The treatment of mental illness in many people is associated with the use of potent drugs that cause irreparable harm to the nervous system. Therefore, some patients with mild symptoms prefer to hide them or fight them on their own. This approach is very dangerous and fraught with the development of serious complications. Timely seeking help from a psychiatrist and selecting an individual treatment regimen with appropriate means is the key to maintaining a normal lifestyle in the future.
Mechanism of action
“Clopixol-Akufaz” is a medicinal solution for intramuscular administration. It refers to antipsychotics, that is, drugs that are used to treat various diseases of the psyche. The active substance in the solution is zuclopentixol acetate.
Psychotic reactions can develop due to malfunctioning of neurotransmitters (most often dopamine and serotonin). Normally, these compounds transmit a nerve impulse to receptor endings. To reduce their activity and return to the brain the ability to think objectively, antipsychotics are used. Zuclopentixol blocks dopamine receptors, due to which it exhibits an antipsychotic effect.
The substance also inhibits the transmission of impulses in the nerve endings of the brain stem, has a calming and relaxing effect. It reduces the vomiting reflex, so it can be used in situations in which a tantrum is accompanied by nausea and headache.
Indications
“Clopixol-Akufaz” is used to treat the initial stages of acute mental illness, exacerbations of chronic psychoses and to reduce the severity of manifestations of manic obsessions. In combination with other components of treatment, this tool returns a person to the real world. It effectively eliminates the following symptoms of incipient psychosis:
- nervousness and unmotivated aggression towards others;
- lack of interest in life, apathy;
- memory impairment;
- decreased mental performance;
- anxiety and causeless fear;
- indifference to their appearance, constant neglect of basic hygiene rules;
- isolation and unwillingness to communicate with people;
- excessive suspicion and distrust.
The maximum concentration of the drug in the blood is observed on the 3rd day of treatment, although the sedative effect develops much earlier (approximately 15 minutes after intramuscular injection).
"Clopixol-Akufaz": instructions for use of the drug
The solution contains 50 mg of zuclopentixol acetate in 1 ml. Depending on the patient’s disease, the dose of the medicine is selected individually by the attending physician. The recommended initial amount of the drug is 1-3 ml intramuscularly. One injection is enough to maintain a stable concentration of the active substance in the blood for several days. The number of injections and the interval between them can be adjusted by the attending psychiatrist, taking into account the tolerance of the drug and the severity of its action.
In the treatment of the elderly, many antipsychotics are undesirable to be administered at the maximum permissible doses. This also applies to the drug “Clopixol-Akufaz”. Instructions for use of the drug involves reducing the amount of injected solution to 1-2 ml once. Exceeding these values ​​is highly not recommended in order to avoid the development of side effects and allergic reactions.
Contraindications
Any antipsychotics cannot be used in some concomitant pathological conditions. This should be taken into account when prescribing the drug “Clopixol-Akufaz”. Contraindications to its use are as follows:
- cardiovascular failure (collapse);
- pheochromocytoma;
- coma;
- state of drug or alcohol poisoning.
The drug is not used to treat pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, when all organs and systems of the unborn baby are laid. During lactation, the administration of this medicine is also undesirable, although it is excreted in milk in a minimal amount. With an urgent need to combine drug therapy with breastfeeding is possible. In this situation, a newborn needs to organize constant pediatric monitoring in order to respond in time if the drug negatively affects the child.
Side effect
Undesirable effects during treatment rarely occur. This usually happens with prolonged use of the solution in large quantities. As a rule, when the dose is reduced, they go away, although sometimes it is necessary to replace Clopixol-Akufaz with alternative agents. Side effects can be expressed by such systems and organs:
- nervous system (movement disorders, accommodation pathologies, increased fatigue and constant desire to sleep);
- cardiovascular system (dizziness and decrease in pressure with a sharp change in body position, rapid pulse);
- digestive organs (fluctuations in the level of liver samples, insufficient salivation, impaired bowel movements);
- excretory system (inability to empty the bladder).
Since the drug has a bright sedative effect, it is undesirable for the patient to drive a car and work with precise mechanisms that require concentration during the course of treatment.
Admission Rules
"Clopixol-Akufaz" refers to non-toxic drugs, which are mainly easily tolerated by patients. However, given that the product is available as an oil solution, it can be administered exclusively intramuscularly. Intravenous injections can lead to fat embolism, which is very dangerous for human life. It is fraught with blockage of the main blood vessels and respiratory arrest.
