If the baby has a stuffy nose or the baby has caught a cold, parents often use silver protein and argotone to help them breathe better by decongesting the nasal passages. Let's see the difference between these two preparations, what they are used for and their effective effectiveness.
Read also: How to do nasal washes for babies and children
- Proteinated silver and argotone, what are they
- Proteinated silver and argotone, what are the differences?
- Decongestants for colds in children, are they really useful?
Proteinated silver and argotone, what are they
What is argotone
Before saying what it is now, it is necessary to start by saying what argotone was in the past: until a few years ago this substance was a vasoconstrictor, which was also used to treat colds in children, with long-term consequences. on their mucous membranes. Argotone in its original formulation is, to all intents and purposes, a drug based on ephedrine hydrochloride and vitellin silver, with effects decongestants and specifically Sympathomimetics. Then the Del Paesena Medicines Agency (AIFA) decided to ban its use on children: even if argotone has remained the trade name, the vasoconstrictor, in the over-the-counter products currently available on the market, today there is no more. Under the name of Argotone there are bland products, with saline solutions to help the child breathe better immediately and clean the nose.
What is proteinated silver
Proteinated silver is a preparation with silver that is used to disinfect the nose or ears in case of otitis. This preparation is traditionally associated with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, useful for freeing the nose of children in case of a cold: its effective effectiveness, however, has never been confirmed by science. You buy it at the pharmacy and you don't need a prescription to buy it; it is often administered in drops from 6 months of age with a very low concentration, 0,5%. As the child ages, the concentration increases (1% over 4-5 years and 2% over 10). AIFA has never confirmed its validity, favoring the use of frequent nasal washes in children with colds.
Argotone and proteinated silver, what are the differences?
Many drugs currently on the market for colds in children aged 0 to 12 that go by the name of Argotone actually contain silver protein. This is because in its original composition the decongestant effect was given by the vasoconstrictor, but its use on children is forbidden. For this reason, although its effectiveness has not been proven, the anti-inflammatory properties of silver proteinate are exploited to free the upper airways of children.
Decongestants for colds in children, are they really useful?
AIFA stated in a document that the long-term use of decongestants on children that contain derivatives such as ephedrine can have side effects on the health of the little ones, especially when it comes to infants under one year of age. Most of all it is the use of vasoconstrictors present in decongestants to cause inflammation of the mucous membranes, especially in children under 6 months who breathe mainly through the nose. So what to do if the child has a cold? All pediatricians agree that nasal washes with physiological solution or, on the advice of the pediatrician, with hypertonic saline.
TAG:
- cold
- proteinated silver
- care and health of the newborn
