Antibiotics good or bad?

[Sadeyedladyofthelowlands]

I'm currently in a situation where dd, 8months,has an ear, chest & throat infection and is on antibiotics which has then caused diorrea and sickness for which I am giving dioralite to prevent dehydration and I can't help wondering if we'd just be better off just letting her own immune system sort it all out with out intervention.

Are antibiotics a good idea for babies?

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I think the antibiotics to clear up the chest infection are important. The earinfection would probebly go away by itself but I have had chest infections and have ended up in hospital because I havn't got treatment fast enough. How long has she been on them?

she might need diff anti-biotics but if she has all those infections she does need a course of anti-bs.

Ear infections might well clear themselves up, possibly after an abcess bursts her ear drum after a night of complete agony.
That is what happened to my DS at around that age, so I would carry on with the antibiotics until you have consulted your gp about an alternative.
It's important not just to stop anti-biotics half way through a course because that causes bacteria which are immune to anti-biotics.
I do hope she recovers v quickly.

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Have already changed anti-b once from Distaclor to Clonamox. Distaclor caused vomiting, Clonamox is what we are still using and has caused diarrea.

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Agree with Mosschops. And if you can get to a health-food shop, get some ABCdophilus powder - 'friendly' digestive bacteria for babies. Antibiotics kill good, as well as bad, bacteria. Suitable 'good' bacteria will help her tummy get better while the right antibiotics will sort out ear, chest and throat.

Hope she gets better soon poor little love.

PS the yoghurt drinks they sell with 'good' bacteria aren't suitable for babies, you need ABCdophilus.

Antibiotics do have their time and place. Even if people overused them in the past, it doesn't mean it's a good idea to abandon their use entirely - after all, a lot of people used to die an untimely death before ab's were discovered.

A chest infection definitely needs aggressive treatment, particularly in an infant.

I'd ask for a different one.

Hope she feels better soon! DD1 just recently recovered from a chest infection and had antibiotic treatment.

Any probiotic will do, get any brand from the Health Food shop (they also do special baby ones, but the adult ones are harmless, just give her half the dose) and carry on with them even after you've stopped the abs, they help her system get back on track.

personally i'd stick to the antibiotics. my dd's last chest infection was just before christmas. she was put in hospital through dehydrating (wouldn't even keep dioralite down) and it took three lots of adult doses of antibiotics to clear it up. she's 20 months. the reason they give her high doses though is because of she has a very complex cardiac condition but it's better to stick with them. she went very loose and got really bad nappy rash from the antibiotics, the doctor gave us a barrier spray which helped with this and we also put sudocreem on.

have they tried her on amoxycillin, its usually more tolerable and is a broad spectrum anti-biotic which is usually used to treat respiritary tract and ear infections.

No, haven't tried that. Today is dd's last day on anti-ds, I've just ridden the storm and hoped for the best. She's masses better, still got her cold and her chest is still a bit rattley but ear and throat seem better thank god. Diorrea has gone and she's not vomited for a few days.
Now I've got to break her dependance on me to sleep and get her out of my bed and back into her cot!