Even with a noticeable improvement and a visible absence of symptoms, you can not abruptly stop using the drug “Clopixol-Akufaz”. An abstract to the remedy involves in such cases the selection of maintenance therapy or the transition to tablets with the same active substance. It is very important to adhere to all the recommendations of the attending physician, because unauthorized withdrawal of the drug almost always leads to a new exacerbation and, as a result, to serious psychological problems.
Compatible with other medicines and alcohol.
Almost all drugs used in psychiatry are incompatible with alcohol (including Clopixol-Akufaz). Treatment with this remedy provides for the rejection of alcohol and any narcotic substances, since when combined with the body, they greatly inhibit the functioning of the brain and the entire nervous system. The drug also enhances and prolongs the effect of medicines for general anesthesia.
A combination drug with antiemetic drugs (for example, “Cerucal”) and anthelmintic (“piperazine”) is considered dangerous. The risk of developing extrapyramidal pathology in this case increases much more than with the separate use of these funds.
Clopixol-Akufaz solution (including analogues of the drug) is not prescribed together with guanethidine and similar drugs for the treatment of hypertension. In Parkinson's disease, the use of this antipsychotic is contraindicated, since it does not combine with the usual therapy that is usual for such patients.
How to switch to other dosage forms?
To maintain the antipsychotic effect, the psychiatrist can choose an individual scheme for switching to a more convenient dosage form. Most often, the patient is recommended to replace the injection with the usual solution on the deposited version. Usually, 1 injection of this medicine once every 2 weeks is enough to achieve the desired concentration of the drug in the tissues of the body.
This regimen does not affect a normal lifestyle, and in the absence of direct indications for hospitalization, a person can continue treatment at home. Less often, instead of injections, tablets are prescribed, the dose of which is calculated individually, based on the characteristics of the patient's body and the severity of the disease.
Advantages and disadvantages of the drug
“Clopixol-Akufaz” is available in a convenient dosage, which allows you to reduce the number of injections to a minimum and thereby not focus on the patient. Unlike other antipsychotics, in the treatment of psychosis, a course of 2-4 injections of this medicine is sufficient to achieve a lasting effect. With the right dosage, the product avoids the parallel intake of tranquilizers. Treatment with the drug helps to eliminate not only the signs of psychosis, but also some symptoms of schizophrenia (a tendency to isolation, emotional exhaustion).
The relative disadvantage of the drug can be called its dosage form. Since the medicine is available in solution, it can only be injected. This requires the help of medical staff and compliance with sterility. However, given the effectiveness and wide spectrum of action of the drug “Clopixol-Akufaz” (indications and clinical data confirm this), these nuances are not particularly significant.
Patient Reviews
Mentally ill people deserve attention and support no less than those who are physically ill. Not understanding the danger of the disease during an exacerbation, they can harm themselves or others. Therefore, those who encountered such a problem during the period of "enlightenment" are ready to try any treatment methods and drugs to normalize their thinking and reaction to the outside world. One of the most effective and affordable drugs in this case is Clopixol-Akufaz. Reviews of the drug confirm the fact that relief in patients with psychosis came very quickly, and then there was a prolonged remission.
Few patients complained of side effects, and they were mainly associated with high dosages of the drug administered. People noticed that during treatment, the desire to hide from relatives and not communicate with medical staff gradually left them. Over time, they could socialize normally in the familiar circle of communication and maintain critical thinking.
Doctors reviews
During treatment with antipsychotics, the sedative effect is often accompanied by a significant decrease in pressure (this also applies to the drug “Clopixol-Akufaz”). The instruction warns about this, although in practice, doctors note that most often severe hypotension is not observed when using this medication.
Psychiatrists describe rapid sedation in psychosis, schizophrenia, and manic states. Unfortunately, the medicine does not lead to improvements in cognitive and analytical abilities of the brain, which are impaired in schizophrenia. This is not characteristic of the drug. For these purposes, patients should be individually assigned additional funds.
The medicine is used to treat the elderly. It eliminates anxiety and relieves symptoms of mental arousal. In people with Alzheimer's disease, it helps relieve aggression and improves sleep, but this does not happen as fast as in patients with vascular pathologies.