Few people know how many of our ailments are associated with vascular problems. We are constantly in a hurry somewhere and try to do a hundred things at the same time, and therefore we cannot always understand what the body is signaling about. But almost every city dweller from the age of twenty-five to fifty regularly suffers from headaches, dizziness, numbness of the extremities, cold hand syndrome and other similar diseases. Moreover, they are all directly related to vascular problems.
In addition to the fact that they cause a lot of inconvenience, each such disease is very dangerous and can lead in the future to more serious malfunctions in the body. Therefore, doctors strongly advise, at the slightest suspicion of such problems, contact a specialist and take prescribed vasodilator drugs. They will be discussed in our article. We will give them a general description, list the most common in Russian pharmacies and consider in more detail the vasodilator drugs for the brain and limbs.
Why are vascular diseases dangerous?
Vasodilator drugs have a very wide spectrum of action. They are prescribed, for example, with complaints of tinnitus or regular aching pains in the head. Also, the reasons for taking this medication may be disorders in the blood supply to the limbs, frequent spasms of the vessels or neck osteochondrosis.
Vasodilator drugs for such problems are often prescribed along with other drugs designed to improve the general condition of the patient. But, unfortunately, many consider the diseases of this category not too serious and neglect not only the appeal to specialists, but also the treatment already voiced. But are vessel problems really dangerous? Should you worry if you have headaches? And is it necessary to take vasodilator drugs for the brain and other organs as a preventive measure? Let's look for answers to these questions together.
It's no secret that our entire body is penetrated by millions of blood vessels of different sizes and thicknesses. They provide uninterrupted power to all human organs and tissues with oxygen, and any problems with this process instantly reduce the quality of life. After all, pain and discomfort are just symptoms of the disease. They can be considered as the tip of the iceberg, but in fact the problem is that the vessels that cannot provide the body with the usual blood flow due to spasms leading to their narrowing experience increased pressure on their walls. At some point, they can not stand it, which will lead to their rupture. In medicine, this situation is called a stroke. And almost every average Russian is aware of its danger.
In addition to the problem already described, the rejection of timely treatment with vasodilator drugs (including vessels of the head and neck, among others) causes regular oxygen starvation of certain organs and tissues. Most often, our brain experiences a lack of oxygen, signaling the situation with pain, dizziness and ringing in the ears. Nerve cells cannot get enough nutrition, and the network of capillaries becomes much smaller over time, because some vessels turn into very thin strings that cease to fulfill their basic functions.
In order to provide itself with food, our body first tries to redistribute the blood flows on its own so that all organs receive the necessary oxygen. If at this stage you do not start taking vasodilator drugs for the head, then the consequences of the disease can become irreversible. For example, the death of neurons can be attributed to them, which ultimately causes dementia and other problems with brain activity.
Even a cursory glance at this situation is enough to understand that vasodilator drugs are simply necessary. But you need to do this under the supervision of a doctor, otherwise you can make a mistake with the dosage or treatment regimen, thereby causing yourself significant harm. In addition, before you start taking vasodilator drugs for blood vessels, you need to conduct an examination and find out the cause of the disease. Fortunately, there are not so many of them.
Causes of vascular disease
Doctors distinguish several categories of diseases associated with blood vessels, but they name the three main causes of their occurrence.
Atherosclerosis belongs to the first. If you describe this disease in simple terms, we can say that the patient experiences unpleasant symptoms of oxygen starvation due to formations on the walls of blood vessels. They fall under the term “atherosclerotic plaques,” which are capable of blocking blood flow and disrupting the supply of vital organs with oxygen. It is noteworthy that over time, plaques increase in size and the lumen narrows even further. If you don’t start taking vasodilator drugs on time (we’ll give a list of the most common ones later), then with a 100% guarantee, doctors predict a stroke.
The second reason is cramping. The fact is that such spasms are short-term and prolonged. The first category does not bring significant harm, but with frequent repetitions it can still cause rupture of blood vessels that regularly experience increased stress. But prolonged cramping is very dangerous. In this case, the same arteries without a break drive through themselves large volumes of blood under strong pressure through several times narrowed vessels. It is impossible to cope with the disease without vasodilator drugs.
The third reason is considered to be increased blood viscosity. With such problems, the vascular system is very difficult to cope with its functions, which affects the nutrition of organs and tissues of the body. The higher viscosity the doctor revealed during the examination, the more pressure it will pass through the vessels. In the process, they quickly wear out, and blood clots form on the walls. Such cases require the appointment of vasodilator preparations for blood vessels, which strengthen the walls of the capillaries and simultaneously improve blood quality. After a few weeks of treatment, patients begin to notice improvement in their condition. The feeling of fatigue, tinnitus disappears, memory improves and performance increases.
