For the treatment of liver diseases in adults, as well as physiological jaundice in newborns, the Ursosan analog is often used, since the original drug is not available for some patients due to the high price.
Features : Ursosan, a medicine produced in Prague, belongs to the group of getoprotectors and is capable of exerting cholelitolytic and choleretic, hypocholesterolemic and hypolipidemic effects. The main active ingredient of the drug is ursodeoxycholic acid, which in the body forms non-toxic compounds with bile acids, and this substance allows normalizing the work of the stomach and liver with reflux esophagitis and biliary gastritis. In addition, excipients such as corn starch, colloidal silicon dioxide, gelatin, magnesium stearate and titanium dioxide are included in the formulation .
Well-known analogues : When choosing a substitute for Ursosan, you can pay attention to the following analogues of the drug: Ursolizin, made in Italy, Ursokhol and Ukrliv, manufactured in Ukraine, PMS-Ursodiol, made in Canada. Ursofalk and Choludexan medicines are also often found on the domestic pharmaceutical market, which are identical in composition to the well-known and expensive Prague drug and are characterized by the same effect on the gall bladder and liver of patients.
Indications : The Urososan analog is prescribed to patients suffering from biliary cirrhosis and reflux gastritis, with cholelithiasis and cystic fibrosis, as well as with cholestatic syndrome of various types of liver changes. Such substitutes for the drug are prescribed for newborn babies in the case of physiological jaundice, which by the age of two weeks does not go away on its own and therefore requires proper treatment. If prolonged physiological jaundice in newborns is not treated, the amount of bilirubin that adversely affects the brain increases in the child's body.
Although Ursosan and alcohol do not combine, this drug is prescribed for patients suffering from chronic alcohol dependence to further stabilize liver tests. However, to make the treatment as effective as possible, it is recommended that patients completely refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages during the period of taking the medicine.
Contraindications and side effects : The Ursosan analog is contraindicated in the presence of X-ray positive gallstones and hypersensitivity in the patient’s body, cirrhosis of the liver in the last stage, and poor functionality of the gallbladder. The use of this drug is also not recommended in case of pronounced disorders in the liver, kidneys, pancreas, as well as inflammation of the biliary tract. During pregnancy, the Ursosan analogue can be used exclusively as prescribed by the attending physician in situations where the expected effect for the expectant mother is much higher than the risk for the bearing fetus. Side effects of Ursosan and its substitutes include the possibility of nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, allergic reactions and abdominal pain, as well as compaction of gallstones.
Taking the drug : The Ursosan analogue is a drug that is taken orally, and doctors advise it to be washed down with water. The course of treatment and daily doses depend on the specific disease and its severity. So, if the goal of taking the drug is to completely dissolve the bile cholesterol stones, the daily dose is usually 10 mg / kg, and the patient’s treatment lasts from six months to a year. After cholecystectomy, with chronic hepatitis and cholestatic diseases, the dose and duration of the drug remain the same. A short-term course of taking the drug is possible only in the case of biliary dyskinesia, and in such a situation it lasts from two weeks to two months.