Can't get out of bed because your back hurts terribly? They pulled their neck at work and are now afraid to turn their heads to the side? The drug “Diclofenac” will help you get rid of pain. It is available in various forms, but today we will focus on tablets. We will find out which varieties of this drug exist, as well as which medicines can be replaced.
Description
Diclofenac is an anti-inflammatory drug created back in 1966. Initially, this medication was used in the treatment of rheumatological ailments as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic element. Subsequently, Diclofenac (tablets, the instructions for which were reprinted several times) expanded the scope of its use. So, today this drug is used in neurology, surgery, traumatology, oncology. But still, some experts recommend that the authorities completely discontinue this medication, since, in their opinion, it provokes the appearance of a heart attack and other heart diseases with prolonged use.
In what cases is appointed?
"Diclofenac" - tablets, the instructions for which clearly describe the indications for use, can be prescribed by a doctor with such diagnoses as:
- acute and chronic arthritis;
- gout;
- polyarthritis;
- Ankylosing spondylitis ;
- rheumatism;
- edema and inflammation after a spinal injury or surgery;
- osteochondrosis;
- hernia of the intervertebral disc;
- kyphosis and others
Composition of the tablets
Each pill consists of the following components:
- The main element is diclofenac sodium - 25, 50 or 100 mg.
- Other components are lactose monohydrate, sugar, povidone, potato starch, calcium stearate, talc, titanium and silicon dioxides, sodium bicarbonate, yellow iron oxide, triethyl citrate, sodium lauryl sulfate.
Side effects
"Diclofenac" - tablets, the instructions for which indicate specific indications for the appointment. They give, however, a number of undesirable manifestations after use. So, side effects of using this drug may be:
- From the stomach and intestines: vomiting, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, stomach cramps, anorexia. In rare cases, erosion, ulcers, bleeding may appear.
- From the nervous system: emotional arousal, dizziness, trouble sleeping. Rarely, problems such as memory impairment, disorientation, tinnitus, tremors, depression, irritability can occur.
- From the side of the heart and blood vessels: tachycardia, arterial hypertension.
- From the side of the kidneys: renal failure, edema, nephritis, hematuria.
Other manifestations are possible: a rash on the body, eczema.
Overdose
There are times when, for some reason, a person has taken more than Diclofenac medicines (100 mg) are needed. Tablets, the instructions for which in no case should be thrown out after opening the box, if used improperly, can greatly harm health. Symptoms of an overdose are most often the following: headache, blurred consciousness, cramps. If there are such signs, then urgently need to help the patient. To do this, it is necessary to rinse the stomach, give activated charcoal to drink, and call emergency care.
Sustained-release drug
Means "Diclofenac" is sold in pills of 25, 50 and 100 mg. In the first two cases, the effect of the drug will be short-lived, and in the last - long-term. It should be noted that Diclofenac (tablets, 100 mg) is forbidden to use the instructions for use by children under 6 years old. The drug has a lasting effect. After taking one pill, the active substance is released more slowly. As a result, it turns out that the result comes later than from pills of 25 and 50 mg, but it lasts much longer. "Diclofenac" (tablets, 100 mg), the instructions for use of which must always be at hand with the patient, allows you to reduce the daily rate of the drug in this dosage. With its help, it is possible to maintain the maximum concentration of the drug in the lesion.
Such pills can also be used for those patients whose pains have grown from acute to chronic.
Use of smaller dosage pills
How to take the drug "Diclofenac" in other cases? 50 mg tablets, the instructions for use which differ from those that offer the same tool, but with 100 mg of the active substance, should be prescribed by a doctor, based on the characteristics of the patient's condition. The specialist takes into account the age of the person, the severity of his illness. Typically, adults are prescribed 1 such tablet 2 or 3 times a day. If it is necessary to cure the child, then Diclofenac pills (50 mg) are prescribed at the rate of 2 mg per 1 kg of body weight per day. That is, if the boy weighs 25 kg, then he needs to drink one pill. In the treatment of dysmenorrhea, the doctor prescribes these tablets at a dose of 50 mg per day for three days. Subsequently, this dosage may be increased.
Application restrictions
"Diclofenac Sodium" - tablets, the instructions for which must be read by the patient. The tool has contraindications. So, you cannot prescribe these pills in the following situations:
- children under 6 years old;
- girls in the 1st and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy;
- women who feed babies with milk;
- people with an ulcer in the stomach or intestines;
- patients with hepatic or renal failure;
- patients with asthma;
- people who are allergic to the components of the drug.
