Does it have any effect if my baby continuously takes antibiotics to treat bronchitis?

For nearly a month now, my child has been sick continuously. When I went to the doctor, he said he had bronchopneumonia and prescribed medication for 7 days, but after 2-3 days of finishing the medication, he started having a high fever again and continued taking antibiotics. Recently, he had a fever and was diagnosed with bronchitis and otitis media. He has been taking medication for 4 days and still hasn't gotten better. Doctor, can you tell me if my child is taking antibiotics continuously, will it have any effect? Why does my child's infection go away and then recur 3-4 days later?

Báo Đồng Nai•15/06/2025

(Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Tuyen, residing in Hoa An ward, Bien Hoa city)

Doctor replied:

Hello Ms. Hoai!

The condition of children with bronchopneumonia, fever and inflammation after treatment is quite common in young children, especially during the period of changing weather, when resistance is still weak.

It is certainly not desirable for your child to have to take antibiotics continuously. However, if your child really has a recurring infection or has not fully recovered from the previous infection, the doctor must prescribe antibiotics to control the infection and avoid more serious complications. It is important to closely monitor the response to the medication and carefully consider the reason why your child often has recurring infections.

Some reasons why your baby keeps getting better and then relapses may be due to:

- The baby's resistance is still weak, easily attacked by viruses or bacteria.

- The baby has not fully recovered, the infection is still smoldering, stopping the medication early will cause the disease to relapse.

- Living environment (dust, adults smoking, cold weather...) or contact with other sick children also makes the baby susceptible to re-infection.

- In some cases, children have asthma, adenoiditis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, and recurrent otitis media, which are also sources of inflammation that cause pneumonia to recur many times.

Continuous use of antibiotics can affect digestion, cause loss of appetite, disrupt intestinal bacteria, increase the risk of antibiotic resistance, and can affect liver and kidney function...

Therefore, you should consider carefully before using and follow your doctor's instructions. If your baby has not improved after 4 days of treatment, you should return for a further check-up by the doctor. You may need to do more tests or change the medication if there is no response.

Get well soon!

Specialist Doctor 2 Nguyen Van Suu,

Deputy Medical Director, Head of Pediatrics Department, Au Co Hospital