When should Portalac be used? Instructions for use, as well as indications for therapy with this drug will be presented in the materials of this article. In addition, we will tell you about the form in which the drug in question is produced, what is included in its composition, whether the medication has side effects and contraindications.
Drug packaging, its composition and form
In what form can I buy the drug "Portalac"? The instructions for use state that this product is made only in the form of a viscous and clear syrup of a tan color (it may be colorless). The main substance of this medicine is lactulose. As auxiliary elements use only purified water.
The drug is poured into plastic or glass vials (500 and 250 ml), which are placed in cardboard boxes.
Pharmacological characteristics
Do you know what Portalac is? Instructions for use inform patients that it is a laxative. Its active component under the action of intestinal microflora is able to break down in the colon into organic low molecular weight acids. Subsequently, their formation leads to a decrease in the pH of the contents of the intestinal tract, as well as the active activity of its peristalsis. In addition, taking syrup increases the amount of feces and helps soften them.
It should also be noted that under the influence of this drug, the formation of toxic substances in the colon, and more precisely, in its proximal section, is noticeably reduced. In addition, the absorption of these elements into the systemic circulation decreases, the migration of ammonium ions from the blood to the intestinal tract increases.
Pharmacokinetics
As practice shows, the action of the drug in question occurs approximately 20-40 hours after ingestion of the syrup. It should also be noted that lactulose (the active substance of the drug) is practically not absorbed from the digestive tract (absorption no more than 3% of the dose).
Indications
For what abnormalities can a doctor prescribe Portalac (syrup)? Instructions for use, reviews of specialists inform that this tool has the following indications:
- hepatic encephalopathy;
- constipation
- hepatic coma and precoma (used for both treatment and prevention).
Contraindications
Under what conditions should the Portalac drug be prescribed in no case? Instructions for use contain the following contraindications:
- Rectal bleeding (of various origin).
- Bowel obstruction.
- Ileo- and colostomy.
- Hypersensitivity of the patient to lactulose, as well as other sugars (for example, galactose or lactose).
- Suspected inflamed appendicitis.
Laxative drug "Portalac": method of administration and dose
With constipation, the dosage of the drug is set depending on the age of the patient:
- Adults - from 15 to 45 ml or 1-3 large spoons during the first 3 days of treatment and from 15 to 30 ml or 1-2 large spoons with continued therapy.
- Children 7-14 years old - 15 ml or 1 large spoon during the first 3 days of treatment and 10 ml or 2 dessert spoons with continued therapy.
- Children 1-6 years old - from 5 to 10 ml or 1-2 dessert spoons during the first 3 days of treatment and from 5 to 10 ml or 1-2 dessert spoons with continued therapy.
- Infants - 5 ml or 1 small spoon during the first 3 days of treatment, as well as a similar amount of syrup with continued therapy.
How to use Portalac (syrup) medication for hepatic or so-called portal encephalopathy? Instructions for use states that with this diagnosis, the drug in question is prescribed in an amount of 35-45 ml or 2-3 large spoons three times a day.
At the very beginning of treatment, the drug can be taken in a dosage of 35-45 ml every two hours. This is necessary to achieve a quick result, that is, rapid bowel movement. In the future, the dosage must be selected individually, in order to receive soft stools three times a day.
The medication in question is taken after a meal with water.
Overdose
Can overdose symptoms occur if the Portalac drug is used improperly? Instructions for use (the price of this tool will be presented a little lower) contains information that this medication can actually cause the appearance of signs such as diarrhea (with loss of electrolytes and fluids), hypokalemia and hypernatremia. However, such symptoms appear only if the drug was taken in an increased dose.
As a treatment for overdose, experts recommend only canceling the medication.
Interaction with other medicines
During the use of Portalac syrup (in therapeutic doses), no clinically significant interaction with other drugs has ever been observed. But, despite this, it is highly recommended not to take this medication within 2 hours after taking another drug.
The simultaneous administration of lactulose can inactivate agents for the release of which a not very favorable environment is created in the intestines (for example, a medicine containing mesalazine).
Side effects
Does the drug “Portalak” have side effects ? Instructions for use, annotation, reviews inform that taking this drug can really cause undesirable consequences. However, in most cases, side effects are reversible and mild. Moreover, they are only a consequence of excess dosages.
- Digestive system: abdominal pain, cramping, flatulence (passes after a couple of days), discomfort, diarrhea (eliminated by lowering the dose). It should also be noted that the sugary taste of the drug in some patients can cause a feeling of nausea and vomiting.
- Metabolism: with prolonged use of the drug in high dosages, electrolyte and water balance may be disturbed.
- Others: skin rash.
special instructions
What features of the drug should be known before taking the medicine “Portalac” (instructions, use, reviews are presented in this article)?
Due to the presence of sugars in the drug (15 ml of the drug contain about 1.6 g of galactose and about 1 g of lactose), caution is required when prescribing the medication to patients with diabetes.
This drug should be taken with extreme caution in patients with gastrocardial syndrome. With this diagnosis, treatment with Portalac syrup begins with small doses, and then they are gradually increased in order to avoid flatulence.
It is not recommended to prescribe the medication in question against the background of nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting.
During therapy of hepatic encephalopathy (especially at the beginning of treatment), other laxative drugs should not be used. This is due to the fact that increased bowel movement can quite easily lead to an erroneous medical conclusion that an adequate dosage has been reached to treat the aforementioned disease.
When prescribing this drug, the doctor must warn his patient that if constipation persists for several days after taking the syrup or his condition worsens again after the medication is canceled, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Does taking a laxative affect my ability to drive a car and work with machinery? In the dosages prescribed by the doctor, the drug Portalak has no effect on the listed abilities.
Terms of storage and conditions
As you know, the drug Portalac is dispensed in pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription. The medicine in glass vials must be stored at a temperature of 12 ° to 22 ° C. As for the drug, which goes on sale in plastic containers, it is better to store it at a temperature of no more than 25 ° C.
The medicine in question should never be frozen. Otherwise, crystallization of lactulose is possible. Keep the medication out of the reach of children. Shelf life is 3 years. After this time, it is extremely undesirable to use medicinal syrup.
Price and analogues of medicine
How much is the drug Portalac? Instructions for use (treatment with this medication should be carried out only if indicated) does not contain such information. In this regard, you can find out about the price of this syrup only in a pharmacy. As a rule, it varies between 290-310 Russian rubles (per 250 ml).
Does this medication have analogues? Of course there is. Among them, I would like to single out the following drugs: Dufalac, Romphalac, Normase, Prelaxan, Lizalac, Livolyuk-PB, Goodluck, Lactulose and Legendal.
Reviews about the drug
Reviews of the laxative drug "Portalac" are exclusively positive. Patients say that this medication rather quickly and effectively promotes bowel movement. At the same time, there is practically no discomfort in the abdomen.
However, it should be noted that, despite the high effectiveness of this drug, most patients note that its price is unreasonably high. Given that an adult needs to drink up to 45 ml of syrup per day, one bottle of medication (250 ml) is enough for only 5 days. Although experts say that such a duration of therapy is required to solve the problem.