Hepatoprotective agents are used in the treatment of many diseases, as well as as prophylactic drugs. They help the main organ cleansing body to work correctly, performing all the functions assigned to it. One of these drugs is "Heptor" (400 mg). Instructions for use will tell you why and how the medicine is used.
In what form is the drug produced?
Diseases, whatever they are, cause a person to feel depressed, depressed. Therefore, some drugs in their functionality have an antidepressant orientation. They play a double role - they help not only fight the disease, but also relieve nervous tension and calm down. Instructions for use tell exactly about this property for the preparation “Heptor” (400 mg).
Only the attending physician selects the form of the drug and the duration of treatment. The hepatoprotector release form “Heptor” (400 mg) - tablets of 20, 40 or 60 pieces per pack or lyophilisate for the preparation of a solution for intravenous or intramuscular administration.
The tablets are colored yellow, which has an enteric coating. They have an oval shape, without external notches, although two parts can be seen at the break. Tablets are packed in glass or plastic jars or in blisters.
What does the drug consist of?
The medicine "Heptor" (400 mg) contains one active substance in its composition - it is ademetionine (Ademetionine). As auxiliary components, the drug includes:
- magnesium stearate - a forming substance;
- mannitol has diuretic properties;
- microcrystalline cellulose - a forming substance
- polyplasdone X El-10 (crospovidone) - a complexing substance with detoxification properties.
The presence of auxiliary components corresponds to the dosage form of the substance.
How does the active substance work?
A chemical compound called ademetionine is produced in the tissues of the liver and brain of a person and is functionally necessary for many reactions. The synthesized substance in the form of a drug helps the development of a natural analogue and makes up for its deficiency. The coenzyme ademethionine was first studied in Italy in the middle of the last century. Scientists have found that its role in the body is very important as a precursor to many thiol physiological compounds, for example glutathione, taurine, cysteine, as well as polyamines - putrescine, which stimulates the restoration of cells, spermidine and spermine, which are part of the ribosome complex.
Ademethionine stimulates the production of phosphatidylcholine, which is responsible for the polarization and mobility of the membranes of liver tissue cells - hepatocytes. This functionality is especially important for intralobular cholestasis - a violation of the synthesis and flow of bile. The medicinal component of the heptor drug (400 mg) activates several functions of the hepatosystem:
- transport function, contributing to the release of bile acids into the biliary system;
- by increasing the number of conjugated and sulfated bile acids in hepatocytes, it stimulates the detoxification of bile acids;
- increases the solubility of bile acids due to fusion with taurine;
- activates the removal of bile acids from liver cells;
- promotes the elimination (elimination) of bile due to the ability to sulfate;
- protects liver cells from the toxic effects of damaging components with intrahepatic cholestasis.
Ademethionine has an antidepressant property, manifested in the second week of the drug. It also contributes to interrupting relapse of depression.
For the Heptor drug (400 mg), the instructions for use also describe its ability to reduce the manifestations of symptoms of intrahepatic cholestasis syndrome, such as skin itching and biochemical blood parameters - alkaline phosphatase activity (cell enzyme), aminotransferase activity (increase characterizes tissue pathology), level direct bilirubin.
The drug helps to reduce asthenic syndrome. During clinical trials, it was found that the positive dynamics of the antiasthenic, anticholestatic and hepatoprotective effects of the drug persisted even 3 months after its withdrawal. Medicinal hepatopathies, disorders in the liver during opioid addiction successfully regress when taking the drug.
A decrease in pain syndrome, as well as partial restoration of cartilage tissue in osteoarthritis due to stimulation of proteoglycan synthesis, was noted with the empirical use of the Heptor drug.
As with any other medicinal product, instructions for use are attached to the "Heptor" preparation (400 mg). It is mandatory for careful reading not only to the doctor prescribing the drug, but also to the patient.
Active component path in operation
Taking the Heptor medicine (400 mg) in the form of tablets allows the active component to reach the duodenum unchanged, where it is released and enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. The bioavailability in this case is low - only 5%. The concentration in one tablet of 400 mg of active substance allows the patient to receive a therapeutically significant amount of the drug. The maximum concentration of ademetionine is observed in the cerebrospinal fluid after 2-6 hours. Its metabolism occurs in the liver, and the half-life is one and a half hours.
Pharmaceutical group of the drug
As the instructions for use (ampoules or tablets, it doesn’t matter) about the Heptor drug (400 mg), the drug belongs to two pharmacological groups - antidepressants and hepatoprotectors due to the functional characteristics of the active component - ademethionine. Therefore, the list of areas of its application is quite extensive.
In what cases is the drug indicated?
The double-acting drug is Heptor (400 mg). Indications for use of this drug are based on the work of its active component - ademetionina. It is thanks to him that it is used in the following cases:
- withdrawal syndrome;
- disease of the biliary tract of unspecified etiology;
- intrahepatic cholestasis;
- depressive syndrome;
- liver damage: alcoholic, viral, medicinal (antibiotics, oral contraceptives, antiviral, antitumor, anti-TB drugs, tricyclic antidepressants), toxic;
- behavioral and mental disorders triggered by the use of opioids;
- liver fibrosis;
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- encephalopathy, including those caused with liver failure.
