Phenibut for children

Phenibut for children

29.09.2019 19:52

Author: Neurologist Mikhail Viktorovich Teleshov

The drug Phenibut is often prescribed to children by pediatric neurologists to eliminate neurological and mental disorders, sleep disorders, and hyperactivity. However, many parents are afraid to give their child such medicine. So is this remedy suitable for treating children? Is it safe for the body? We will talk about this in more detail in this article.

Phenibut from SNS Smart Powders can be purchased without a prescription in sports nutrition stores. The drug is a dietary supplement and is available in dosages of 300 and 500 mg.

Fig 1 - Phenibut SNS Smart Powders

When is Phenibut prescribed for children?

The medicine has a wide range of uses. Children over 2 years of age are treated with the drug for:

• neuroses;
• stuttering and nervous tics;
• psychopathy;
• convulsions;
• fears, anxieties;
• obsessive states;
• increased fatigue;
• incontinence or, conversely, urinary retention;
• extreme mood instability;
• chronic fatigue syndrome;
• sleep disorders;
• mental or nervous weakness with dizziness.

The medicine is successfully used as a prophylactic agent in possible stressful situations, for example, before operations .

Children's suprastin. How to give the drug to children at different ages. What can replace it?

How to teach a small child to crawl - in this article →

Hip dysplasia in young children.

Phenibut is also used as a prophylaxis against a tendency to motion sickness .

What it is?

Phenibut is a nootropic drug designed to improve the functional state of the brain. It is taken as a psychostimulant and antioxidant.

The drug is a round tablet with a yellowish or white tint. One capsule contains 250 milligrams of the active substance - aminophenylbutyric acid, also known as phenibut hydrochloride. In addition to the main component, there are also auxiliary enzymes:

• Calcium stearate;
• Lactose;
• Potato starch.

The tablets can be divided - there is a special mark. The dose of medication taken depends on the age of the child. There are two age categories: from three to eight years old and from eight to fourteen years old. Thus, a child at 4 years old and at 7 years old receives the same dose of medicine.

Phenibut for children is sold in packs of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 100 pieces. It is recommended to select packaging based on the duration of treatment. Note! In our pharmacy the price of Phenibut starts from 1090 rubles.

Brief characteristics of the medicine

Phenibut is a synthetic drug that is gamma-amino-beta-phenylbutyric acid hydrochloride. The drug is available in tablets containing 250 mg of the main substance each. There are packages of tablets of 50, 20 and 10 pieces. Phenibut is used by pediatricians as an effective antioxidant, psychostimulant and tranquilizer.

Thanks to its chemical formula, the drug:

• Relieves nervous tension
• Stimulates cerebral circulation
• Improves the overall condition of the child’s brain
• Has a relaxing effect on vascular walls
• Normalizes sleep
• Relieves fears and worries
• Provides anticonvulsant effect

Phenibut facilitates the transmission of impulses to the central nervous system, normalizes metabolism in tissues, improves blood circulation in the brain, and relieves spasms in the eye muscles, especially with nystagmus.

In the gastrointestinal tract, the drug enters the blood and is distributed throughout the body systems. Passing through the liver, Phenibut is broken down. It is excreted in the urine in the form of metabolic products.

Action

Phenibut increases brain activity as well as mental performance. After taking the drug, children’s feelings of anxiety and fear disappear, memory improves, and concentration increases. Pediatricians often note the fact that children’s speech defects, stuttering, and tics disappear. Among other things, Phenibut for children has a hypnotic property, due to which the child’s sleep is normalized, nightmares and insomnia disappear.

Generally speaking, after taking a course of Phenibut, children experience:

• Relief from nervous tension.
• Normalization and improvement of sleep.
• Getting rid of panic attacks, feelings of restlessness and anxiety.
• Increasing blood flow speed.
• Decreased vascular tone of the brain.
• Improved blood circulation.
• Relief from cramps.
• Normalization of tissue metabolism.
• Elimination of speech defects, including stuttering.
• Elimination of problems with urination.

At what age is it allowed to take it?

Phenibut is prescribed to children from 3 years of age, but in exceptional cases, therapy with this drug is also prescribed to two-year-old children. It is worth noting that, according to some pediatricians, phenibut is suitable for calming and treating hyperactivity even in newborns, since it does not have a harmful effect on the body of infants. But, on the other hand, it is a nootropic drug contained in tranquilizers.

What is it prescribed for?

