Every fourth woman has iron deficiency anemia to one degree or another. In men, this condition also occurs, but in girls more often, since their body undergoes monthly blood loss. The modern drug "Sorbifer Durules" is effective for anemia of any etiology. This is a modern combination drug that contains iron sulfate and ascorbic acid. At the same time, it has a fairly reasonable price. Instructions, reviews about Sorbifer Durules, dosages and method of administration are all described in this article.
What is iron deficiency anemia and how does it manifest?
Previously, this diagnosis was known as anemia. Since ancient times, people have noticed that women sometimes have symptoms that reduce the quality of life: pallor, weakness, lack of vitality. With the development of microbiology, it has become clear that anemia is a condition that occurs with prolonged iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of all currently known anemia, due to a large number of reasons and circumstances that can lead to a lack of iron, which will lead to various disorders unsafe for the body.
Symptoms of iron deficiency anemia:
- persistent weakness;
- lack of taste for life;
- asthenia, dysphoria, anhedonia;
- mental problems: increased vulnerability, anxiety, irritability;
- characteristic pallor of the skin (especially the face);
- alopecia (baldness);
- weakness of the sphincters (urinary and fecal incontinence);
- increased swelling of the limbs and face.
Why does a person need iron and what forms of this element exist in pharmacology?
In our body, the average indicator of the presence of iron is 3.5-4.5 g. Of this amount, about two-thirds are located in the blood, one third is stored in the liver, muscle tissues, and spleen.
Iron is necessary for humans, since with its deficiency the following processes are violated:
- cholesterol metabolism;
- liver function
- blood formation;
- hemoglobin synthesis;
- the functioning of the immune system;
- various redox reactions;
- thyroid function.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that every process in the human body to one degree or another goes through the influence of ferritin.
Not all iron from the preparations is equally useful: very often the trivalent form is simply not absorbed and leaves the body with feces. Instructions for use with Sorbifer Durules reports that it contains a ferrous compound that is better absorbed. In addition, in the manufacture of capsules, a special technology is used that allows the molecules of the element to be released gradually, as they move along the gastrointestinal tract. This fact distinguishes this iron preparation from all others.
The composition of the drug "Sorbifer Durules"
The drug is a large-sized tablet in a special shell, which dissolves slowly and only under the influence of special enzymes. This technology allows the iron to be fully absorbed by the body and bring maximum benefit to the patient. The release of element ions occurs in total for six to seven hours after taking the pill. This is the essence of the Durules technology: the name of the drug consists of two words, and the second is just the patented principle of slow assimilation.
"Sorbifer Durules" after eating can be absorbed a little slower than when taken on an empty stomach (the difference is about two hours).
The drug is sold in bottles of thick glass, each with 30 or 50 tablets.
The composition of one tablet:
- iron sulfate - 320 milligrams;
- ascorbic acid - 60 milligrams.
Manufacturers have not just enriched the composition of the drug with ascorbic acid (or vitamin C). This component increases the digestibility of iron. Thanks to the Durules technology and ascorbic acid in the composition, it was possible to achieve almost 100% digestibility of ferrum.
Cost where to buy
The drug can be purchased at any pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription. The cost of a bottle with 30 tablets is about four hundred rubles, 50 tablets will cost 600 rubles. Depending on the region (place of purchase) and the margin of the pharmacy chain, the cost may vary. Packaging includes a cardboard box in which there is a glass bottle with tablets and instructions.
The price of Sorbifer Durules and its effectiveness make the drug popular among a wide variety of patients. Many buy it after reading rave reviews about its action. Neuropathologists and endocrinologists are prescribed prescriptions for some patients.
Indications for use
Instructions for use "Sorbifer Durules" (the price can be found above) reports that the drug is active in the following conditions and pathologies:
- prolonged bleeding of various nature (uterine, after surgery or wounds, and so on);
- Iron-deficiency anemia;
- intentional or unintentional fasting;
- impaired absorption of iron from food;
- malignant alopecia.
The drug is effective only with anemia, provoked by a lack or impaired absorption of ferritin (iron). If the causes of anemia are different, Sorbifer Durules is useless. How to take the drug so that it has the maximum benefit to the body will be described below.
Side effects
The drug often causes the following side effects:
- from the nervous system: insomnia, vigor, physical activity, nervous tics (rarely);
- from the gastrointestinal tract: diarrhea, prolonged diarrhea, staining of stool in black;
- from the endocrine system: loss of appetite, weight loss, fats may be partially not absorbed (rarely);
- quite rarely, the drug can provoke ulceration, narrowing of the esophagus.
