Patients who are diagnosed with an ulcer know very well how painful, unpleasant, and sometimes very painful manifestations of this pathology are. It is not surprising that this category of people, as a rule, does not resort to self-medication. They trust their health in the hands of doctors. After all, doctors are choosing a fairly effective therapy that can quickly relieve symptoms. One of the drugs that is often recommended to patients is Famotidine. Indications for use of this drug, prescribed dosages and established contraindications will be studied in more detail.
a brief description of
The medicine “Famotidine” refers to a group of drugs called “histamine H2 receptor antagonists”. The medication is used in the treatment of peptic ulcers. It is included in the treatment of reflux esophagitis.
The tool perfectly prevents the production of hydrochloric acid. Provides a decrease in the activity of pepsin - the enzyme that breaks down proteins. It is precisely on these properties that the Famotidine preparation is based on indications for use. Patient reviews indicate that the therapeutic effect is manifested 45-60 minutes after taking the first dose. The beneficial effects can last about 12-24 hours.
A medicine is produced in the form of tablets. The active substance of the pills is famotidine. Depending on its content, tablets are produced containing 0.02 g of the main component and 0.04 g.
Consider the pathologies under which taking the medicine “Famotidine” is justified.
Indications for use
The medicine is prescribed, as mentioned above, for peptic ulcers. However, it is advisable to take it for preventive purposes. To avoid the development of a peptic ulcer, doctors recommend using this drug to patients who have been on NSAID therapy and glucocorticosteroids for a long time. Also, with many other pathologies, the medicine "Famotidine" is prescribed.
Indications for use of the drug:
- Gastric ulcers, 12 duodenal ulcer, including relapse prevention.
- Reflux esophagitis.
- Functional dyspepsia associated with enhanced secretory function.
- Stressful, symptomatic ulcers.
- Erosive gastroduodenitis.
- Systemic mastocytosis.
- Prevention in the postoperative period of recurrence of bleeding.
- Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome.
- Polyendocrine adenomatosis.
- Prevention of aspiration in patients with gastric juice during surgery under general anesthesia (with Mendelssohn syndrome).
- Prevention of aspiration pneumonitis.
- Dyspepsia with sternal or epigastric pain that occurs at night or is associated with eating.
Dosage of medication
Each patient is selected a treatment regimen purely individually. Therefore, it is important to visit a doctor and undergo all the necessary diagnostics so that the doctor can prescribe the most effective treatment. It is extremely undesirable to take Famotidine medication on your own.
Tablets for use recommends taking the tablets according to the following schemes:
- Gastrointestinal ulcers in the acute stage, erosive gastroduodenitis, symptomatic ulcers. A medicine is prescribed to be taken twice a day, 20 mg each. Sometimes it is recommended to take a pill only at night, but at a dosage of 40 mg. If the desired effect is not achieved, then the doctor can recommend taking 80-160 mg for 1 day. Treatment lasts from 4 to 8 weeks.
- Dyspepsia . In this case, it is advisable to take 1 tablet (20 mg) 1-2 times a day.
- Prevention of ulcerative ailments. Once a day, before going to bed, 20 mg are prescribed.
- Reflux esophagitis. For 6-12 weeks, twice a day, 20-40 mg.
- Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. The initial dose is 20 mg. It is recommended to take a tablet after 6 hours. In some situations, a single dose may be increased to 160 mg.
Sometimes the medicine is prescribed for children over the age of 3 years. However, the body weight of such patients should be more than 10 kg. With an exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease or reflux esophagitis, it is necessary to calculate the daily rate for the baby. Recommended at 2 mg / kg. It is divided into 2 uses per day. However, the maximum daily intake is 40 mg.
Contraindications
The drug does not contain many restrictions. This distinguishes the medication from most other means.
The main contraindications to taking the tablets are:
- pregnancy;
- childhood;
- lactation period;
- individual sensitivity.
Be sure to consult with your doctor before using this tool about the appropriateness of therapy with this drug and the required dosage.
If the patient has renal failure, the dosage regimen is assigned individually. As a rule, the doctor recommends lowering the dose taken.
Side effects
A lot of the drug “Famotidine” leads to undesirable manifestations. Instructions for use. Description of side effects is extremely rare in patient reviews. But still get acquainted with them.
According to the instructions, the patient may experience the following symptoms:
- Impaired appetite.
- Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation.
- Increased activity of liver enzymes, acute pancreatitis, hepatitis.
- Dry mouth.
- Headache, insomnia, restlessness, dizziness, tinnitus.
- Fuzzy visual perception, paresis of accommodation.
- Hyperthermia, fever.
- Drowsiness, depression, fatigue, nervousness, psychosis.
- Confusion, hallucinations.
- Bradycardia, arrhythmia, decreased pressure, vasculitis, antrioventricular block.
- Muscle pain, discomfort in the joints.
- Skin rash, alopecia, dry skin, itching, angioedema, acne vulgaris, bronchospasm, anaphylactic shock, various manifestations of hypersensitivity.
- Increased blood urea, agranulocytosis, pancytopenia, bone marrow aplasia, hypoplasia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia.
- Hyperprolactinemia, gynecomastia, impotence, amenorrhea in the case of long-term therapy at high dosages.
special instructions
It is important to consider not only the drug "Famotidine" indications for use. The medicine has some features.
The instruction warns of the following properties of the tablets:
- Before starting therapy with this medicine, a pathology such as malignant gastrointestinal disease should be excluded. The drug "Famotidine" is able to mask the symptoms, as a result of which timely diagnosis is difficult.
- The painful manifestations of ulcer ailments often disappear after 1-2 weeks of taking the medication. However, the patient should drink the full course prescribed by the doctor. Discontinue therapy only after scarring of the ulcer, which is confirmed by x-ray or endoscopic examination.
- When drug is withdrawn, the patient is prescribed a gradual dose reduction. A sharp rejection of the drug leads to a rebound syndrome.
- A healthy diet should be followed during therapy. It is recommended to avoid food that provokes mucosal irritation.
- Due to smoking, the effectiveness of the medication may decrease.
- If a dose was missed, it is recommended to drink it as soon as possible. But if the turn of the next dose has come, then doubling the dose is strictly contraindicated.
Analogues of the drug
Drugs that have the same active substance as the original tool are medicines:
- "Gasterogen."
- "Gastrosidine."
- Pepsidin.
- Kvamatel.
- Ulfamide.
- Famopsin.
- “Kvamatel mini”.
- "Famosan."
- Famotel.
Cost of medicine
However, patients choose this remedy not only for such numerous medicines "Famotidine" indications. The price is simply amazing, so low.
Depending on the dosage and the number of tablets, the cost of the medication varies between 33-78 rubles.
Opinions about the drug
It is quite clear how the Famotidine instruction positions the medicine. Application, patient reviews are of keen interest. What is the story of the people who were prescribed the medicine?
Patients claim that, having experienced many different medicines, they chose the Famotidine drug. After all, pills perfectly and very quickly eliminate unwanted symptoms. In this case, patients note a mild effect on the body.
Patients claim that the drug is equally effective in ulcerative pathologies, and with gastritis, and in case of acute pancreatitis.
Thus, we can conclude that the medicine “Famotidine” instruction is quite justifiable as an effective drug. The use (reviews of people testify to this) means contributes to the rapid elimination of painful symptoms.