The gall bladder is an important organ involved in the quality process of digestion. Its diseases threaten many with a problem for the general condition of the body and the quality of human life. Specially designed drugs to normalize the state of this organ and its proper functioning are used in modern medicine. One such remedy is Hofitol. Instructions, reviews, analogues of it will be discussed below.
Ducts and stones
The gall bladder is an unusual organ. Anatomically, it belongs to the liver, although it is an independent unit. Its role in the digestion process is significant - the liver produces bile, which enters the bile duct into the saccular gall bladder, there it finds a certain time, and then again enters the small intestine through the bile duct to become a catalyst for some digestion processes.
Diseases of this body affect many people, the main diseases:
- dyskinesia of the bile ducts;
- cholelithiasis;
- cholecystitis.
Like almost any other disease, gallbladder disease is easier to prevent than then treat. As a therapeutic and prophylactic agent, the drug "Hofitol" (solution) is often prescribed. The instruction to it tells in detail about the active component, situations when it is recommended in treatment, methods of use.
Help plants
Medicinal plants are indispensable helpers in the treatment of many diseases. Traditional medicine, no matter how trite it sounds, is a real pantry of useful recipes, which are based on a variety of plants and gifts of nature. One of the green healers is an artichoke. Yes, this is the same plant that looks very similar to a thistle, whose spiny fruits cling to clothes and hair. But among a large number of species of such a plant, and there are about 140 species, almost 4 dozen can be eaten, and they are grown cultivated in countries with a warm climate. But the artichoke field serves as a medicinal raw material for the preparation of a medicinal product called Hofitol. Instructions for use of this drug indicate that the purified extract of artichoke leaves (Cynara scolumus) is used as the active ingredient. The following beneficial substances were found in the composition of the leaves and fruits of this plant:
- vitamins A, C, PP, B 1 , B 2 , B 6 , B 9 ;
- iron;
- inulin;
- iodine;
- potassium;
- calcium;
- sodium;
- manganese;
- sulfur;
- silymarin;
- flavonoids;
- phosphorus;
- fluorine;
- zinc;
- cynarin;
- cynaropicrine.
Also, leaves and inflorescences contain a large amount of protein and carbohydrates, but as a fat, nature gave artichoke unsaturated fats that help normalize blood cholesterol. Instructions for use tell you all the important information about the drug "Hofitol". Analogues of this medication should have a similar effect, resulting from the work of the natural component. But they will be described below.
How does the active component work?
For the treatment of certain diseases of the gallbladder, the drug Hofitol (drops) is prescribed for use. Instructions for its use mention that it uses leaf artichoke extract as a medicinal ingredient.
In pharmacology, a drug is defined as a herbal medicine. Its therapeutic effect is due to biologically active ingredients. How do they work? Cinarin is a choleretic substance found in artichoke leaves. Together with phenolic acids, it not only makes the liver more actively produce bile, but also activates the hepatoprotective ability of the plant tandem. Vitamins and inulin normalize metabolic processes in the gallbladder and liver, contributing to the normalization of the secretion of these organs. Also, leaf extract of artichoke field has a diuretic effect on the body by enhancing the excretion of urea.
Dosage form
For the herbal medicine Hofitol, the instructions for use describe several of its pharmaceutical forms:
- tablets containing 0.2 grams of purified juice of artichoke leaves in the form of an extract, tablets are dark brown in color, rounded in shape, they can be packed in plastic blisters with foil protection or in plastic jars-tubes;
- oral solution - 120 ml of the drug is packaged in a dark glass bottle, 5 ml of the solution contains 1 gram of the active component;
- injection, in ampoules, packaged in 5 pieces in one cardboard pack, in a 5 ml ampoule contains 0.1 grams of artichoke leaf extract.
Despite the dosage form, the drug has the same effect, acting as a choleretic and choleretic agent. In what form to use it in the treatment of gallbladder diseases, the attending physician decides.
When is an artichoke preparation prescribed?
About in which cases the use of the medicine is indicated, the instruction for the drug "Hofitol" tells. For children and adults, these symptoms are:
- flatulence;
- belching;
- nausea;
- heaviness in the epigastrium.
In many cases, these manifestations of discomfort are associated with disturbances in the work of the gallbladder, inadequate production or release of bile into the small intestine, and therefore, disruption of the digestive process. But still, before you start taking even a herbal preparation, you need to undergo an examination and get advice and recommendations of a specialist.
And if you can’t take the medicine?
As with all medications, for Hofitol, instructions for use indicate contraindications. In this case, it will be severe liver failure and obstruction of the bile ducts. These conditions must be considered by a specialist before prescribing therapy with a herbal preparation based on artichoke leaf juice extract.
Possible unnecessary effects
It contains all the detailed, important information about the medicine "Hofitol" instructions for use. She also describes possible side effects that may appear during therapy with this drug. This may be a manifestation of allergies, and with prolonged use of the drug in excess of the required dosage, the appearance of diarrhea. Of course, there is no specific antidote to this drug, and therefore, if necessary, symptomatic therapy should be used - antihistamines, antidiarrheal drugs.