How to take "Sorbifer Durules" to avoid side effects? Begin taking with a minimum daily dose. If the patient’s weight is less than forty kilograms and there is diagnosed iron deficiency anemia of the third degree, you can start taking half the tablet (although it is not recommended to cut the tablet so as not to violate the integrity of the membrane).
Contraindications
The drug has a number of contraindications:
- hemosiderosis;
- hemochromatosis;
- aplastic and hemolytic anemia;
- sideroblastic anemia;
- age up to twelve years;
- pathology of the esophagus (iron can aggravate them).
Also, the reception is prohibited for some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Often, before prescribing medicines with iron, doctors are reinsured and refer the patient for a full examination to a gastroenterologist. This is done in order to avoid problems with the esophagus and stomach. Iron preparations can aggravate the course of erosion and peptic ulcer of the esophagus, stomach, intestines.
Drug interaction
With the simultaneous administration of Sorbifer Durules and antibiotics of the tetracycline group, a significant decrease in the absorption of both drugs occurs. Concomitant use of these drugs is not recommended.
Antacids (medicines with magnesium, aluminum, calcium) significantly reduce the absorption of iron ions.
The use of Sorbifer Durules reduces the absorption of Enoxacin, Methyldopa, Levofloxacin, Clodronate (and all drugs containing their metabolites), thyroid-stimulating hormones. In case of urgent need to combine these drugs should wait at least three hours between doses of therapeutic doses. Chloramphenicol and oral contraceptives, as well as some foods and drinks (milk, eggs, tea, coffee, juices, bread) adversely affect the absorption of the drug.
Recommended Dosages
You should take the tablet whole without chewing. Drink clean cool water.
How should I use Sorbifer Durules: before meals or after? The opinion of the doctors and the information from the instructions are unanimous: take the pill twenty to thirty minutes before eating. In rare cases, when fasting provokes severe nausea and vomiting, you can take the pill immediately after eating. This technique will not reduce the effectiveness of the drug, but it may take more time to absorb iron.
One or two tablets should be taken per day, the amount depends on the indicators of hemoglobin and ferritin in the patient's blood. If iron deficiency anemia is pronounced, it is worth taking two tablets, after one to two months, as the patient's condition improves, go to the dosage of one tablet per day.
"Sorbifer Durules" during pregnancy: benefit or harm
The state of pregnancy imposes strict limits and restrictions on the list of medications. Alas, in an interesting position, iron deficiency anemia most often develops and hemoglobin and ferritin levels decrease. A growing fetus takes a lot of vitamins and minerals for itself, because so often a deficiency of one substance or another develops.
"Sorbifer Durules" during pregnancy is used in the absence of contraindications. As a rule, the patient is prescribed one tablet per day, twenty to thirty minutes before a meal. Most often, hemoglobin levels increase significantly after two to three weeks from the start of therapy.
Reviews on the use of the drug
Today, Sorbifer is the most popular and frequently prescribed iron preparation. It is perfectly absorbed and well tolerated by the body, it is allowed even for use by pregnant women, which is confirmed by the instructions for use. Reviews about Sorbifer Durules are mostly positive.
Some patients write their impressions of the drug after a short period of time (one and a half months). This period is very short. In some cases, hemoglobin and ferritin levels are aligned and become closer to normal only after three to four months of constant intake and changes in your diet.
Negative reviews are most often written by patients who simply did not have time to feel the effect of the drug on themselves. After two to three weeks from the start of the medication, the iron counts are just starting to increase. Sometimes this is enough to make the patient feel better. And in some cases, therapy can last up to a year of continuous use of iron-containing drugs.
Doctor's advice for the most effective reception
In order to prevent anemia from returning after a course of treatment, simple rules should be followed:
- Do not starve and make sure that the diet is complete and varied.
- Completely exclude alcoholic beverages from the diet that provoke the development of anemia.
- Do not abruptly interrupt the course of treatment: if you cancel, take the pill every other day, then skip two days and so on.
- If a woman has heavy menstruation and experiences heavy blood loss, you should take Sorbifer Durules as a prophylaxis with one tablet several days a month.
Analogs and substitutes of the drug
The modern pharmacological market offers the following effective analogues of Sorbifer Durules :
- Fenyuls;
- "Hemofer";
- Maltofer;
- "Actiferrin Compositum".
In some preparations, the iron content is greater, in some - less. Based on the individual characteristics of the patient, a competent hematologist or endocrinologist can choose the optimal iron preparation.
In the treatment of iron deficiency anemia, it is preferable to use drugs with iron, rather than multivitamins. Vitamin-mineral complexes contain not only iron, but also elements that impede its absorption (calcium, magnesium). Thus, the intake of such biologically active additives becomes almost completely useless.