The drug "Diclofenac Acre": tablets. Instruction manual
As it has already become clear, the tool described in this article has several varieties. One version of this popular drug is the drug Diclofenac Acre. Tablets, the instructions for use of which should always be in the package, round, light brown in color, biconvex, with a roughness. Some patients think that Diclofenac Acry and its popular substitute have differences. In fact, these are identical medicines, which have the same composition and dose of the active substance. True, these tools have one difference, and these are manufacturers. So, "Diclofenac Acry" - tablets, the instructions for use of which are always clear - is produced by the Russian plant of OJSC "Akrikhin". At the same time, the pills to which the article is devoted are made in countries such as India, Poland, Ukraine. True, the Russian Federation also produces these pills. The cost of Diclofenac Acry pills in an amount of 20 pieces (100 mg each) is approximately 45 rubles. And for the well-known substitute for these tablets in the same dosage and quantity, you will have to pay about 35 rubles. It turns out that Diclofenac Acry is more expensive.
You need to take the pills inside after breakfast, lunch or dinner. They can not be bitten, you just need to swallow and drink with water. Dosage for men and women - 1 tablet per day. With gynecological problems, namely dysmenorrhea, you can increase the dose to 2 pills per day. The maximum daily dose for other diagnoses is 150 mg.
German kind of medicine
Another popular substitute for the drug, which is discussed in the article, can be called the tool "Diclofenac Ratiopharm." Tablets, the instructions for use of which are detailed and intelligible, are produced in Germany. The difference between these pills is that in their composition of the active substance - diclofenac - only 50 mg, while in the tablets to which the article is devoted, it is 2 times more. Pills "Diclofenac Ratiopharm" are packaged in 20, 50 or 100 pieces per pack.
Prescribe this drug for children from 6 years old, as well as adults. For boys and girls under 14 years of age, the daily dose of this medication should be 2 mg per 1 kg of weight. For men and women, the dosage is different: 1 whole or half tablet up to 3 times a day. The frequency of taking the pills depends on the severity of the disease, so only a doctor can correctly prescribe this drug at the right dosage.
The cost of Diclofenac Ratiopharm tablets in the amount of 20 pieces will cost 60 rubles. This is somewhat more expensive than the common Russian counterpart.
Serbian drug
A special form of medication, which is discussed in the article, are considered tablets "Diclofenac Retard." The instruction for these pills states that they are long-acting. Such pills slowly release the main substance from the body - diclofenac. If ordinary Russian pills help to quickly relieve pain, the drug “Diclofenac Retard” allows you to save the effect for a longer period. And also this tool reduces the frequency of use of the medication.
What is the difference between the drug "Diclofenac Retard" from the Russian medicine, which is increasingly preferred by patients? The use of a popular remedy will be justified with prolonged therapy. And Diclofenac Retard tablets are mainly prescribed by doctors for chronic pain syndromes.
The cost of this Serbian drug is about 40-50 rubles for 200 pills of 100 mg. It is inexpensive, given the fact that the medicine is imported from abroad.
How and when to drink long-acting pills?
“Diclofenac Retard” - tablets, the instructions for use of which are written in both Russian and Serbian. They are prescribed by the doctor for various ailments of the musculoskeletal system. Pills must be swallowed, you can not chew them, bite them. You need to take pills during or after a meal. You can drink only 1 pill a day. But there are times when the doctor prescribes 2 tablets per day. This happens with dysmenorrhea or migraine attacks. The drug "Diclofenac Retard" - tablets, the instructions for use of which do not deny the parallel use of other medicines with a similar effect. They can be drunk with a similar medicine, which was discussed in the article earlier. This is done in one case: if a person drinks 100 mg of a sustained-release drug, but he needs to increase the daily dose to 150 mg. Then the doctor may well additionally prescribe 1 regular pill (50 mg) of the Diclofenac medication. But the patient cannot make a choice in favor of this treatment regimen on his own.
Patient responses
On the Internet, people leave their comments about the use of Diclofenac tablets and its variants. Some responses are positive, others are negative. Many women and men say that they recommend the use of Diclofenac Sodium for the treatment of arthritis and osteochondrosis. These pills are still a serious drug, which has its own indications and undesirable effects. This medicine is not suitable for all people. However, those patients who were satisfied with him note that the effect of the pills is amazing. They instantly relieve joint pain. Also, people like the fact that the price of Diclofenac is low, and this is strange nowadays, because effective medicines are now expensive. Also, patients note that it is not difficult to purchase this tool, because it is sold in every pharmacy. Despite the fact that Diclofenac Sodium tablets have many positive reviews, people still advise taking them only after consulting a doctor. And if there is no urgent need to use this drug, then it is better to do without it or replace it with weaker drugs.