If you do not belong to the category of people who are ready to take medicines in large quantities, but you have problems with the vessels, then do not refuse the prescribed treatment. Keep in mind that almost any disease in this category can be cured at the initial stage. For this, vasodilator drugs are used for therapeutic, and subsequently for prophylactic purposes. Otherwise, you risk not only worsening the quality of your life, but also parting with it.
Drug classification
Modern medicine operates with a fairly wide list of vasodilator drugs. Moreover, they have a completely different mechanism of work and are based on various categories of active substances.
Pharmacists distinguish the following groups of vasodilator drugs (for the brain and other organs):
1. Calcium channel blockers.
There are most of these drugs in pharmacies. Basically, drugs of this group are used for the vessels of the head (vasodilating drugs of this series are very common), but in some cases they can be prescribed to improve blood flow in the limbs. A distinctive feature of drugs is the fact that they act directly on the vessels and do not affect the tone of the veins at all.
Their main mechanism is the ability to expand the capillaries, in connection with this, the blood flow increases. The process improves the nutrition of brain cells and tissues of other organs of the body.
Manufacturers of these drugs are actively working to make their medicines safer and more effective, so today you can buy third-generation calcium channel blockers in pharmacies. Suitable vasodilator drugs for limbs, brain and other organs are suitable. However, during the treatment process, there is a high probability of side effects, so you should not prescribe the medicine yourself.
In the list of vasodilator preparations for the brain belonging to this category, Cinnarizine is the most popular. It is the drug of the last generation and has several advantages over its predecessors. For example, these tablets, like others from the third generation, are characterized by a prolonged action, act rather selectively on the vessels and do not give a large number of side effects.
Despite this, calcium channel blockers are prescribed only after a comprehensive examination. Not only the local therapist, but also a neurologist together with a cardiologist should give their recommendations. In most cases, patients take these pills for life.
2. Extracts from plants.
It is known that in ancient times, healers were treated only with decoctions and ointments based on herbs. Plants can be very effective in the case of vascular diseases, so manufacturers began to extract extracts from them and produce highly effective vasodilator drugs (for neck vessels, for example), which are used in the treatment of various problems. Patients highly value such drugs, and doctors often prescribe them.
Pharmacists usually produce vascular drugs based on squeezing two plants: vinca and ginko biloba. The first proved to be very effective in situations where it is urgently necessary to relieve spasm of cerebral vessels. Periwinkle successfully improves metabolism in the brain tissue, provides nutrition to all cells of the body and does not allow platelets to stick together. Manufacturers claim that drugs from this category have practically no contraindications and do not give side effects. They face a small percentage of patients. Among all the medicines in this series, doctors most often prescribe Cavinton and Vinpocetine. Many even use them without control from the doctor, referring to the maximum harmlessness of the pills.
Ginko biloba-based medications are a godsend for those who cannot consult with a doctor on a regular basis, but who have a diagnosis in the medical record characterized by a violation of cerebral circulation. We must say right away that vasodilator drugs (with osteochondrosis they are often prescribed according to the standard scheme), the drugs have a complex effect. They improve cell nutrition, increase blood flow, provide anti-edema effect, have a firming effect on veins and so on. Manufacturers also consider the fact that they can be bought without a prescription and not worry about the harm to their own health, a significant advantage of their preparations. In our pharmacies, Russians most often buy "Gingoum", which has proven itself perfectly. However, all pharmaceutical companies warn buyers against thoughtless use of the drug. The fact is that it is absolutely not combined with some other medicines. Therefore, patients should carefully study the instructions and follow it, making up a treatment regimen.
3. Based on nicotinic acid.
These drugs with a stretch can be attributed to vasodilator drugs. For the lower extremities, however, and with other problems with blood supply, they are prescribed very often. Keep in mind that funds of this category do not act on large vessels, but when taking tablets in small capillaries, an expanding effect is observed, which can be noticed by a slight reddening of the skin. The main objectives of drugs based on nicotinic acid are the destruction of cholesterol and strengthening the walls of blood vessels.
Doctors usually prescribe such drugs as part of complex therapy. They are most effective when taking a course with short breaks.
