Some drugs are intended for the treatment of very serious, often deadly diseases, such as cancer. You can only buy them according to a special prescription issued by your doctor. One such drug is Hydroxycarbamide Medac. Instructions, applications, reviews about it will be discussed later in the article.
Drug group
Medicines are combined into several main pharmacological groups, taking into account the scope of their action. "Hydroxycarbamide medac" refers to drugs that have antimetabolic effects and are antitumor drugs. This pharmacological group is constantly expanding, because science is trying to find substances that can fight malignant neoplasms, but at the same time do not adversely affect healthy cells.
What is the work of the medicine based on?
Anticancer drugs work in several directions, trying to slow down, if not stop the growth of a malignant neoplasm. The functional features of a particular drug depend on the active substances that work in it. Antimetabolic drug "Hydroxycarbamide medac" composition has the following:
- hydroxycarbamide in an amount of 500 mg per capsule;
- disodium citrate;
- titanium dioxide;
- gelatin;
- calcium citrate;
- lactose;
- magnesium stearate.
As it becomes clear from the name of the drug, it is hydroxycarbamide that is the active ingredient. The remaining substances play the role of formers.
Pharmacological form
The instructions for use contain all the information necessary for the patient about the drug "Hydroxycarbamide Medac". The description of the drug is also included there. The drug, which has an antimetabolic effect, is available in the form of white opaque capsules with a gelatin shell. The capsule size is “0”, which means: the diameter is 7.3 mm and the length is 21 mm. Having such parameters, the capsule shell dissolves in the stomach in 10-15 minutes. Capsules of 10 pieces are packed in plastic blisters with an aluminum membrane. One carton of the drug may contain 50 or 100 capsules. Instructions for using the medicine are also included in the package. "Hydroxycarbamide Medac" (500 mg) per 100 caps. or 50 caps. in one package, the Russian pharmaceutical company VEROPHARM produces.
How the active component works
In a preparation such as Hydroxycarbamide Medac (capsules), the active substance is hydroxycarbamide. At its core, it is hydroxyurea - a derivative of an enzyme that is involved in metabolic processes, but has an antimetabolic effect. It is this ability of hydroxide urea to disrupt the synthesis of DNA cells, as well as its ability to recover, that has an antitumor effect. The cytostatic effect of this substance is manifested in that it inhibits ribonucleotide reductase, but at the same time does not affect the production of protein and RNA. Hydroxyurea has shown good results as a radiosensitizer that suppresses the activity of polymerases - enzymes responsible for the synthesis of nucleic acids, which is effective for potentially fatal damage to cancer cells after chemotherapy or radiation.
The path of the drug in the patient’s body
The antimetabolic drug Hydroxycarbamide Medac, used in the treatment of certain types of cancer tumors, is available in the form of capsules taken orally. After ingestion, the drug is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and enters the tissues. Its positive property is that the active substance does not accumulate in the human body. The highest concentration is achieved after 2-3 hours, with from 15 to 50% hydroxycarbimide in the blood plasma, and 10-20% in the cerebrospinal fluid. This substance is excreted mainly in the urine - up to 80% after 12 hours after taking the capsule in an unchanged state and in the form of urea, also leaves the body in the form of carbon dioxide with exhaled air. The half-life of the drug is 3-4 hours, and after a day it is practically absent in the tissues. During dialysis, hydroxyurea is eliminated, that is, removed from the body.
When is the drug prescribed?
According to the instructions for capsules "Hydroxycarbamide Medac", the drug can be used for the following diseases:
- chronic myeloid leukemia;
- melanoma;
- chronic myeloid leukemia;
- tumors (malignant) of the head, face and neck, excluding lip cancer;
- osteomyelofibrosis;
- cervical cancer in conjunction with radiation therapy;
- essential thrombocythemia;
- erythremia;
- erythroleukemia in acute form.
Studies have established that hydroxycarbamide has a positive effect in the treatment of psoriasis, mainly in the pustular form, and psoriatic erythroderma, as well as sickle cell anemia, Sneddon-Wilkinson disease, gangrenous pyodermatosis, psoriatic erythroderma, and sickle-cell disease. Reception is made orally. If swallowing the capsule by the patient is difficult or impossible, the drug is used in the form of a powder dissolved in water, otherwise the doctor must prescribe another medicine in a different pharmacological form.
When no medicine is prescribed
This medication can be prescribed for use only by a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient, since the drug has its contraindications for use. This list includes:
- hypersensitivity;
- severe leukopenia, when the decrease in the level of leukocytes in the blood is less than 2.5 · 10 9 / l);
- thrombocytopenia, with a decrease in the number of blood platelets less than 100 · 10 9 / l.
Since the active substance hydroxycarbimide crosses the blood-brain and placental barriers, it cannot be used in the treatment of pregnant and breast-feeding women. If a lactating woman needs to take Hydroxycarbamide Medac capsules (500 mg) by vital signs, then the baby must be transferred to artificial feeding in advance.
Relative contraindications to therapy with this medicine will be anemia and insufficiency in the functionality of the liver and kidneys. Before starting treatment, anemia must be corrected and, at the same time, drugs that support hemoglobin are normal. And with liver and kidney failure, the dosage of the drug should be adjusted and additional measures should be used to normalize the functionality of these organs. If the patient suffers from lactase deficiency, lactose intolerance or glucose-galactose malabsorption, then treatment with this drug is also carried out with extreme caution.
