Recently, immunostimulating drugs used to treat viral infections are becoming more popular. Doctors often prescribe Viferon suppositories in such cases. According to reviews, the drug is a potent and very effective tool that can overcome almost any ailment of viral etiology. It is prescribed for infants, elderly patients, pregnant and lactating. Is such a massive use of suppositories justified? What does the instruction for Viferon candles and the reviews of specialists and patients about this remedy say? Let us consider this drug in more detail in our article. And we will try to answer all these questions.
Before you understand the safety of the product, you need to find out what is included in it, according to the instructions for use. Reviews of Viferon suppositories, based on clinical studies and medical practice, will help to better navigate this issue.
In addition, it is not enough just to know the composition of the drug. It is very important to use it correctly. A careful study of the instructions for the Viferon candles will also help us with this. Customer reviews show that it is very important to take the drug as indicated in the annotations and recommendations of the attending physician.
Otherwise, you can not only not wait for the effect, but also harm your body.
So, this article will introduce you to a drug such as Viferon suppositories, instructions for use, price, consumer reviews about this tool and other useful information.
The most important thing is the composition
What is the active substance of the drug? Numerous reviews about Viferon suppositories for adults and children come down to the fact that the active component of suppositories is the most harmless substance that has a strong effect on the human body. But is it?
The active substance of the drug is recombinant interferon (or a protein obtained from human blood). This substance can help cells become immune to the virus in the body. However, as follows from the numerous comments of experts and their reviews of Viferon suppositories for adults and children, the main component of the drug is a very complex and powerful substance that can provoke many side effects. We will talk about this below in more detail.
What else is included in suppositories? An excipient is vitamin E, polysorbate, fat, cocoa butter, vitamin C. Thanks to these components, candles can quickly dissolve in the body.
How is the manufacturer?
A suppository is a white and yellow tinted candle made in the form of a rocket pointed at one end.
As the annotation to the drug explains, each suppository can contain 150 thousand, 500 thousand, 1 million and 3 million international pharmacological units of interferon. What is the difference, according to the instructions and reviews, candles "Viferon" for children and adults? First of all, the amount of active component.
Most often, Viferon 150,000 candles are prescribed to treat the smallest patients. Instructions for children, reviews about this tool and other recommendations related to its use will be discussed below, in a separate section. In most cases, adults are prescribed a drug with a dosage of three million units of interferon.
Drug cost
What is the price of Viferon candles? According to reviews, the drug is quite affordable, especially considering its effectiveness. The cost of suppositories, of course, depends on the dosage. The purchase of the drug, which includes three million units of interferon, will cost 850-1000 rubles. It is clear that the candles “Viferon 150,000”, according to customers, are much more affordable for the family budget. Their price ranges from an average of 230 to 300 rubles. And in that, and in another case, the cost of the drug is indicated for the package, which contains ten suppositories.
For what diseases is this drug used?
In what cases is prescribed?
It is very important to be responsible for the use of Viferon candles. According to doctors and manufacturers, the drug should be used only after the appointment of a doctor.
What diseases are recommended to use an immunostimulating agent? Most often it is prescribed for acute respiratory ailments of viral etiology, prolonged acute respiratory viral infections. Also, the drug is used as a prevention of acute respiratory infections, when it is impossible to limit contact with patients, or during hypothermia.
Moreover, Viferon suppositories can be prescribed as a complex therapy for such serious ailments as liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, meningitis, parainfluenza, chlamydial infection, sepsis, candidiasis, pneumonia, enterovirus infection, herpes disease, influenza and so on.
As you can see, the spectrum of diseases is quite wide and diverse. How does the drug act when it enters the human body?
Ingestion
As soon as the active substance enters the general blood stream, it immediately begins to activate the protective function and recognizes the location of viral pathogens for their subsequent elimination.
Other components of suppositories, getting into the bloodstream, also perform important functions. For example, vitamin C increases the antiviral effect of interferon, and vitamin E eliminates free radicals (harmful microorganisms) and restores damaged cells.