Phenibut for children is used to treat children aged 2 years, 3 years or 5 years in the following cases:

• neurotic conditions;
• DSVG;
• stuttering;
• logoneurosis;
• panic attacks;
• convulsions;
• ZRR;
• feeling of anxiety;
• sleep disorders;
• hyperactivity;
• psychopathy;
• enuresis (urinary incontinence) and urinary retention;
• increased fatigue, as well as chronic fatigue syndrome;
• obsessive states;
• motion sickness on the road;
• nervous tics;
• autism.

Indications

Justified indications for prescribing Phenibut to children (based on reviews from neurologists) are increased nervous excitability with:

• Convulsive syndrome;
• Nervous tics;
• Zikania;
• Cerebral palsy in combination with sedatives;
• Disorders of urination (retention, or, conversely, urinary incontinence).

Also, in complex therapy, Phenibut improves the condition of patients with labyrinthine (Meniere's disease) and dysfunctional vestibular vertigo.

To a lesser extent, the drug is indicated for psycho-neurological pathology, which must be treated by normalizing the atmosphere in the family and children's institution:

• Fatigue and chronic fatigue;
• Unexplained fears and anxiety;
• Sleep disorders (insomnia, drowsiness);
• Mood swings.

The exceptions are the listed psycho-neurological symptoms inherent in autism in children. The drug is prescribed for a form of autism that is manifested by increased nervous excitability.

Occasionally, only when absolutely necessary, the drug is used when children are prone to motion sickness in transport or with a mild form of seasickness.

Important! Phenibut, like any other nootropic, normalizes blood flow in the brain and improves metabolism in brain tissue, thereby increasing mental and physical activity, strengthening memory and sharpening attention. But it is not used for these purposes in children.

Instructions for use

According to the instructions, Phenibut is taken in a course lasting two to three weeks. However, sometimes therapy can last up to six weeks. In some cases, re-treatment is carried out after a break of two to four weeks. Please note that if you take the drug for a long time, you must undergo a general and biochemical blood test weekly. This is necessary to prevent eosinophilia.

How to give correctly?

Directions for use: orally after meals with a small amount of water. It is not recommended to crush or chew the tablet.

When treating children, Phenibut should be started immediately in full dosage - that is, there is no need to gradually increase the dose of the medication taken. However, you should not stop taking it suddenly, as discomfort may occur and the previous symptoms may return.

How to stop Phenibut for a child? It is necessary to reduce the given doses daily, combining the drug with sedatives.

Dosage

Children from two to 8 years old need to take 125 mg of the drug once or twice a day. From 9 years to 14 years, a child should take 250 mg of Phenibut three times a day. After fourteen years, a teenager takes an “adult” dose - 250-500 mg three times a day. The maximum dose for a single dose is 750 mg.

For motion sickness on the road, the medication is taken in the required dosage once 20-30 minutes before the start of the trip. Please note that Phenibut for children will not be effective if the baby is already experiencing nausea or vomiting.

The dosage of the drug must be strictly observed. An overdose of a drug is fraught with:

• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Drowsiness.
• Decreased blood pressure.
• Fatty liver degeneration.
• Eosinophilia.
• Impaired kidney function.

In case of overdose of the drug, it is necessary to perform gastric lavage with activated carbon. In the future, symptomatic therapy is needed to help maintain normal functioning and restore internal organs.

Storage conditions

The drug must be stored in a dry place, protected from direct sunlight, out of reach of children and pets. Recommended storage temperature is up to 25 degrees Celsius.

Dosage of the drug, rules of administration, interactions with other drugs

Children's dosage ranges from 20 to 250 mg per day.

Based on the child’s condition, only the doctor determines the one-time dose of medication!

Most often, children from two to eight years old are prescribed half a Phenibut tablet at each dose. For children from 8 to 14 years of age, the maximum permissible single dosage is one whole tablet. The medicine is taken two or three times a day.

To prevent motion sickness, the drug is usually taken an hour before the start of the trip or immediately when the first signs of motion sickness appear.

Take Phenibut orally through the mouth with a glass of water. The time of reception may not be tied to meals. After the initial two or three week course of treatment, a break is required. A repeated course is carried out by a doctor only if there is a reasoned need.

During long-term treatment with the drug, you should periodically have your blood tested to monitor its chemical composition!

Treatment with Phenibut against the background of sleeping pills, painkillers and narcotics enhances the effect of the latter. If neuroleptics, as well as antiepileptic and antipsychotic drugs are taken in parallel with Phenibut, they begin to act more intensely.

Contraindications

Taking Phenibut is contraindicated in the following cases:

• Under two years of age.
• For erosive intestinal lesions.
• Hypersensitivity to the drug.
• Individual intolerance or allergy.
• For stomach ulcers.
• If the child has kidney disease, including renal failure.
• For liver diseases.

