As you know, various kinds of pathologies of the digestive system, accompanied by ulceration of their walls, are dangerous not only for the physical health of a person, but also for his life. Such diseases must be treated on time and using the most effective drugs. One of the modern medicines that helps with duodenal ulcers and stomach ulcers is Omeprazole. In the pharmacological group, this drug belongs to proton inhibitors.
The composition of the drug
The main active component of this domestic product is omeprazole. Also, the composition of this medicine includes such additional substances as:
glycine;
gelatin;
nipagin;
nipazole;
sodium lauryl sulfate;
titanium dioxide;
purified water;
dye E 129.
The drug Omeprazole is delivered to the pharmacy in the form of capsules placed in a blister strip packaging in most cases of 10 pcs. Actually, the preparation itself is a spherical pellet of white or light yellow color. The capsule cap is red, the body is white. The active substance in them is 10, 20 or 40 mg.
Omeprazole powder is also available on the market for the preparation of solutions for intravenous administration. But a medicine in this form is used less often than capsules and, of course, usually only in a hospital setting.
Available in pharmacies and tablets "Omeprazole." Instructions for use with them are almost the same as with capsules. The active substance in the composition of the drug in this form also includes 10, 20 or 40 milligrams.
Omeprazole: pharmacological group
This drug is classified by doctors as a proton pump inhibitor. Drugs of this group are able to suppress H + -K + -ATPase on the membrane of the cells of the gastric mucosa. The main purpose of the proton pump in the human body is the transfer of hydrogen ions from cells into the lumen of the stomach. Acting at the molecular level, such drugs suppress and prevent increased secretion after a meal by patients.
In case of prolonged use, medicines of the pharmacological group "Omeprazole" can cause atrophy of the gastric mucosa in patients, as well as campylobacter gastroenteritis. In addition, such drugs often disrupt the dynamic balance of the colon microflora.
The means of this group act on the patient’s body quite quickly. Patients usually feel the effect of taking Omeprazole already within the first hour. At the same time, the medicines of this group are able to maintain their beneficial effect on the patient’s body for a long time - about a day.
In pharmacology, omeprazole refers to proton inhibitors. And like many other drugs of this group, in the human body it is rapidly absorbed inside the digestive canal. Omeprazole binds to plasma proteins by 90%. Moreover, it is almost completely metabolized in the liver, and then excreted by the kidneys.
Indications for use
The pharmacological action of omeprazole was reviewed by us above. This drug, in addition to ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, can be prescribed for, for example, diseases such as:
Omeprazole belongs to the pharmacological group of proton inhibitors and in the human body provokes a persistent decrease in acidity. Accordingly, this drug can be prescribed only with an increased pH in the stomach.
Contraindications
This medicine is prescribed for the treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases quite often. However, of course, he also has contraindications. First of all, "Omeprazole" should not be prescribed to those patients who have revealed hypersensitivity to any of its components. According to the instructions for use, omeprazole capsules are also contraindicated:
Sometimes, for health reasons, pregnant women can still be prescribed this remedy. But treatment is carried out in this case under the strict supervision of a doctor. If a woman needs to take the drug during lactation, the child is transferred to artificial feeding.
What you need to know
The pharmacological group of the drug "Omeprazole" is proton inhibitors. Only benign gastric and intestinal ulcers are treated with this agent. Before using this medicine, the doctor must make sure that there are no malignant tumors. In the presence of such a problem, the drug cannot cause particular harm. However, it very easily hides the symptoms of oncology. And this, in turn, can cause untimely and, as a result, ineffective treatment.
Instructions for use of capsules and tablets: dosages
Of course, the doctor determines the amount and frequency of taking Omeprazole first of all, depending on this particular disease. Also, a treatment regimen using this agent can be developed taking into account the characteristics of the patient’s body, his age, etc. Therefore, you cannot prescribe this medicine yourself in any case. It is allowed to take it only as directed by a doctor.