Disapproving people
“Diclofenac” - pills, the instruction to which warns the user about possible side effects - also has negative feedback from patients. Despite the fact that no one doubts the effectiveness of this drug, nevertheless some people have remained dissatisfied with the effect of this medication. So, some patients note that Diclofenac tablets strongly affect the stomach. And indeed it is. And the instructions, by the way, mention the effect of the drug on the stomach, intestines.
This is perhaps the only drawback of this tool.
Doctors opinions
Doctors treat this drug and its varieties ambiguously. Although they do not deny the effectiveness of Diclofenac tablets, still experts are trying not to prescribe them. After all, these pills really negatively affect the stomach, intestines. In this regard, doctors advise changing tablets to ampoules. True, injections are necessary only under the supervision of a doctor. Also, some doctors give advice to patients: if a person is still treated with pills, then after he took another pill, you should drink a glass of milk. Then there will be no pain in the stomach and intestines.
The negative point in the use of Diclofenac tablets, according to doctors, is that they are sold without a prescription, although the instructions indicate that the medicine should be dispensed only as prescribed by the doctor. But some people, on the advice of relatives or acquaintances, decide to purchase these pills on their own, determine the required dosage themselves, swallow these pills, and then it gets worse. The bottom line is a lot of negative reviews on the Internet. To avoid this, and people began to trust the medicine, people should be competent, careful in using this or that drug. And you need to take any medication only after consulting a doctor.
Analogues of the drug "Diclofenac"
You can replace these popular tablets with the following drugs: Bioran, Diklak, Naproxen, Voltaren, Flotak, Ortofen, Naklofen. These medicines are more expensive than Diclofenac. Nevertheless, they can also be used as a treatment for arthritis, rheumatism, osteochondrosis.
Harmless substitute
“Diclofenac” (tablets) has safer analogues, and the medicine “Naproxen” can be considered a vivid example. These pills are prescribed for rheumatism, arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, dysmenorrhea, fever with infectious and inflammatory ailments.
The composition of the drug "Naproxen" pleases. So, the active ingredient is naproxen sodium, and additional elements are povidone, talc, microcrystalline cellulose, water, magnesium stearate.
Side effects of this medication are also available, although the list is not as large as that of the drug Diclofenac. Undesirable manifestations here may be: nausea, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, headache, depression, impaired concentration, rash on the body.
This medicine is also available in the Russian Federation. The cost of the tablets is slightly higher than that of Diclofenac, but still they will be affordable for any Russian. So, for 30 pills you need to give an average of 150 rubles.
The drug "Naproxen" is not as popular as its counterpart, so there are few reviews about it on the Internet. But the responses that are available indicate that this is a great alternative to Diclofenac tablets, which have side effects.
Voltaren tablets
This drug can also easily replace Diclofenac. The composition of Voltaren in tablets is as follows:
- The main element is diclofenac sodium (50 mg).
- Other components are magnesium stearate, povidone, sucrose, silicon dioxide airgel, alcohol.
Voltaren tablets can be prescribed to the patient in such cases:
- rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, spondylitis, extra-articular rheumatism;
- pain after surgery or trauma, which is accompanied by inflammation and swelling;
- dysmenorrhea, adnexitis;
- gout.
The list of side effects of this tool is small. So, when using Voltaren tablets, the patient may experience such undesirable manifestations as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, pain in the epigastric region, dizziness, rash on the body.
People respond positively about this medication. In rare cases, you may find a bad response about this drug. And side effects from taking the medicine "Voltaren" - a rarity.
This drug is produced in Switzerland. The cost of 20 tablets "Voltaren" - about 300 rubles. This, of course, is several times more expensive than Diclofenac pills, but you need to take into account the fact that medicine is imported from abroad. And the effectiveness of Voltaren tablets has been proven by numerous reviews of people on the Internet. Therefore, the drug can be a worthy replacement for its Russian counterpart.
Conclusion
In this article, we examined in detail the rules of admission, which dictates the use of Diclofenac. Pills, reviews of which are often found in various forums devoted to health and medicine, although they have side effects, are still used in the treatment of many ailments.This tool has several varieties, each of which has its own instruction and features. And good substitutes for Diclofenac tablets are drugs such as Voltaren and Naproxen.