I would also like to mention the medicines produced to strengthen the vessels. Pharmacists often position them as a biological food supplement, as they contain large quantities of vitamins and minerals. They accelerate the metabolism in cells, thereby making the vascular walls more dense and at the same time elastic. They are considered the most effective for neck vessels.
Vasodilating drugs are available in large quantities. And in the following sections of the article we will describe some of the most common.
Vasodilator drugs: list
For the brain, as you already understood, there are quite a few drugs of interest to us and the mechanism of their effect is individual. However, doctors usually prescribe only a few vasodilatants to their patients. They have already been tested by time and have proven their continued effectiveness:
- "Cinnarizine."
- Amlodipine.
- "Stugeron."
- "Indapamide."
- Drotaverinum.
Below we give a brief description of the mentioned drugs and note their manufacturers.
"Cinnarizine": a medicine for solving vascular problems
Of the vasodilator drugs available to doctors for the head, Cinnarizine is most often prescribed to patients. It is indicated for use by people who have problems with blood supply to the limbs, cerebral blood supply, and so on.
Interestingly, patients are often confused in the names of the drug. The fact is that, in addition to the main word denoting the active substance, there are others on the package that mislead customers. In fact, only one type of tablet is on sale, but each pharmaceutical plant has patented its name in order to stand out from the competition. Initially, the drug was developed and first put on sale in Soviet times. In this period, it was not important which plant produced the tablets, but in the nineties the situation changed. In order to be eligible for the production of Cinarizine, they had to invent new names. Today, the presence in tablets of different plants of a different composition of excipients is allowed.
It should be noted that this vasodilator drug for cerebral vessels also has a pronounced antihistamine effect. In parallel, it reduces problems with the vestibular apparatus, which greatly expands the list of indications for use.
Description of Amlodipine
This drug belongs to the same pharmacological group as the previous one. But it is most often prescribed to “cores”, that is, patients who have problems with the heart muscle. The main effects of Amlodipine include a decrease in blood pressure and a parallel decrease in the oxygen demand of the heart. This reduces the risk of angina pectoris.
To date, pharmacists produce about twelve varieties of the drug. Between themselves, they differ only in abbreviations in the name. This allows factories to insist on the uniqueness of their product, although its production was started back in the Soviet Union. Experts say that the consumer does not know which drug is the best, and therefore acquires the one that is available. However, in reality, different raw materials can be used to produce Amlodipine, and the technology itself may differ depending on the manufacturing plant.
Specialized sources noted that Amlodipine Teva is very popular. If you take a closer look at this drug, it turns out that it is produced by a Hungarian company. But the license was obtained from an Israeli corporation known for its medicines. This provides the tablets with very high quality, which, unfortunately, does not differ the Russian manufacturer. The active substance at the Teva plants undergoes multi-stage purification, which allows patients to obtain a more pronounced effect in the treatment process. In parallel, the likelihood of adverse reactions is reduced. As a result, a high-quality, effective and expensive drug enters the Russian market.
Brief description of "Stugeron"
Many believe that Stugeron is the same Cinnarizine, focusing on the active substance of the drugs. But still, there are a lot of differences between them. And first of all, they are indications for use.
This vasodilator drug for the brain has shown itself well in peripheral circulatory disorders caused by, for example, diabetes or stroke. Often he is discharged for speedy recovery after traumatic brain injury.
This drug can be used for a very long time, but during this period it is important to monitor your condition, since tablets can cause a lot of side effects. Despite this, the medicine is indicated for children from six years old. However, it can only be prescribed by the attending physician. Experts in every possible way warn against self-administration of tablets and especially capsules of "Stugeron". They have a higher concentration of the active substance and a prolonged period of exposure.
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Often, the drug is prescribed in parallel with other drugs. It goes well with many medications to lower blood pressure.
Long known drug: Drotaverinum
Most Russians consider this drug anesthetic. And people are right, but in fact the mentioned effect is achieved by neutralizing muscle spasm and vasodilation in order to increase blood flow. Due to this, Drotaverin has a wide range of applications. He primarily relieves pain during stomach problems, women's diseases and diseases of the urinary tract.
In pharmacies, you can buy a drug of eight varieties, which, however, differ little from each other. In order to stand out, the manufacturer usually enters the name of his company in the name. Thus, the buyer immediately receives information about whose product he is acquiring. To be objective, we note that Drotaverin, issued by different corporations, has no significant differences.
Conclusion
We hope that the reader now has an idea of ​​the dangers of vascular problems and the importance of timely administration of vasodilator drugs.