According to the instructions and reviews, Viferon suppositories can help the body fight the virus without taking antibiotics. In some cases, doctors may find it appropriate to prescribe a minimum dosage of antibacterial agents. Nevertheless, such treatment minimizes the load on the liver.
However, it should be understood that suppositories do not improve human immunity, but simply inhibit the body's production of its own interferon, which makes it possible to cope with the infection. Moreover, if you constantly use the drug, then it can be addictive, after which the body will no longer be able to cope with diseases on its own in the future.
Are there any contraindications for the use of this drug? Of course, we will talk about this below.
When can not be taken?
First of all, it should be said that the first trimester of pregnancy is a categorical contraindication for the use of suppositories. Also, when purchasing a drug, it is important not to forget that the patient may have an individual allergy to interferon or other components of the drug.
Can the drug harm?
Can side effects occur during treatment with Viferon? According to some reviews, patients had unpleasant symptoms caused by taking the drug. First of all, it is a skin rash, burning or itching in the anus (at the time of suppository injection) or any other discomfort in the anus.
According to some studies, taking interferon can lead to such serious disorders as ischemia, furunculosis, depression and others. Side effects can affect such vital systems of the human body as cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, as well as sensory organs and blood. Therefore, it is undesirable to prescribe a drug for yourself or treat a child with it without the appropriate recommendation of a specialist.
How to use the drug correctly will be described in detail below.
How to take a newborn?
Infants up to six months are usually prescribed interferon in the amount of 150 thousand units. How, then, to take Viferon 150,000 candles? Instructions for children and reviews of numerous pediatricians are unanimous - newborns must be administered one suppository twice a day. What is the duration of the course of taking the drug? According to reviews, Viferon 150,000 candles for children should be used within six to seven days, not longer.
But what if the baby was born prematurely and already managed to get a viral infection? In this case, he needs to enter one suppository once a day for five days. If a newborn has a serious pathology (for example, candidiasis, herpes, chlamydia, meningitis, and others), then treatment with interferon can be resumed after a five-day break.
As can be seen from the numerous reviews of Viferon suppositories, they can be prescribed for newborns as a prophylaxis if the baby was born prematurely and there is a chance of infection.
Babies six to twelve months old
How to use Viferon candles for children up to a year? Reviews of qualified pediatricians and manufacturers' recommendations are as follows - a child in this age period can be prescribed interferon in an amount of up to 500 thousand once a day for five to seven days.
For children older, “Viferon” may already be prescribed in higher doses, however, the pediatrician should calculate the exact amount of the drug, taking into account the baby’s age, as well as the course of his illness.
Treatment of women with interferon
As mentioned above, this active substance can help in the fight against urogenital infections. In what cases can Viferon candles for women be prescribed? Reviews of patients pay attention to the fact that they were recommended interferon in the amount of 500 thousand units twice a day (morning and night) or in the amount of 1 million units once a day. Suppositories should be used rectally for chlamydia, vaginosis, mycoplasmosis, candidiasis and other diseases.
For vaginal and herpes simplex, “Viferon 1,000,000” is prescribed twice a day.
Interferon and expectant mothers
Can I use the drug for the diseases mentioned above for pregnant women? Reviews of candles “Viferon” indicate that this tool helped expectant mothers to safely and effectively cope with such ailments, practically without causing side symptoms. But most importantly, the treatment was completely safe for the fetus.
What should I look for when deciding whether or not to take Viferon suppositories during pregnancy? Reviews and recommendations of satisfied patients come down to the fact that it is important to listen to the opinion of the attending physician and carefully follow his recommendations.
And what about lactating women? Can they take interferon? According to the manufacturer's recommendations, nursing mothers can safely use the drug and continue breastfeeding. It is contraindicated only in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The treatment of colds
With complicated SARS, influenza and pneumonia, adult patients can be prescribed interferon at a dosage of 5 million units twice a day for a week. In some cases, the attending physician prescribes a comprehensive treatment that includes vitamins, antipyretics and antibiotics.
