Disruption of the intestines may not cause frequent trips to the toilet, but rather a rare and painful visit to the restroom. Many drugs will help to alleviate the condition in such situations, but each of them has certain limitations in taking and side effects. The safest drug today is Dufalac. How fast the medicine works, who can take it, and what are the features, will be described below.
Composition and form of release
You can buy the drug in any pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription. The drug is produced exclusively in the Netherlands, but the manufacturer has offices in all countries where the medicine is supplied.
The composition of the drug "Dufalac" is very simple, it includes only the active substance - lactulose - and purified water to bring to the desired consistency and volume. The release form is only a thick, sweet yellow syrup. Depending on the batch, the color may vary slightly, but this does not affect the quality of the drug.
A laxative can be purchased at the pharmacy in a sachet of 15 ml or in a plastic bottle of different volumes. Capacity for 200 ml, 500 ml and 1 l are offered for sale. Each bottle has a measuring cup included.
Active substance
How long Dufalac begins to act depends on the individual sensitivity of the body to the main component. Lactulose is a carbohydrate obtained from the deep processing of milk, which contains only galactose and glucose. This provides a sweet taste of syrup. This carbohydrate allows you to gently stimulate intestinal motility by converting to organic acids in the colon. Lactulose also provides an increase in osmotic pressure, a decrease in acidity and the formation of ammonium ions. All this increases the volume of feces and softens their structure, stimulates the reduction of the intestinal walls and leads to natural emptying.
Features of the drug
In addition to the fact that the mechanism of action of Dufalac has a laxative effect on the body, the drug also has hypoazotemic and hyperosmotic effects. Syrup also helps to improve the excretion of ammonium ions and the absorption of calcium salts and phosphates.
A feature of the drug is its ability to normalize the intestinal microflora, cleanse it and stabilize microbiocenosis. All this relates the drug to the group of prebiotics.
"Dufalac" does not irritate the intestinal wall and acts only inside them, not absorbed into the body. In addition, the drug does not interfere with the receipt of nutrients from food and acts on the principle of natural dietary fiber.
How fast Dufalac works depends on the volume of the first dose taken. The maximum is considered a daily dosage of 75 ml. A larger volume can cause the removal of the drug unchanged and the appearance of discomfort in the intestine.
Indications for use
The main recommendation for taking the drug is the presence of constipation at any age. In addition, syrup can be prescribed for:
- hepatic encephalopathy;
- hepatic prekma or coma;
- salmonellosis;
- exacerbation of hemorrhoids;
- inflammation of the colon near the anus;
- preparation for bowel examinations;
- enteritis;
- putrefactive intestinal dispersion;
- after surgery on the large intestine.
The reasons for such a wide list of diseases are the ability of the drug to reduce the amount of toxic substances in the intestine of nitrogen metabolism and the complete lack of addiction, even after prolonged use.
Admission Rules
Instructions for use "Dufalac" for adults and children indicate the only opportunity to take medicine - to drink. If desired, the syrup can be slightly diluted with water, which is important for young children, or drink it unchanged.
The instruction recommends taking the medicine strictly at a certain time, so that the intestines work is configured as clearly as possible. You can do this twice a day or only 1 time, but then preferably in the morning. The drug does not depend on food intake, the main thing is to use a sufficient amount of liquid during treatment to ensure its full functioning. For an adult, this is 1.5-2 liters per day.
Dosage
The required volume of syrup is determined only by the attending physician strictly individually for each diagnosis. Treatment of constipation always begins in an increased dose of 15-45 ml, which after normalization of the intestine can be reduced to 15-30 ml.
For schoolchildren and adolescents, the initial dose should not exceed 15 ml, and the maintenance dose - 10-15 ml.
For preschool children, the drug is prescribed in an amount of 5-10 ml throughout the treatment.
For babies up to 1 year old, the syrup should be diluted with water before use and not exceed the dosage of 5 ml. To avoid flatulence, the dose should be gradually increased from 1 ml to the dose prescribed by the doctor.
Treatment of hepatic encephalopathy may consist of a daily dosage of the drug in 30-45 ml. To prepare the intestines for examination, experts prescribe a single use of syrup in a volume of up to 150 ml.
How fast Dufalac works depends on the initial syrup volume and the individual sensitivity of the body. The call for bowel movement may occur 4-12 hours after administration, but most often this moment occurs on the next day.
Bans to use
Contraindication to taking the drug is:
- acute appendicitis;
- bowel obstruction;
- bone fracture;
- rectal bleeding;
- ileostomy;
- galactosemia;
- individual intolerance to the components.
Also, due to the presence of a high concentration of glucose and galactose in the drug, it can not be taken with diabetes.
Possible side effects include flatulence, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. All this can occur only when the recommended dosage is exceeded, so if you strictly follow the instructions, the drug is completely safe even for newborns.
In rare cases, flatulence may appear on the first day of admission, after which it passes without additional medication. How fast does Dufalac work in case of an overdose? In fact, the time of his work in the body does not depend on this. Exceeding the dose can only provoke the appearance of side effects that will occur quickly.
Reviews
Due to the mild effect on the body and complete safety, the drug is often used by pregnant women. Instructions for use "Dufalac" for adults does not have any special recommendations for women in position or during lactation, since lactulose does not have a systemic effect on the body. The use of syrup helps to eliminate all temporary problems in the work of the intestines, establish stools and not have any effect on the fetus.
During lactation, the drug is also absolutely safe and is not absorbed into milk. Children really like the sweet taste of syrup, and their mothers have the possibility of only a single dose.
Among the negative reviews, the drug Dufalac collects only one opinion - high cost. The quality of the medication, of course, is worth it, but not everyone can afford the long-term use of the medication in large doses, even if necessary. Also, for the safety of the product, the recommended dosage should be strictly followed, especially in the treatment of children.