For back pain, neurologists prescribe Midokalm. Patient reviews suggest that this tool effectively relieves muscle spasms and eliminates discomfort in osteochondrosis, hernias of the spine and pinching of nerves. In the messages of people you can find information about the advantages and disadvantages of this medicine. The drug helps to stop the pain syndrome, but it has many contraindications and undesirable effects.
Composition, release form and effect of the drug
The medicine is produced in the form of tablets and a solution for injections. The active component of the drug is tolperisone hydrochloride.
Tablets contain 50 or 150 mg of active ingredient. The number “50” or “150” is engraved on one of their sides, depending on the concentration of the active component. The composition of the tablets also includes starch, lactose, silicon compounds, stearic and citric acids, cellulose. These additional ingredients help better absorption of the active substance.
The injection solution contains 100 mg of the active component, as well as 2.5 mg of a local anesthetic - lidocaine. This substance is added to the drug to enhance the analgesic effect. In addition, the composition of the solution includes additional ingredients: distilled water, esters and preservatives.
This drug refers to muscle relaxants that act through the central nervous system. In reviews of "Midokalm" reported pronounced muscle relaxation after application of the drug. This helps patients with osteochondrosis, who often suffer from stiff muscles.
The drug acts through neurons. It blocks synaptic reflexes of the spinal cord, due to this, relaxation is achieved. Also, tolperisone acts as an analgesic, while it is able to protect cell membranes, dilate blood vessels and improve blood circulation.
Often patients are interested in how fast the drug works. Reviews of Midokalma injections indicate that after intramuscular administration of the drug, the analgesic effect occurs after 20 minutes. With intravenous administration, this tool works almost instantly. But its effect is short-lived, so injections need to be repeated daily.
If the patient takes pills, then the relief comes in about 40 minutes. The effect of the drug lasts 4-6 hours. The drug is taken several times a day in accordance with the doctor's prescription.
Indications
The instruction "Midokalma" and reviews indicate the effectiveness of this medication for ailments accompanied by muscle spasms and pain. The use of the drug is indicated for the following pathologies:
- bone and muscle diseases (osteochondrosis, spondylosis, spondylarthrosis, muscle contractures, lumbago, sciatica);
- Cerebral palsy and encephalopathy with increased muscle tone;
- organic lesions of the central nervous system with impaired muscle tone (multiple sclerosis, stroke, encephalomyelitis and others);
- during rehabilitation after injuries and operations on bones and muscles.
The medicine is used as part of complex therapy for sclerotic and diabetic vascular lesions, disorders of innervation of the extremities, thrombophlebitis of the legs, peripheral circulation disorders (Raynaud’s disease and cyanosis of the skin).
Instructions for use "Midokalma" and reviews report that this medicine also helps with other syndromes accompanied by spasms: renal and hepatic colic, discomfort in the rectum with hemorrhoids. In obstetrics and gynecology, the medicine is used for menstrual pain and the threat of miscarriage in women with increased uterine tone.
Contraindications
Muscle relaxants can not be taken by all patients. Therefore, the drug has the following contraindications:
- Myasthenia gravis With this disease, muscle tone is sharply reduced, and muscle relaxants exacerbate the symptoms of pathology.
- Parkinson's disease. This disease is accompanied by the death of nerve cells. In this case, central muscle relaxants do not help, but do harm.
- Epilepsy and tendency to cramps. For the treatment of such diseases, special anticonvulsants are used; Midokalm can only worsen the clinical picture of the disease.
- Allergy to the active ingredient and lactose. If the patient in the past had an increased sensitivity to muscle relaxants, then you should refuse to take the medicine. With lactose intolerance, the drug is used in the form of injections.
- Acute psychoses (past and present). The drug can provoke an exacerbation of psychotic symptoms.
- Drug addiction (in history and at the moment). This medication is not addictive. But if a person in the past had experience in the use of psychoactive substances, then drug dependence may form.
- Use in pediatric practice. Muscle relaxants are not prescribed for children under the age of 1 year.
Pregnancy is a relative contraindication for taking medication. During this period, the drug is prescribed only if the benefit for the woman exceeds the possible risk for the unborn child. Instructions and reviews about Midokalm report that this drug can prevent the threat of miscarriage. This tool is used in obstetric practice, but with caution. If the pregnant woman suffers from back pain, then it is better to use other analgesic drugs. If necessary, use the drug during lactation should interrupt breastfeeding.
