Hello parco,
I have not been able to find any references to Anergex on the Web, and
also drew a blank when I looked at my hard copy of Martindale (a
reference source for information on the world's drugs and medicines).
My guess is that this would have been an antibiotic. If yes, then it
is possible that it is no longer in use, maybe because bacteria became
resistant to it.
However, I have found some information that should give you other
options. It comes from the web site of Dr Alan Greene, who is at the
Clinical Faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine, and who
wrote the book "The Parent's Complete Guide to Ear Infections"
(People's Medical Society, 1997). You can read more about Dr Greene
here: http://www.drgreene.com/45_1.html Secondhand and new copies of
his book are available from sellers listing on Amazon. Prices start
at $1.35 for a used copy and $7.45 for a new one:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/offering/list/-/1882606299/all/ref=dp_pb_a/104-4858993-7329569
Firstly, with respect to injections: An antibiotic called Rocephin
(generic name ceftriaxone) was approved by the FDA in January 1998 as
the first single-dose injection for the treatment of ear infections.
"Although one early study found a single dose of Rocephin to be less
effective than oral antibiotics, later studies have found it to be
equally effective. Researchers in the Emergency Room at Riverside
General Hospital in southern California found one shot of Rocephin to
be equally effective to 10 days of amoxicillin given 3 times a day
(Pediatrics, Jan 1993)... ... The common short term side effects of
Rocephin are relatively minor. Diarrhea, diaper rash, and allergic
reactions could happen with any antibiotic. Worse side effects are
uncommon." However, Dr Greene has some reservations about this
approach, mainly because of the concern about the development of
resistant bacteria: "Whenever antibiotics are used, the most sensitive
bacteria die first, and the most resistant live to reproduce...
...This is even more likely with Rocephin. A single dose of this
powerful drug is enough to kill most of the weaker bacteria in your
child's body, yet still allow the stronger ones to survive. The
likelihood of your child's getting a subsequent, worse ear infection
only increases after this treatment. The indiscriminate use of
Rocephin will also increase the prevalence of resistant bacteria in
your community. Soon, it will rob us of one of the most effective
tools we have against serious infections. Already, resistance to this
last line of defense is being reported." He is of the opinion it
should only be used when no other alternative is possible, and in the
following way: "If Rocephin is to be used for an ear infection, I
believe the best course of action is to follow it with an oral
antibiotic or to give the injection daily for 3 days, so that the
entire infection is reliably wiped out -- not just the weaker
bacteria." The entire article is at
http://www.drgreene.com/21_772.html
If you scroll to the bottom of the article, you will find links to
many other articles. I will list some of them, but you may wish to
explore more fully.
Single-Dose Antibiotic Approved for Ear Infection Treatment
http://www.drgreene.com/21_889.html This is not an injectable
antibiotic, but it is a new oral treatment that only needs one dose:
Zithromax (azithromycin), made by Pfizer and approved by the FDA on
Dec 17, 2001.
In a general discussion on the use of antibiotics at
http://www.drgreene.com/21_768.html Dr Greene goes more fully into
when antibiotics should or should not be used. He also says: "A new
vaccine (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) has been shown in large
clinical trials to reduce the risk of middle ear infections. It has
also been shown to decrease the risk of other infections caused by
pneumococcus. The vaccine is now FDA approved and recommended by the
American Academy of Pediatrics for all children less than 2 years of
age." More on the vaccine (called Prevnar) can be found at
http://www.drgreene.com/21_712.html
Ear Infections and Xylitol http://www.drgreene.com/21_837.html The
sugar substitute xylitol seems to be a safe and effective way to
reduce the number of ear infections.
A Brand New Approach to Ear Infections!
http://www.drgreene.com/21_296.html This is a short description of a
study which found that using a nasal spray containing beneficial
bacteria can prevent ear infections.
An Alternative to Ear Tubes, Steroids, or Antibiotics
http://www.drgreene.com/21_308.html A brief description of a study
which found that glutathione can be effective in treating prolonged
fluid in the ear (otitis media with effusion
I hope this gives you enough information with which to work, but
please request clarification if you need more.
Search strategy on Google:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=prevention+recurrent+ear+infections |
Clarification of Answer by
tehuti-ga
on
30 Aug 2002 09:51 PDT
My colleague researcher jeffyen-ga managed to track down a single
reference to Anergex on a Google Group:
"I was given a series of allergy shots (Anergex?????) a zillion years
ago
in Calif. for what they diagnosed a frequent upper respiratory
infections
brought on by allergies"
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=anergex&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&selm=4l3oaj%24fl1%40newsbf02.news.aol.com&rnum=1
The statement is a bit confusing. It is not clear whether the
medication was given to prevent the allergy, or to suppress the
symptoms of allergy and/or infection.
However, taking this as a lead, I found the following article by an
allergy nurse: "statistics have shown that children with allergies are
more prone to get ear infections.. ...Ear infections develop when
fluid is not drained through the eustacian tube. One theory is that
allergy can cause inflammation and swelling of the eustacian tube,
thus blocking drainage... ...for some of our patients, their ear
infections were reduced or eliminated when we treated the underlying
allergy." http://www.allergynursing.com/questions/ear-infection.html
This site has a link to http://home.earthlink.net/~meear/ Middle Ear
Disease and Allergy by David S. Hurst, M.D. Some of the information
here might be useful to you.
There is also a link to an article at the online Allergy Center
http://www.onlineallergycenter.com/earinfections/
This deals with a possible link between food allergies and ear
infections. The approach taken there is: "Auralgan Otic Ear Drops.
This medicine has a topical pain reliever which is suspended in a very
thick oil. The oil (Grandma used warm olive oil quite effectively)
causes the less thick middle ear fluid to cross the eardrum into the
oil, thereby easing the pressure in the middle ear. It also reduces
the pressure on the blocked or collapsed Eustachian tube... [and, in
addition] ...The main thrust of the medical therapy has to do with
using adequate amounts of antihistamine to keep the mucous membrane
from swelling, and avoiding the foods and environmental conditions
that led to the swelling in the first place. Decongestants in LARGE
doses and mucous-thinning medications (Guaifenesin) are useful in
opening the tubes as well. These are safe medications and frequent,
aggressive doses may be required to do the job.", and modifications of
the diet are also suggested.
If you suspect that your grandson might have an allergy, it would be
useful to get this confirmed by testing. If it is to a substance that
can be eliminated from his diet or surroundings, this in itself might
help to reduce the frequency of the ear infections. I would suggest
that antihistamine treatment should be discussed with a physician,
since there are different types of antihistamines available, some of
which are better than others in terms of side effects.
My thanks to jeffyen-ga for providing this further lead.
|