In most cases, depending on the type of disease, patients take Omeprazole according to the following scheme:
With an exacerbation of a stomach ulcer, as well as with an erosive form of esophagitis, doctors prescribe 1-2 capsules of the drug per day to patients. The course of treatment in this case usually lasts for 1-2 months.
With a duodenal ulcer, the medicine is prescribed in a dosage of 1 capsule per day. In resistant cases, the amount of the drug taken may increase to 2 capsules. The course of treatment for this disease lasts in most cases 2-4 weeks.
In the presence of ulcerative disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, the cause of which was the use of NSAIDs, the patient is prescribed 1 capsule or tablet per day for a course of 1-2 months.
If you want to prevent an exacerbation of an ulcer of the intestine or stomach, it is most often prescribed to take 1 capsule per day.
When eradicating Helicobacter pylori, it is necessary to take 1 caps / day. Treatment in this case is carried out in combination with antibiotics. The course lasts a week.
In order to prevent the recurrence of reflux esophagitis, the use of this drug can be prescribed for a long time. In this case, prevention often lasts up to six months. In this case, the medicine is prescribed in a dosage of 1 pc. in a day.
With Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, according to the instructions for use, Omeprazole capsules are used strictly in dosages selected individually. The amount of the drug taken in this case depends on the indicators of the gastric secretion of the patient.
Most often, the doctor prescribes at least 60 mg of Omeprazole per day to patients with such a pathology. That is 3 tab. 20 mg In this case, you should drink the medicine once a day. Sometimes experts prescribe patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and increased doses of the drug - 80-120 mg / d. In this case, the patient should take the drug 2 times a day.
For those patients who have been diagnosed with severe liver failure, the drug is allowed to be prescribed in a daily dose of not more than 20 mg.
How to drink
It is believed that the effectiveness of this medicine, despite the fact that it is intended for the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract, does not depend on food. Therefore, drinking "Omeprazole" is allowed both before meals, and after it, or during. However, it is believed that taking this medicine is still best in the morning before breakfast.
According to the instructions, swallow Omeprazole capsules as a whole, washed down with a small amount of water. Grind or chew the drug is not necessary. It is desirable that the capsule shell remains intact when taken. But the condition is still not strict. If the patient suddenly has difficulty swallowing the capsule, you can open it and drink the contents with water. It will not do any harm to the stomach.
Omeprazole capsules are also allowed to dissolve. Some patients drink this drug, pouring the contents into an acidified liquid - kefir, juice or yogurt. This method of admission is also allowed. In this case, the resulting suspension can be drunk not in one go, but gradually, over a half hour.
Omeprazole tablets are also best swallowed whole with water.
Instructions for use for children
Prescribing this medicine for the treatment of gastric diseases in pediatrics is allowed for patients from the age of 5 years. In this case, the drug can only be prescribed to those children whose weight exceeds 20 kg. The standard dose for a child is 20 mg of the drug per day. The instructions for tablets "Omeprazole" said that the amount taken per day of the drug can, if necessary, increase, but not more than double.
The course of treatment for children using this tool usually lasts 2-8 weeks. During the period of therapy with Omeprazole, the child should be constantly under the supervision of a doctor.
What side effects can a drug give
The drug “Omeprazole” has a rather rare effect on the patient’s body. However, side effects can cause, like any other medicine, this remedy can still. Most often, patients taking this medicine have:
diarrhea, constipation, nausea;
muscle weakness;
dizziness, headache, drowsiness or insomnia, depression, in severe cases - hallucinations;
leukopenia or thrombocytopenia;
itching, urticaria, bronchospasm.
Also, in patients undergoing treatment using this tool, peripheral edema, visual impairment, and fever were recorded. With prolonged treatment using this drug, the patient may develop, among other things, gastric glandular cysts. They are caused due to inhibition of secretion of hydrochloric acid and are benign in nature.
