The instructions of Fortrans say that it is an effective laxative for bowel cleansing. Thanks to hydrogen bonding with water molecules, this tool helps retain fluid in the intestines. With this, a laxative effect occurs. Bowel cleansing by Fortrans is popular. The medication is completely excreted from the body during bowel movements, which confirms a number of pharmacokinetic studies.
People who are in old age are recommended to use Fortrans only under the strict supervision of a doctor. This medicine does not contain sugar, so it can be taken by patients with diabetes. The drug is produced by the French company Beaufour Ipsen. This medicine is sold over the counter. You can buy it at any pharmacy. In our article, we will consider in detail the instructions for using this drug and find out what analogues it has.
The composition of the drug and the form of release
The drug is available in the form of a powder that needs to be taken orally. The active substance in Fortrans is a synthetic polymer called macrogol 4000. In one package there are four bags with a powder weighing 74 grams. The composition of this medicine also includes additional substances in the form of sodium and potassium chloride, as well as saccharin.
It is interesting to many how Fortrans works. About this a little lower.
Indications for use
It is necessary to take the medicine presented when there is a need for washing the intestines before various medical, and, in addition, diagnostic procedures. For example, this tool is used in the following cases:
- When conducting endoscopic examinations, that is, to perform a colonoscopy or irrigoscopy.
- In X-ray studies, for example, for irrigography.
- As part of surgical interventions on the intestine or organs adjacent to it, when manipulation must be carried out on the empty intestine.
- For the symptomatic treatment of constipation of various etiologies.
Thus, this drug is prescribed when it is necessary to rinse the intestines until it is completely released from the contents.
So, how to take Fortrans?
General pattern of drug use
The medication is taken only by adult patients and adolescents over the age of fifteen. For use, one packet of powder is diluted in a liter of water. Usually, one liter of fluid is prescribed per fifteen to twenty kilograms of the patient's weight. The average norm of the drug in diluted form is three to four liters. The required dose of medication can be taken at a time or in two doses, with an interval of 8-10 hours. In the event that the diagnosis or operation is scheduled for the morning, then the liquid is drunk in the evening (1 liter for an hour, 1 glass with an interval of 10-15 minutes). Finish taking the medicine three hours before the diagnosis or surgery.
This is described in detail in the instructions to the "Fortrans".
For constipation
After taking the drug presented, it causes bowel movements within 24 hours. The drug "Fortrans" is prescribed for the treatment of constipation, as it has a good effect on the intestines, causing defecation and good cleaning.
The drug is not prescribed for children who have not yet reached the age of fifteen.
We will consider the instructions for using Fortrans before a colonoscopy later.
Detailed instructions for using the drug to cleanse the intestines
So, as noted earlier, a drug called Fortrans is prescribed for bowel cleansing for adults and adolescents who are over fifteen years old. The instructions for use of this medicine recommend taking it two hours after a meal. Dosage, as a rule, is prescribed strictly individually. It directly depends on the weight of the patient.
The dosage of the Fortrans solution is calculated as follows: for the procedure, one bag of the drug is used to cleanse every fifteen kilograms of weight. In the case of obtaining a fractional number, the final result is rounded up. That is, if you get a value of 3.8, then you need four packets of medication.
It is worth noting that in recent years, the dosage of Fortrans has been increasingly calculated from the ratio of one sachet per twenty kilograms of body weight. Experts are sure: this is enough to complete the procedure for cleaning the intestines.
After calculating the required dosage, you can proceed directly to the bowel cleansing procedure. For this, the required amount of Fortrans is diluted in warm water in the ratio of one sachet per liter. The resulting solution is best drunk at a time. For example, you should pour the drug into a glass and drink it in small sips. It is allowed to take a break between doses of glasses with medicine for up to twenty minutes. Thus, depending on the total amount of the prepared solution, you can drink it for two to four hours.
It is worth noting that if it is difficult to quickly drink the prepared solution, then you can divide the total volume of the drug into two equal parts. For example, take one in the morning, and the second in the evening. The instruction to Fortrans confirms this.
It is also worth considering that this drug has an unpleasant taste, so after using it, a person may experience nausea along with vomiting. According to the reviews of patients and doctors, the medicine will be better tolerated if you drink it in small sips. In the event that nausea is unbearable, then you can eat one slice of lemon.
Many are curious when the Fortrans starts operating. The instructions say that the act of defecation itself can begin two or three hours after taking this drug, so you should first calculate the time, taking into account this feature. Even if the first portion of feces has left the body an hour and a half after using a laxative, do not stop drinking this solution. As part of a bowel cleansing, you need to drink the entire prepared volume of the drug. Otherwise, an effective cleansing will not be achieved.
The active elements of this drug are not absorbed into the blood from the digestive system, which is why they are excreted from the body unchanged. Taking the medicine “Fortrans” simultaneously with other drugs, one should take into account the fact that this drug significantly reduces the effect of any medication.
After what time does the drug usually work?
How quickly the Fortrans medicine works will directly depend on the individual characteristics of the body of each person. As practice shows, the first manifestations after using the drug are noticeable after a couple of hours.