If the drug can not be used?
Like all medicines, the Heptor drug (400 mg), tablets or lyophilisate, has undergone clinical trials to help identify contraindications for use. For this medicine there are not so many of them - hypersensitivity and intolerance to the components. The drug is also not recommended in the treatment of patients with diagnosed liver cirrhosis associated with hyperazotemia - an excess of nitrogenous products of protein metabolism in the blood. This drug is not prescribed for children under 18 years of age due to the lack of appropriate clinical trials.
Pregnancy and lactation
Pregnancy and the period of breastfeeding a newborn baby require a maximum of useful substances from the woman’s body, the full return of all vitality, and it seems that funds that have the ability to help during this period should be in demand. But this does not apply to the hepatoprotector "Heptor" (400 mg). This drug is strictly contraindicated in the 1st and 2nd trimesters of pregnancy. If, for medical reasons, a woman needs to take this medicine in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, then it is carried out only under the constant supervision of the attending physician.
The lactation period is incompatible with treatment with ademetionine-based hepatoprotector, since the active substance passes into breast milk and can have an extremely negative effect on the baby’s body. If treatment with the Heptor drug (400 mg) is necessary, the instructions for the use of the drug recommends stopping breastfeeding by transferring the baby in advance to artificial mixtures.
Feasible side effects
He will tell you about what side effects the Heptor drug (400 mg) can cause, instructions for use. In the form of tablets or lyophilisate, it causes not so many “side effects”:
- allergic reactions to the components of the drug;
- pain or discomfort in the epigastrium, which is caused by an increase in the acidity of the gastric secretion against the background of an acidic pH of ademetionine.
As a rule, soreness goes away on its own, but an allergy can provoke a deterioration in well-being, therefore, it is necessary to inform the doctor about the side effect of the drug in order to adjust the treatment.
How to take the drug
Any drug should be taken in accordance with the instructions for use and the appointment of the attending physician. Hepatoprotector "Heptor" (400 mg), the ampoules of which contain ademethionine lyophilisate, is used to prepare the solution. This form of the drug is most often used for intensive care. Lyophilisate is dissolved only in a special substance based on L-lysine. 400 or 800 mg of the drug is administered per day. It can be administered either intramuscularly, or intravenously, very slowly. The course of intensive treatment with lyophilisate is 2-4 weeks, the specific duration is determined by the attending physician. Then the therapy is carried out using tablets, the same form of medicine is used for standard treatment that does not require emergency action of the drug. The tablet is removed from the packaging immediately before ingestion. The mode of application of this form of the drug is between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner. It is advisable to exclude the use of the drug in the evening, as it has some exciting effect. The tablet should be swallowed whole, without chewing, without dissolving and not crushing. For a day, the drug is taken in a dosage of 2-4 tablets, the exact dosage is determined by the doctor based on the patient's condition.
Overdose
Injection or tablets "Heptor" (400 mg), the instructions for use describe quite clearly. But information about an overdose of the drug in any form is not indicated, since there is none and no tests have been conducted on this subject. It should be remembered that the medicine should be used strictly as prescribed by the doctor in the indicated dosage and mode of application.
Drug Interactions
Ademethionine, which is the active substance of the hepatoprotector "Heptor", has not been studied in the field of interaction with other medicinal substances. When taking pills or injecting, the manufacturer's recommendation should be taken into account - use the drug between meals. Since most drugs are taken half an hour before or after a meal, this eliminates the significant interaction of active substances.
Features of drug treatment
For the drug "Heptor" (400 mg), the instructions for use indicate some features. They must be taken into account during therapy with this tool:
- you should not take the medicine in the evening, as it has a tonic effect;
- treatment of cirrhosis with hyperazotemic etiology should be accompanied by a regular check of the content of nitrogen compounds in the blood;
- tablets of the medicine are enclosed in a special shell, which dissolves only in the duodenum, therefore it is impossible to grind tablets for oral administration;
- drug treatment and alcohol intake are incompatible;
- the lyophilisate solution is prepared just before administration, the tablet is removed from the package immediately before ingestion. A change in the color of the solution or the color of the tablet warns of the impossibility of their use;
- This drug does not affect the concentration of attention or memory, and therefore during treatment it is not forbidden to drive vehicles and perform work that requires an increased concentration of attention.
How to buy and store medicine?
The drug "Heptor" is a hepatoprotector, which also has an antidepressant effect. That is why its purchase in the pharmacy network is possible only by prescription. The purchased medicine must be stored away from sunlight and excess moisture, at a temperature of +5 to +25 0 C. Prepare the solution and remove the tablet from the packaging immediately before use.
What do doctors and patients say about the medicine?
Hepatoprotector "Heptor" (400 mg) receives mostly positive reviews from doctors and patients. The drug helps to cope with health problems if a course of treatment according to the scheme indicated by the doctor is passed. Many patients compare the medicine “Heptor” (400 mg), the instructions for use of which speak of it as a hepatoprotector and antidepressant, with similar, similar drugs, noting its slightly lower price.
The use of the “Heptor” drug allows you to effectively solve health problems and at the same time get an antidepressant effect. But only a doctor can prescribe this medicine!