Interaction
Like many other drugs of the same pharmacological group, Omeprazole is usually not prescribed to patients at the same time as those drugs whose absorption depends on the value of acidity in the stomach. A medicine can significantly change the degree of bioavailability of such agents. This concerns, for example, iron salts.
Unlike many other medicines, Omeprazole does not affect the concentration of ethanol and caffeine in the blood. However, taking alcohol at the same time with this remedy, of course, is not worth it. Moreover, this drug is usually prescribed in the treatment of those diseases in which alcohol is strictly contraindicated. Also, this medicine does not in any way affect the concentration in the blood of substances such as diclofenac, lidocaine, quinidine, cyclosporine and some others.
The action of diphenin and coumarins "Omeprazole" is able to enhance. When using it, this, of course, is worth considering.
Sometimes, on the basis of the active substance of this medicine, as already mentioned, a substance is prepared for intravenous administration. It is considered compatible only with saline. It can also be used with intravenous medication and dextrose. All other solvents lower the effectiveness of this drug due to changes in acidity. For children, this drug is almost never administered intravenously.
What will happen with an overdose
It is, of course, impossible to violate the instructions for use with Omeprazole in tablets and capsules. The drug should be taken strictly according to the scheme recommended by the doctor. With an overdose of Omeprazole, the following problems occur in patients:
Treatment for patients who have drunk too much of this drug is usually prescribed only symptomatic. Dialysis is considered ineffective.
How to store medicine
The shelf life of Omeprazole in capsules is not too long. Take this medicine for the treatment of diseases of the digestive system is allowed for a year from the date of release. An expired product is disposed of. This drug is supposed to be stored in a dark, dry place, where pets or children cannot reach it.
In most cases, this medicine is kept at home in a medicine cabinet. However, people undergoing treatment with its use should bear in mind, among other things, that at room temperature above 25 ° C, the drug may lose its quality. Therefore, in the summer, in the heat, it is advisable to transfer the capsules or tablets to the refrigerator.
Analogues of the drug
Omeprazole is inexpensive and rarely causes side effects. However, sometimes, for example, with an allergy to any of its components, this remedy has to be changed to a similar one. Similar to Omeprazole therapeutic effect, for example, such drugs as:
"Ranitidine." This drug belongs to the group of histamine receptor blockers. When it enters the body in the stomach, the formation of hydrochloric acid is reduced. The active substance is ranitidine. The advantages of this medicine include primarily the fact that it rarely causes any side effects.
"Losek." The composition of the drug includes the same active substance as in Omeprazole. Instructions for use analogue "Losek", respectively, has almost the same.
Pantoprazole. The advantages of this tool, in comparison with Omeprazole, is, first of all, that it can be taken by both nursing and pregnant women.
Also, instead of Omeprazole, doctors can prescribe a drug such as Omez to patients. The mechanism of action of this Indian medicine is the same. However, it works somewhat slower than Omeprazole. Reviews analogues of this drug, described above, from patients deserve good. Acidity, as noted by patients, is good for various gastrointestinal diseases. But taking them, like Omeprazole, should only be prescribed by a doctor.
Doctors reviews about the medicine
Specialists, of course, advise first of all to take this drug and its analogues according to the instructions. Reviews "Omeprazole" from the doctors earned good. The main advantage of this medicine, doctors consider the combination of consumer accessibility and effectiveness. Also, this tool, according to doctors, has the advantage that it rarely causes side effects. The Omeprazole medicine of all the manufacturers supplying it to the market earned good reviews from doctors.
Patient opinion
Patients themselves, of course, also consider the effectiveness and relative safety as the main advantages of this medicine. Patients include the low price for it as its unconditional advantages. One package of Omeprazole of 10 capsules costs no more than 50 rubles. At approximately the same price, tablets are usually sold in pharmacies. The solution for intravenous administration is also not too expensive. The price of the medicine in this form is approximately 250 rubles.