Various disorders in the functioning of the heart are a problem of many people. And quite often, in order to eliminate symptoms or stop the development of the disease, patients are prescribed drugs known as "cardiac glycosides." Korglikon also belongs to this group of drugs. Instructions for use, indications for treatment, side effects, analogs and reviews are the main issues that interest patients. So what is this medicine and what properties does it have?
Composition and form of release
The drug "Korglikon" is available in the form of a clear solution for injection with a slight yellowish tinge. The medicine is sold in 1 ml glass ampoules. One package contains 10 ampoules.
The main active substance of the drug is korglikon - a biologically active glycoside, which is obtained from the leaves of May lily of the valley. One milliliter of the solution contains 600 μg of this component, respectively, the concentration is 0.06%. As auxiliary substances, chlorobutanol hydrate and purified water for injection are present in the composition .
Description of the pharmacological properties of the drug
The active components of the drug are obtained by purifying extracts of May lily of the valley and its varieties. This is a cardiac glycoside, which has a positive inotropic effect on the human body .
This drug activates the sodium-calcium exchange of the membrane of cardiomyocytes, which, in turn, increases the strength of contractions of the heart muscle. During therapy, an increase in stroke volume of the blood, a decrease in the final systolic and diastolic volume of the heart, and a decrease in the oxygen demand of the myocardium are observed.
Also, the medicine provides a negative chronotropic effect. Treatment leads to an increase in the sensitivity of cardiopulmonary baroreceptors, reducing the excessive activity of the sympathetic system. On the other hand, the medicine increases the activity of the vagus nerve, interferes with the speed of the impulse through the atrioventricular node and, thus, has an antiarrhythmic effect.
In the presence of atrial tachyarrhythmia, this medicine slows down the rate of contraction of the ventricles of the heart, lengthens the period of diastole, improves intracardiac hemodynamin. With intravenous administration, the drug begins to act after 3-5 minutes. The maximum effect is observed 25-30 minutes after taking the medicine.
What are the indications for treatment?
This drug is often used in modern medicine. But many patients are interested in the question of in which cases it is advisable to take the drug “Korglikon”. Indications for use here are different. In particular, it is prescribed to patients suffering from a tachysystolic form of atrial fibrillation. The drug also helps with atrial flutter of the paroxysmal type.
There are other situations in which it is advisable to use the drug "Korglikon". Indications for use are also attacks of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. In modern medical practice, this drug is often prescribed to patients with chronic insufficiency of the second, third and fourth functional class. Naturally, with such a disease, injections are only part of complex therapy.
The medicine "Korglikon": instructions for use
Only a doctor can prescribe such a medicine after a thorough diagnosis. The specialist will also determine the most effective dose and schedule an injection. To prepare a solution, the contents of one ampoule are diluted in 10-20 ml of a dextrose or glucose solution with a concentration of 20 or 40%.
A single dose for adult patients is 0.5-1 ml of the drug. Children aged 6 to 12 years, as a rule, receive no more than 0.5-0.75 ml of this drug. A child aged 2 to 5 years is prescribed 0.2-0.5 ml. The diluted dextrose solution is administered intravenously for 5-6 minutes. The procedure is repeated twice a day with a break of at least 8-10 hours. The maximum daily dose for adults is 2 ml of Korglikon. The duration of therapy is determined individually.
Are there any contraindications?
Are all categories of patients allowed to receive treatment with Korglikon? Instructions for use contain information that there are still contraindications to therapy, so it will be useful to familiarize yourself with their list:
- This medicine is not prescribed for hypersensitivity to any of the constituent components, as well as allergies to cardiac glycosides.
- Contraindications include atrioventricular block of the second degree, as well as intermittent complete block.
- The drug is not taken by patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
- Contraindication is glycosidic intoxication.
- The medicine is not used to treat pregnant women and nursing mothers.
There are so-called relative contraindications, in the presence of which therapy is possible only under constant monitoring. Such conditions include atrioventricular blockade of the first degree, acute myocardial infarction, hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, heart failure with impaired diastolic function, extrasystole, isolated mitral stenosis, electrolyte disturbances, hypothyroidism, myocarditis, obesity, renal and liver failure, alka. With caution, the drug is prescribed for elderly patients.
Are adverse reactions likely to occur?
Many patients, before starting therapy, ask questions about possible complications associated with the use of Korglikon. Instructions for use contain information that the drug can actually cause side effects. Here is a list of the most common ones:
- During treatment, some patients may develop arrhythmia.
- From the side of the nervous system, such reactions as confusion, headaches, increased drowsiness, sleep disturbances, dizziness are possible. Much less often, a decrease in visual acuity is observed. It is extremely rare for patients to develop delirious psychosis.
- Sometimes there is a violation of the normal functioning of the blood forming organs, which is manifested by thrombocytopenia, frequent nosebleeds, thrombocytopenic purpura.
- From the digestive system, disorders such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, anorexia may appear.
- Local allergic reactions are also possible, which are manifested by swelling, redness of the skin, the appearance of a rash and itching.
In the presence of any deterioration, it is worth consulting a doctor. You may only need to adjust the dose. But sometimes a complete withdrawal of the drug is required.
The drug "Korglikon": analogues and substitutes
For some reason, a drug prescribed by a doctor may not be suitable for some patients. What to do in such cases? Can Korglikon be replaced with something? It is not so easy to find analogs of this tool in the modern pharmaceutical market, since there simply are no drugs with the same active components. Nevertheless, you can try to replace it with medicines with a different composition.
For example, the Digoxin drug has approximately the same properties. In some cases, as a substitute, you can use the drug "Strofantin", which stands out among others really fast exposure. Other analogs include “Digitoxin”. It is worth noting that all these glycosides are obtained from plant materials.
How much is the drug?
Among other factors, for many patients, the cost of a drug prescribed by doctors is important. Of course, the exact amount is difficult to determine, because here everything depends on the manufacturer, the financial policy of the pharmacy, the city of residence, etc.
So how much does the Korglikon drug cost? The price of a package of ten ampoules is about 50-65 rubles. By the way, the drug is sold by prescription. Only a doctor can prescribe the drug "Korglikon" to the patient (the prescription in Latin looks like this - Corglyconi 0.06%).
Reviews of doctors and patients
In modern medical practice, cardiac glycosides are used quite often. And one of the most popular drugs of this group is Korglikon. Doctors' reviews indicate that the medicine really does its job, normalizing the myocardium, eliminating the symptoms of a particular pathology and preventing the development of complications.
Patients also leave positive feedback on the drug Korglikon. The instructions here are extremely simple, the course of treatment does not last long, and the therapy is well tolerated. Despite the possibility of developing certain adverse reactions, statistical studies indicate that they are extremely rare. And of course, the relatively low cost is one of the benefits of this medicine. The disadvantages include the fact that not every drugstore sells this drug, so sometimes it is quite difficult to find.
It is worth noting that in no case should you use this medicine yourself, since an incorrect dosage can lead to serious intoxication of the body.