower to start with - so GPs don't like taking risks with her and ABs are prescribed sooner rather than later. I usually wait and see if she gets worse after being the same for a while...if she starts a temp, or seems iller, or is breathing badly at night, I give them.

Otherwise, I would wait, especially if he seems well in himself

thanks everyone. Haven't filled the prescription as although he's still coughing he doesn't seem 'unwell', really - or at least no worse than you'd expect if you had a cold. And he's sleeping fine (better than usual, actually).

What is the rationale for cutting down on dairy kalo12? I've heard this before, but can't see why it's a good idea (he's still breastfed, but I'm pregnant, so he's having cows milk too)

because dairy ane wheat are mucus forming, try using small quanities of Goats milk. We swapped over a number of years ago because of mucus in both me and DS1. I had sinus problems for years and they went in a week when I changed over, it takes a little time to adjust to the taste but once you do its fine, and if you do swap over and then later taste cows milk it tastes like slime.

Hi Littlefrog, just a word of warning too about the anti-biotics. My ds1 was rattly until he was 3 and then he grew out of it but the doctor kept prescribing antibiotics. When his back molars came in they are brown and the dentist said it was because he had antibiotics. Apparently they can affect their baby teeth, and sometimes their adult teeth too.

My ds2 is rattly too but I have avoided the antibiotics or specifically asked for ones that won't affect his teeth.

I would urge caution unless he gets worse.

mum to c and l:
thanks for the warning. I had to take a v long course of antibiotics, and was specifically warned that I MUST NOT get pg while taking them as they could cause teeth discolouration and even worse bone softening in an unborn baby - does make you wonder when they then prescribe things for littlies, doesn't it...

Now you have me worried Littlefrog. Bone softening? Hadn't heard of that one and I took about three courses of a/b when I was pregnant with DS2.

I shall go away and Google it at once (and probably frighten myself even more) esp. as my LO keeps complaining about pains in his leg.

I still haven't given them, and he seems much better - many thanks for the resounding advice to wait!

Mumtocandl: I'm sure you don't have to worry. I was on super-long-term doxycycline (malaria prophylactic), and I'm sure you wouldn't have been prescribed that in pregnancy! And the bone-softening thing was said to be v v serious, meaning that instead of having bone the child could have cartilege... And to think that I took that drug for 18 months...