How to take the medicine correctly?
The manufacturer must put a leaflet with important information in each package of the drug. The drug "Hofitol" is no exception. Instructions to it are required for study, both by a specialist and by the patient himself.
The drug in ampoules is used for administration intramuscularly or intravenously. The last method should be carried out slowly, in a jet. In this form, the drug is administered 1 or 2 times a day, the duration of the course will be from 8 to 15 days. Instructions for use speak precisely of such a regimen for the drug "Hofitol". For children, this drug is not used as an injection.
If there is a need for treatment with an extract of artichoke leaves to normalize the gallbladder, the drug can be taken in the form of tablets or a solution. In this case, it should be taken as follows:
- adults should take from 2, 5 to 5 ml of a solution that must be diluted with a small amount of water, or 2 or 3 tablets 3 times a day with a course of 10-20 days;
- children should take 1 or 2 tablets, or 1.0-2.5 milliliters of a solution diluted with a small amount of water, 2 or 3 times in one day, with the duration of treatment should be recommended by the attending physician prescribing Hofitol therapy.
The medication is taken orally immediately before meals. It should be remembered that this medicine is not used in the treatment of children under the age of 6 years.
Excess drug
If there is a need to normalize the work of the gallbladder and get rid of such symptoms of problems in its work as belching, heaviness in the abdomen, nausea, then the doctor can prescribe the herbal preparation Hofitol (tablets) for use. The instruction to it clearly stipulates the maximum allowable amount of the daily dose - 9 tablets, divided into three doses. You should not take a larger amount of the drug, even in the form of tablets, at least as a solution for oral administration or as an injection. This will not give a speedy solution to the problem, but only create additional discomfort in the form of increased side effects - allergies or diarrhea. That is why the instructions for use in the treatment of certain conditions associated with a malfunction of the gallbladder are attached to the drug "Hofitol".
How to get medicine and how to store it?
About the drug "Hofitol" in tablets, the instructions for use say that the plant component works in it - a purified extract of leaves of artichoke field. This medicine belongs to OTC drugs, and can be purchased at pharmacies upon request. For each pharmaceutical form, the manufacturer determines its expiration date:
- for coated tablets, the shelf life is 3 years;
- for oral solution - 4 years;
- for a solution for intravenous or intravenous injection of 20 mg / ml, the shelf life is assigned to 2 years.
As the instructions for use for the Hofitol plant-based medicine say, after the expiration date of the drug has come to an end, it cannot be used for treatment, but must be disposed of as household waste.
The drug is difficult to attribute to affordable drugs, because the price for a package of 180 tablets is more than 700 rubles. A bottle of oral solution costs about 400 rubles per 1 piece.
What do specialists and patients say about the drug?
For the herbal preparation Hofitol, the instructions for use tell you all the essential information. But in addition to official information from the manufacturer, reviews from those who prescribe or take this medicine are also interesting.
The responses of both professionals and patients about this tool are in the absolute majority recommendatory. Doctors advise him as the main or auxiliary medicine for solving problems with the work of the gallbladder, manifested by swelling, heaviness, nausea. Patients praise the medicine for the absence of side effects, as they appear only in isolated cases. It is also noted that the drug has several dosage forms, and therefore, for each patient, the doctor can choose the best option for taking the medicine. Also, for many parents, important points in therapy with the Hofitol drug, and the instruction stipulates this nuance, the possibility of use for children, at least from the age of 6 years.
Adult patients recommend it as a prophylactic drug for large gastronomic loads on the liver. A big minus is that many patients note the cost of the medicine, because you need to take several tablets or milliliters of the drug per day, and the course of treatment is at least 7-8 days, which becomes noticeable for the family budget of many people.
For expectant mother and newborn
Many pregnant women suffer from a manifestation of a violation in the functionality of the biliary tract - from heartburn, belching, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach after eating. The drug "Hofitol", the instructions to which indicate its plant basis, recommends taking the medicine in this special period in the life of a woman, but only under the supervision of a doctor conducting pregnancy. The same applies to the treatment of mothers who are breast-feeding a baby. In this case, preference should be given to a tablet dosage form, since the oral solution contains ethyl alcohol.
Are there any similar drugs?
Tells about the plant-based drug "Hofitol" instruction. Analogues of this medication should have a similar effect - choleretic and hepatoprotective. These drugs are:
- "Allohol", which uses garlic extract,
- Holosas, based on rosehip syrup,
- "Flaming" with immortelle sand grass as the basis of the active ingredient.
And such drugs, both herbal and obtained artificially, can be recommended a lot. The absolute synonyms of the drug "Hofitol" will be only "Cholebil" and "Artichoke Extract." Which drug should be preferred, the attending physician decides with the patient.
No matter how safe the medicine may seem, only a competent specialist should prescribe it for use after making the correct diagnosis and assessing the patient’s health status. You should not even take herbal preparations on your own, based on the recommendations of friends and neighbors.