04.02.2025 15:21
Specialist Dr. Şeyda Kaptan stated that the use of "yellow serum" has reached children, emphasizing that these applications carried out without medical supervision pose a deadly danger. On the other hand, it was observed that some accounts easily accessible through social media offer home delivery of serum for 1500 TL and injection services containing antibiotics and painkillers for 300 TL.
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Dr. Şeyda Kaptan, a member of the Turkish Emergency Medicine Association (TATD) Pediatric Emergency Working Group, stated that the use of 'Yellow serum', which has recently come back into the spotlight due to claims that it led to the deaths of 2 people last week, has now reached children. She noted that these applications, performed without medical supervision, pose a deadly risk. Dr. Kaptan emphasized that families seeking serum services in non-hospital settings, thinking that their children would recover faster, are playing with fire. She mentioned that the insistence on 'giving antibiotics' has now been replaced by 'the yellow serum'. Meanwhile, some accounts easily accessible via social media are offering serum delivered to your address for 1500 TL, and injections containing antibiotics and painkillers for 300 TL. Moreover, these procedures are carried out without a doctor's examination, using prescriptions written over the phone.
With the arrival of winter, the increase in viral infections, upper respiratory tract diseases, and febrile conditions in children does not reduce the demand for yellow serum, despite the recent deaths associated with it. Despite claims that 2 people died from allergic shock after receiving yellow serum last week, not only adults but also children are facing this danger. Families insistently request yellow serum from doctors in emergency rooms, believing that their child will recover quickly, and when doctors do not find this request appropriate, they turn to pharmacies, health cabins, or social media accounts that provide home services. Dr. Şeyda Kaptan, a member of the TATD Pediatric Emergency Working Group and an Emergency Medicine Specialist, stated that due to the risks of intravenous applications, they do not prefer serum for patients unless absolutely necessary. Dr. Kaptan made important statements, indicating that 'out-of-hospital' serum applications marketed with concepts like atom and vitamin cocktails pose a life-threatening risk, even without medical supervision. Additionally, some companies or individuals easily reachable via social media are offering cocktail serums containing 6-7 types of medications, including painkillers and vitamins, for 1500 TL delivered to your address, along with injection services containing antibiotics and painkillers for 300 TL. These applications, performed without even a doctor's examination, can lead to life-threatening situations instead of healing.
THE INSISTENCE ON ANTIBIOTICS HAS BEEN REPLACED BY SERUM Dr. Kaptan emphasized that these treatments, marketed with slogans like 'Mother-daughter serum', 'Special atom serum for children', and 'Home fever-reducing painkiller serum', are frequently resorted to, especially during this time of increased winter infections. "The winter season has led to an increase in symptoms such as fever, cold symptoms, runny nose, cough, and widespread muscle and joint pain among our school-aged children. Emergency room visits are also increasing simultaneously. The real problem is the increase in serum requests, which is what challenges us the most. Families come in believing that their child will recover faster with serum, thinking that the treatment will be completed once they receive it. The belief in 'serum healing' is the biggest problem here. There was a time when it shifted from 'My child cannot recover without antibiotics, please prescribe antibiotics, teacher' to 'If he doesn't get serum, he won't recover; he should get serum.' It has been discussed so much within families that a 3-year-old patient of mine can say, 'Put the serum on me, I will recover that way.' This is something the child should not know," she said.
6-7 TYPES OF MEDICATIONS ARE MIXED Kaptan stated that serum has no benefit unless there is a serious fluid loss in the child, "In fact, with the additional medications included, allergic reactions, vasovagal reactions (loss of consciousness), and even anaphylactic shocks that can lead to death can occur. We hear that out-of-hospital applications are being done at home, in pharmacies; we hear about health cabins and non-equipped health units, and we hear that someone is administering serum at home. These are the most dangerous. Because every medication you give has the potential to cause side effects. When we administer it in the hospital, we monitor the process right in front of our eyes. Administering it in an uncontrolled environment requires a lot of courage. They add B1, B6, B12 vitamins, and vitamin C. Allergic reactions stem from this. In addition to these, extra steroids, antibiotics, painkillers, and fever-reducing medications can be added. Since they give all these medications in a mixture, we cannot even understand which one caused the allergic reaction. We know that they are mixing 6-7 types of medications. The danger here is growing," she said.
"WE HAD A PATIENT WHO STOPPED BREATHING AT HOME AND WE STRUGGLED TO REVIVE" Dr. Kaptan noted that they receive many patients who come to their clinics after having serum administered at home or in an unsuitable out-of-hospital environment, followed by allergic reactions and respiratory arrest, where the heart stops. She continued her remarks: "For example, we had a case we experienced before, where serum was administered at home. The person administering it at home had no equipment or medications to respond to the allergic reaction that developed at that moment. The child went into arrest at home. He was brought to us by 112 ambulance. His breathing was suppressed, and there was significant edema in his airways. Consequently, his heart had also stopped. Fortunately, with our interventions, we revived him and intubated him; he recovered, but we cannot even imagine the potential damage that could develop afterward in such a young person. The most important parameter here is for the doctor to see and evaluate the patient before starting treatment and to take them into a follow-up process."
"THE INSISTENCE ON SERUM CAN LEAD TO A WHITE CODE" Dr. Şeyda Kaptan also added that currently, winter viruses and summer viruses are all seen together. "Right now, they are all mixed together.
We are currently seeing even rotavirus infections that we usually observe in the summer. However, the immune system has a recovery process. Families want this process to be shorter, for their child to recover faster, and to get back on their feet more quickly. Most of these diseases can be treated on an outpatient basis. They can recover with outpatient follow-up in any case. However, families insist on serum treatment. When we say it is unnecessary, we encounter reactions as if we do not want to treat the child, and unfortunately, this can lead to discussions that escalate to a White Code. An allergic reaction can develop on the 101st time you administer a medication that you have given 100 times before. The same applies to both children and adults. You have no chance to test it beforehand. Such practices should never be carried out in an unhealthy, unsafe environment. Additionally, it should not be done based on the individual's request," he said.
"PAIN RELIEF SERUM MAY HIDE THE REAL REASON" Emphasizing that there is a significant population of allergic children today, Dr. Kaptan concluded his remarks: "We can never predict the response to these medications. That is why it is very dangerous to carry out these practices in this way. Not only vitamins but also pain relievers are being administered at home. When we have to select pain relievers for a child or an adult with abdominal pain and vomiting, the ones administered at home can be more critical. While abdominal pain can be caused by more serious conditions like appendicitis or intestinal perforation, when a pain relief serum is given, we actually cannot understand the cause of the abdominal pain. Because it affects our examination and diagnosis process. Patients come to the hospital later because their pain has decreased at that moment, and this time we may face much worse outcomes."
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