In the treatment of liver cirrhosis and hepatitis, the exact schedule of administration and dosage of interferon is prescribed by the attending physician, taking into account the age and body weight of the patient, the degree of the disease and associated ailments.
How to store the product?
This is a very important issue, since the further effectiveness of the drug will depend on this. According to the manufacturer’s recommendations, Viferon should be stored at a temperature not exceeding ten degrees. For this, the refrigerator door is best suited. Shelf life of unopened packaging is twelve months.
Useful Tips
Although the product is stored in the refrigerator, this does not mean that the suppository should be warmed in the palm of the hand before its administration, as is usually done with drops or suspensions. The composition of the candles is such that they melt very easily in the hands, so there is no need to warm them before use. Moreover, the manufacturer recommends the use of a suppository immediately after it is removed from the package.
Before the introduction of the drug, it is best to empty the intestines. This will help the active substances to start the action without delay. If the patient suffers from constipation, then doctors advise using a cleansing enema, and only then enter the suppository directly into the anus.
The following is an illustration showing how to properly administer a suppository to an infant.
First of all, you need to wash your hands, then open the package and remove the candle. After which the drug is administered to the child directly into the back opening. In this case, you can put the baby on a barrel or slightly raise his legs up. It is more comfortable for many mothers to carry out this procedure with thin medical gloves.
Interferon and other medicines
According to the annotation to the drug, interferon interacts well with other pharmacological agents, without causing side effects or negative reactions. Nevertheless, it is worth knowing that a recombinant protein is able to enhance the action of such drugs as antiviral (drops, tablets, sprays, suspensions), antibacterial, antimicrobial, immunostimulating and others. Therefore, if the doctor decided to prescribe Viferon, and the patient is taking any other medications, a specialist should be informed about this.
Analogs of “Viferon”
You can replace the drug with other drugs similar to it in composition and spectrum of action.
The following preparations are analogues of the described candles:
- “Lafirobion.” The drug based on human interferon is available in the form of rectal suppositories and powder for the preparation of a solution that can be used intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, rectally, intranasally and so on. Most often, the drug is prescribed for viral and bacterial infections, as well as hepatitis B, herpes, papillomavirus, various tumors and oncologies, melanoma. It can be used starting from infancy.
- Grippferon. Interferon-based nasal drops are used to treat colds and to prevent them. It can be prescribed to babies from birth and even to pregnant women.
- Laferon. Available in the form of rectal suppositories, nasal solution and powder for injection. It can be used in complex therapy for such serious ailments as hepatitis B, sepsis, herpes, chlamydia, multiple sclerosis, papillomavirus, oncology and neoplasms. However, this drug can not be used during pregnancy, since the active substance can cause its interruption.
As you can see, there are a lot of Viferon analogues, and each has its own purpose and warnings. Therefore, only the attending physician should take the drug and appoint a new one instead, which will take into account the disease and other features of the patient.
Reviews about the drug
What do patients say about Viferon? Many parents are grateful to the manufacturer for such a wonderful drug that can be used to treat even infants. However, patients claim that it is best to use interferon at the very beginning of the disease, because it is then that it can help the body overcome the disease. During the progression of the disease, “Viferon” has a minimal effect, this can be seen from the numerous consumer reviews.
Also, some parents pay attention to another drawback of the drug - suppositories are not always easy to enter the child in the back opening, especially when you consider that the baby has resistance.
Also, many note that it is impossible to constantly use interferon, since it is addictive in the body, and then the tool already becomes ineffective. Moreover, many parents are worried that Viferon causes undesirable symptoms, such as burning, rash, nausea, and even fever.
Nevertheless, suppositories are quite effective and practically safe if used according to the instructions and prescriptions of the attending physician. Only in this case, the drug will have the necessary effect on the well-being and health of the patient. This is also confirmed by numerous reviews of both specialists and patients themselves.
In this article, the instruction for the use of Viferon candles was studied in detail. Price, consumer reviews, intake schedule and dosage were also indicated.