Also, Phenibut for children is not recommended to be combined with sleeping pills, antiepileptic and antipsychotic substances, as it enhances and prolongs their effect. When using Phenibut with the above drugs, the dose of both drugs should be reduced.

Side effects

Like any other medicine, Phenibut has its side effects. These include:

• Headache.
• Nausea.
• Dizziness.
• Irritability.
• Vomit.
• Drowsiness.

If children develop allergies (skin rash, itching, etc.) while taking Phenibut, they should immediately stop taking the medication.

Contraindications and side effects

The drug has low toxicity, so the list of contraindications is very short. It is unacceptable to use it if you are intolerant to one or more components of the drug, as well as acute renal failure.

Patients with pathologies of the digestive tract should be treated with caution. Typically, these children are prescribed a lower dosage. If long-term treatment is necessary, it is important to monitor the morphological composition of the blood, as well as liver parameters.

Phenibut may cause the following side effects in children:

• Neurological symptoms: drowsiness (manifests at the very beginning of therapy), headache and dizziness.
• Gastrointestinal tract: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea.
• Hepatobiliary system: toxic effects on the liver (with long-term treatment with high doses).
• Immune system: allergic reactions from the skin (urticaria, rash, itching, redness of the skin).
• From the mental side: sleep disturbances, mental lability.

If any side effects occur, you must immediately stop therapy, take a sorbent, such as Polysorb, approved for children, and consult a doctor.

Reviews

Feedback from parents after using Phenibut is mostly positive. Some note that after treatment the child became less irritable, hyperactivity and excitability disappeared. Others note that Phenibut normalized sleep in children and eliminated nightmares. Let's look at some reviews from parents below.

Veronica August 21, 2021

“My son is 6 years old. From birth he was a difficult child, restless. It was simply impossible to get him to sit down! No matter what doctors we went to, they all prescribed us only glycine and herbal decoctions. Things got more complicated when my son went to school. I thought that in the company of other children he would become calmer and more reserved, but I was wrong. Conflicts with classmates began on the second day of school. Then I took my son to a neurologist. We were prescribed Phenibut.

At first I was scared, because this is a powerful drug! But the doctor reassured me and explained that it is absolutely harmless to the child. At first it was difficult, side effects made themselves felt: nausea, dizziness, headache. However, after just a week of taking it, I noticed results! The child became calmer, conflicts at school and within the family disappeared. According to my son, his nightmares even disappeared after Phenibut.”

Anna November 16, 2021

“I have two children - 7 months and 10 years old. A month after the birth of the youngest, the eldest daughter began to complain of lack of sleep and nightmares. At first, I thought that the baby was not letting her sleep, waking her up at night. But even when the youngest slept peacefully, the daughter complained of being unwell. After this, constant fatigue was added, which developed into chronic fatigue. Afterwards she began to complain of feelings of anxiety and restlessness.

I took my daughter to the pediatrician, from where we were redirected to a neurologist. After listening to us, the doctor gave a prescription for Phenibut. After completing the course in two weeks, my daughter seemed to have been replaced! The fatigue disappeared, the child began to sleep at night again! Now we know what to do if the same problem happens to the youngest.”

Natalya April 4, 2021

“My son is 15 years old. Not long ago he began to complain to me about depression, a persistent feeling of anxiety and fear. At first I didn’t pay attention, I thought the teenage thing would pass. I even gave him valerian at first. But the result was only temporary. The child walked gloomy and depressed all the time, and then began to complain of nightmares. A month later I took him to a neurologist.

The diagnosis is sleep disturbance and obsessive-compulsive disorder, complicated by panic attacks. Phenibut was prescribed. At first, the son resisted, did not want to take the pills, and said that he was not crazy. Teenagers, what to take from them. But after 10 days of the course, when the first side effects passed, the child felt noticeable improvements. I started sleeping more and can’t get up at night. Teenage irritability has disappeared. The child became calmer and more reserved. A couple of days ago he said that panic attacks and depression had passed. This is simply wonderful news!”

Olga July 11, 2021

“The four-year-old daughter suffered from enuresis. My daughter was already very worried about this, and they started teasing her in kindergarten. I persuaded my daughter to go to the doctor. Phenibut therapy was prescribed. At first, it was scary to give such a potent drug to a child, I was afraid of making a mistake in the dosage. After three weeks of treatment, we forgot that we ever had such a problem! The daughter lives an ordinary life, does not have complexes for any reason, and is no longer teased in kindergarten. Thanks to the neurologist.”