Unwanted effects
Reviews about the use of "Midokalm" indicate that this medicine often causes side effects. The most common undesirable symptoms of the nervous system, muscles and gastrointestinal tract are:
- sleep disturbances (insomnia or drowsiness);
- drop in blood pressure;
- headache;
- dizziness;
- leg pain
- muscle weakness;
- feeling of tiredness;
- dyspeptic symptoms;
- excessive weight loss.
Allergic reactions (up to anaphylaxis), dermatitis, asthenic depression, enuresis, tachycardia, tremor are more rare. Some patients experience a feeling of intoxication and heat after an injection or taking pills. The medicine may affect the results of biochemical and general blood tests.
Very rarely there is a sharp drop in hemoglobin level, an increase in lymph nodes, a decrease in bone mineral density, and confusion.
To avoid unwanted effects, doctors are trying to prescribe "Midokalm" courses.
There were no cases of drug overdose. This medicine is not considered toxic. However, you should not exceed the recommended dose of the medication, as this can cause side effects. If a person has drunk an excessive amount of tablets, it is necessary to rinse the stomach and take activated charcoal. Then you need to seek medical help. Overdose treatment is symptomatic.
How to use the drug
Midokalm tablets are better absorbed if taken after meals. The dosage is selected by the doctor individually for each patient. The amount of the drug depends on muscle tone and severity of pain. On average, adults are prescribed 100-150 mg of medication per day. This dose is divided into 3 doses. The course of treatment lasts no more than 10 days.
For a child, it is better to purchase tablets in a dosage of 50 mg, so they are easier to divide into parts. In childhood, the minimum amount of the drug is used. The daily dose for a child 1-6 years old is about 5 mg per 1 kg of body weight, and at the age of 7-14 years - from 2 mg to 4 mg per 1 kg of body weight. The daily amount of medication is divided into 3 doses. If it is difficult for a child to swallow a tablet, then it is crushed and given with water.
The instruction "Midokalma" and reviews about the injections suggest that the drug acts faster in the form of injections. In cases where it is urgent to stop acute pain, it is preferable to use the drug in the form of a solution. This medication is injected into the muscle of the buttocks or into a vein (via a dropper).
Intramuscular injections are done twice a day at 100 mg (1 ampoule). For intravenous drip, use 1 ampoule per day. The introduction of the drug should be slow.
special instructions
Midokalm does not interact with alcohol. However, it is better to refuse to drink alcohol during treatment. Ethanol enhances the excitation processes in the central nervous system, while muscle relaxants decrease it. Thus, alcohol reduces the therapeutic effect of the drug. In addition, ethanol and Midokalm are processed in the liver and excreted through the kidneys. Their joint reception creates a double burden on these organs.
The instructions indicate that the drug does not affect the ability to drive a car and engage in activities that require a high concentration of attention and a quick reaction. However, in reviews of Midokalm you can find information that some patients have drowsiness and a feeling of tiredness after using the medicine (especially in the form of injections). In such cases, you should not drive and do complex work. It is necessary to focus on your well-being.
Interaction with other medicines
Midokalm is well compatible with other medicines. It does not potentiate the inhibitory effect of sedatives, so it can be used together with sleeping pills and tranquilizers.
Some medications enhance the effect of the use of Midokalm. These include:
- funds for general anesthesia;
- muscle relaxants of peripheral action;
- drug for hypertension "Clonidine";
- sedative medications.
"Midokalm" enhances the effects of drugs with niflumic acid. These drugs are used for inflammatory diseases of the joints, for example with rheumatoid arthritis.
For pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, a mixture of drugs is often administered: Midokalm, Movalis and Milgamma. This combination of drugs effectively relieves pain. "Midokalm" relieves muscle spasms, "Movalis" eliminates inflammation, and the vitamin product "Milgamma" is a neuroprotector. These drugs are well compatible and complement each other's action. A mixture of drugs is administered intramuscularly, the dosage is determined by the doctor.
How to store medicine
Tablets are stored at a temperature of no more than +30 degrees. They are suitable for use within 3 years from the date of manufacture. Ampoules with a solution are stored at a temperature of +8 to +15 degrees. They can also be used for 3 years.