Side effect of the drug
The antimetabolic drug "Hydroxycarbamide Medak" (tablets) has a rather negative effect on the state of the human body. It has a wide list of possible side effects. It:
- anemia;
- anorexia;
- hair loss;
- hallucinations;
- gangrene;
- hyperemia of the face;
- hyperpigmentation;
- hyperuricemia
- headache;
- dizziness;
- disorientation;
- diarrhea;
- constipation;
- itching
- ulceration of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract;
- lung infiltrate;
- bleeding gums;
- leukopenia;
- fragility of nails;
- megaloblastosis;
- urination disorders;
- impaired fertility (ability to conceive);
- institutional jade;
- pulmonary edema;
- exacerbation of post-radiation erythema;
- increased transaminase activity;
- vomiting
- drowsiness;
- stomatitis;
- cramps
- nausea;
- thrombocytopenia;
- uremia.
Also, the drug "Hydroxycarbamide Medac" causes general poor health, fever, chills. When conducting a blood test, an increase in ESR and bilirubin is observed.
Medication regimens
Describes how to take the capsules "Hydroxycarbamide Medac" instructions for use. Each of the diseases in which the use of this drug is recommended has its own characteristics of therapy.
Chronic resistant myeloid leukemia involves continuous therapy with this drug. In the first days of use, the daily dose is 40 mg of active substance per 1 kg of patient’s body weight. A change in a single dose depends on how many leukocytes are found in blood plasma. If this indicator is less than 20 · 10 9 / l, then the dose of the drug must be reduced by half. If the patient has developed leukopenia, then the amount of the drug should allow maintaining the level of leukocytes in the range of 5-10 · 10 9 / l. The number of leukocytes decreases - the dose of Hydroxyrabamide Medac decreases. The dosage of the drug can be increased only when the number of leukocytes reaches at least 10 · 10 9 / l. With a decrease in the level of leukocytes less than 2.5 · 10 9 / l or platelets less than 100 · 10 9 / l, treatment with this drug should be stopped until the level of these blood components is normalized.
Specialists evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment with Hydroxycarbamide Medac capsules after six weeks of use. If the patient's condition does not change or worsens, then therapy with hydroxycarbamide is stopped. If such treatment brings a significant improvement in the patient’s health, then these capsules should be taken indefinitely.
Cervical carcinoma, head carcinoma, neck carcinoma suggest the use of Hydroxycarbamide Medac capsules at the rate of eighty milligrams per kilogram of the patient’s body once a day according to the following scheme:
- Week of drug use.
- A course of radiation therapy with capsules.
- An unlimited time course of taking the drug after irradiation, provided that the patient does not have severe toxic lesions
Melanoma or solid tumors require intermittent therapy, when the capsules of the drug are taken at the rate of eighty milligrams of the active ingredient per kilogram of the patient’s body weight once every three days. The course will be three weeks. It is also possible to use a continuous three-week course, when the drug is taken in the amount of twenty milligrams per kilogram daily.
True polycythemia involves the selection of a dose individually for each patient, starting from 15-20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, so that the hematocrit is below 45% and the platelet count does not rise above 400 · 10 9 / L. If the selected dose works, then such treatment continues for a long time.
An individual selection of a daily dose of the drug is also used for the treatment of essential thrombocytotemia.
Reducing a single and, as a result, daily dosage of the drug "Hydroxycarbamide Medac" is required by patients suffering from kidney failure, and the elderly.
Antimetabolic capsules should be taken whole with a sufficient amount of water. If the patient cannot swallow the whole capsule, then it should be opened, pour the contents into a small amount of water, stir and drink. The contents of the drug include water-insoluble particles, they will be on the surface of the water. This drug should also be washed with water. During treatment, it is necessary to drink liquid as much as possible, since the drug has a toxic effect on the body, and is excreted mainly through the kidneys.
Reviews of specialists and patients
The oncological drug "Hydroxycarbamide Medak" reviews from both patients and experts is very mixed. A big negative about the capsules is expressed due to the frequent development of side effects, and they can occur in a complex manner, worsening the general condition and well-being of the patient. But experts point out that the drug is effective in the treatment of certain forms of cancer, with the right dosage, it causes a stable remission. Patients note that the medicine is convenient to take, because in many cases the doctor prescribes a regimen only once a day.
Specialists prescribing this drug should be aware of the interaction of hydroxycarbamide with certain other drugs. Due to bone marrow suppression, this drug is not prescribed in conjunction with other myelosuppressive drugs. It is not recommended to use combined therapy with hydroxycarbamide and antiretroviral drugs. Due to a possible change in the test result, it is forbidden to take this medicine and enzyme preparations.
How to buy and store?
The drug "Hydroxycarbamide Medoc" can be purchased mono in a pharmacy only by prescription. Its cost depends on the number of capsules in one package and on the pharmacy network. On average, a pack of 100 capsules costs from 1200 to 1500 rubles. This preparation does not require special storage conditions, and therefore it should be kept simply in a home medicine cabinet at room temperature. Shelf life is 4 years, after which the medicine can not be taken, but must be discarded.
Are there any analogues?
Pharmaceutical companies produce many drugs that contain the same active ingredients. Well, hydroxyurea also serves as a working substance not only in a preparation from a German company, licensed by the Russian company VEROFARM, which produces Hydroxycarbamide Medac, but also in drugs such as Hydrea, Hydroxyurea and some others. It is incorrect to speak generally about the antimetabolic group of drugs due to the particularities of cancer therapy, when each medicine should be carefully selected by a specialist competent in this field.