But there are situations against which no signs are observed for four hours. In this case, patients should help themselves. For example, you can do a light massage of the abdomen through circular movements in a clockwise direction. In addition, more moving movements are required. In the event that the repeated administration of the drug is carried out in the morning, the first bowel movement should occur thirty minutes after the cleaning solution is drunk.
Side effects
Side effects from Fortrans can occur mainly with the digestive system:
- For example, immediately after ingestion, vomiting may occur, and at the same time nausea along with abdominal pains. But it is worth emphasizing that all these unpleasant phenomena soon disappear.
- The occurrence of allergic reactions in the form of urticaria and various edema is not excluded. In addition, a person may develop a rash.
Contraindications of the use of the medication
Before using this medication to cleanse the intestines, you must first familiarize yourself with the contraindications of Fortrans. So, this drug should not be taken in the following cases:
- The patient has poor health or an unsatisfactory general condition.
- This drug should not be used if the patient suffers from heart failure or dehydration.
- If the patient has intestinal carcinoma.
- It is worth noting that this tool is not suitable for use in the presence of intestinal diseases that provoke damage to the mucous membrane.
- Against the background of ulcerative nonspecific colitis.
- If the patient has Crohn's disease.
- Against the background of intestinal obstruction.
If there are contraindications, “Fortrans” can be replaced by a doctor with its analogue.
Overdose with this drug
In case of an overdose, the only symptomatology that can be observed is diarrhea. Treatment in a similar situation requires symptomatic, and, in addition, it is necessary to abandon the further use of Fortrans.
Fortrans and pregnancy
A drug called "Fortrans" is allowed to be taken only when the benefit of it for a pregnant woman exceeds the possible risks for the child. In any case, taking this medication during pregnancy should be carried out only under the supervision of a physician.
Colonoscopy preparation
How to take Fortrans before a colonoscopy? Proctologists emphasize that this remedy should not be taken just before the manipulation itself, but one day before the prescribed medical procedure. So, you need to mix the powder with the required amount of water. As the remedy is ready, it must be drunk for three hours (for example, from eight to eleven in the morning). Doctors are advised to take the liquid in one glass every five to ten minutes.
The first bowel movement should occur within a couple of hours after the start of taking the drug. On the next day, subject to complete abstinence from food, a colonoscopy can be performed. It is also worth noting that, if necessary, this procedure can be carried out four hours after all the required norm of the drug is drunk.
The instructions for use "Fortrans" before colonoscopy should be carefully read.
The use of this drug for weight loss
According to the instructions for use, this drug can be used to cleanse the intestines before any medical procedures that require this. But it is worth noting that people who are overweight often use this laxative for alternative purposes, namely for weight loss. True, it is worth emphasizing that without observing the necessary diet, and, in addition, without physical exertion, such a technique will give only a temporary effect.
After using Fortrans, patients manage to lose a couple of kilograms, but I must say that they will return very quickly if they continue to continue to lead their usual sedentary lifestyle with excessive nutrition. You need to understand that when using Fortrans, some weight loss in people is achieved through cleansing the intestines, and not the breakdown of body fat.
Doctors recommend using this drug to remove toxins just before starting a diet. According to nutritionists, this improves metabolic processes, so that people more effectively lose their excess weight. By the way, it must be emphasized that doctors do not recommend taking Fortrans medicine more than three times a year, since this solution can damage the intestinal microflora, which is fraught with extremely negative consequences, and, in addition, an additional risk of various diseases of the digestive system. People taking Fortrans for weight loss should follow these tips and tricks:
- The treatment solution should be drunk no earlier than two hours after eating.
- It is enough to take only one bag of powder per liter of water.
- It is recommended to drink one liter of solution per hour. That is, you need to take one glass every fifteen minutes.
- On the day you use "Fortrans" you need to drink juice or water is also suitable. Food is forbidden.
- During bowel cleansing, you should stay at home, as the feces are able to leave repeatedly for six hours, which will provoke very frequent urges.
Over the next day you can take regular light meals. For example, rice is suitable, which must first be boiled in water. Then for one week you need to drink probiotics in order to restore the intestinal microflora.
What else does the instruction to Fortrans tell us?
Storage conditions and the price of this drug
Store this medicine in a dry room, the temperature of which should not be higher than twenty-five degrees. The shelf life of the presented drug is three years.
Given that Fortrans is produced by only one manufacturer, the difference in cost of this product is usually associated only with margins in pharmacies. Today, the cost of one package of “Fortrans”, which includes four bags, is about five hundred rubles. It should be noted that it is not necessary to buy the whole package. The price of one bag is about one hundred and thirty rubles.
Drug Analogs
The structural analogues of Fortrans according to the active components include the following medicines: Tranzipeg, Osmogol, Moviprep, Lavacol, Realaxan, Forlax, Rompharm and Forteza.
But the most popular analogue of this drug, perhaps, is a remedy called Lavacol. Next, we will compare these medicines.
"Fortrans" and the analogue of "Lavacol"
Comparing these drugs, it must be said that during pregnancy both of these drugs can be used exclusively for medical purposes. The shelf life of the drugs is the same, as well as their indications and contraindications. But, nevertheless, it can be argued that according to its pharmacological properties, Fortrans is a more powerful drug that cleanses the intestines much faster than its counterpart. But Lavakol is much cheaper than the original and costs about two hundred rubles, while Fortrans costs consumers three times as much.