Prices and analogues
Midokalm is sold in pharmacies with a prescription. Use this tool without a doctor’s prescription is unacceptable. The price of 30 tablets of 50 mg is from 280 to 310 rubles. This amount of drug is usually enough for one course of treatment. Tablets of 150 mg (30 pieces) cost from 400 to 550 rubles. The price of 5 ampoules of solution is from 450 to 650 rubles.
Patients are often interested in analogues of Midokalm. Such drugs include medicines, which also include tolperisone:
- Tolperyl;
- "Tolperisone OBL";
- Kalmyrex
- Tolizor.
These drugs have indications, contraindications and side effects, which are indicated in the instructions for use "Midokalma". Reviews of analogues indicate that these funds are no less effective.
However, not all drugs can be used as injections. The medicine "Tolperisone OBL" is produced only in tablet form, and "Tolizor" in the form of capsules. The preparations Kalmireks and Tolperil can be used for injections, they are available in tablets and ampoules.
Indications for injection and dosage are the same as in the instructions for use "Midokalma". Reviews of analog injections indicate that these drugs have a similar effect.
The price of Tolperil tablets is about 200 rubles, and the solution in ampoules is 300-400 rubles. Kalmireks tablets cost 250-300 rubles, and the injection form costs from 350 to 700 rubles.
The price of Tolizor capsules is from 310 to 350 rubles, and Tolperizon OBL tablets are from 210 to 310 rubles.
We can conclude that the structural analogues of the drug have the same effect, and at the same time their price does not significantly differ from the cost of "Midokalm".
If the patient has intolerance to tolperisone, then it is possible to choose drugs with another active component, but with a similar therapeutic effect. These medicines include:
- Baklosan
- Sirdalud;
- Miolgin.
"Baklosan" (the active substance is baclofen) is produced in tablet form. In the form of ampoules, this medicine is produced under the name "Lyorezal", it is administered only intrathecal - through a catheter directly into the spinal cord. The drug relieves spasms well, but its analgesic effect is weakly expressed. It is rarely used for back pain, the scope of this remedy is spastic phenomena in cases of damage to the spinal cord and brain (trauma, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy). The drug has a pronounced sedative effect and depressing effect on the central nervous system. The price of Baklosan tablets is from 250 to 380 rubles, of Lyorezal - from 200 to 500 rubles.
Sirdalud is produced in the form of tablets and a solution in ampoules. Indications for use are the same as those of Midokalm. Reviews of analog injections indicate that Sirdalud quickly relieves spasms and pain, but drowsiness appears. This remedy has a strong sedative effect. When you stop taking the medicine, withdrawal syndrome may develop. The price of the drug in tablets is from 180 to 350 rubles, and in ampoules - from 480 to 600 rubles.
"Myolgin" is a combination drug. It includes the muscle relaxant chlorzoxanol, as well as the analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drug paracetamol. The medicine is produced only in the form of tablets. Reviews about the analogue of "Midokalm" indicate that "Myolgin" helps well with back pain of various origins, but as a muscle relaxant it acts weaker. The price of tablets is from 230 to 350 rubles.
Reviews about the drug
You can find many positive reviews about Midokalm. Patients report that this tool helps to quickly get rid of pain with osteochondrosis, pinching of nerves and other musculoskeletal diseases. To achieve a therapeutic effect, sometimes a short course of injections or taking pills is enough. If you combine the use of medication with painkillers, then relief comes even faster.
There are reviews about the tablets "Midokalm" from people suffering from cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. In these cases, the medicine is used as part of complex therapy. Most patients note that it has become easier for them to walk after using this remedy.
The drug also helps with diseases of the internal organs, accompanied by spastic pain. There are reports from men suffering from chronic prostatitis. They indicate amelioration after the use of injections or tablets. The pain disappears due to relieving spasm.
However, you can find negative reviews. Some patients experienced side effects, especially after injecting the drug. Patients complain of jumps in blood pressure, gastrointestinal upsets, blurred consciousness, body tremors, shortness of breath and tachycardia. It is possible that these patients had concomitant diseases of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Before prescribing the drug, it is necessary to notify the attending physician about chronic pathologies. This will help you choose the safest medicine.