Allergy is a serious disease that, if improperly or incompletely treated, can cause a lot of trouble to the patient. Therefore, they all strive to choose an inexpensive and effective remedy that can be used constantly without the risk of side effects. On the pharmaceutical market today you can buy a lot of antihistamines, but not all of them are equally effective, so the medicine should be purchased based on the advice of the attending physician. For example, specialists often prescribe their patients the inexpensive Cetrin. Instructions for use, reviews of people who take it, as well as analogues, we will examine in more detail in our article.
The main indications for use
Antihistamines are used to eliminate any manifestations of allergies and to temporarily alleviate the patient's condition. Of course, unfortunately, it is impossible to completely recover from this ailment. But if you take the necessary funds regularly, then you can minimize the appearance of symptoms. As noted above, the drug "Cetrin" is an antiallergenic drug. It is a histamine receptor blocker. Taking the remedy in time, you can not only eliminate the symptoms of allergies, but also prevent its appearance. The instructions also indicate that the drug has an antipruritic effect.
However, the drug only helps with certain types of allergies, so it is difficult to call it universal. We list the main list of pathologies that can be cured with the help of Tsetrin. Indications for its use are the following diseases:
- All kinds of skin dermatoses. This includes neurodermatitis, atopic dermatitis, as well as any rashes on the skin, accompanied by moderate or severe itching.
- Hives. The drug helps to eliminate painful rashes on the skin, and also eliminates the burning sensation and itching. It is also effective in its chronic idiopathic form.
- Angioneurotic edema of any localization.
- Allergic rhinitis, i.e. inflammation of the nasal mucosa. In this case, you can use the tool to stop the symptoms of both seasonal and year-round forms of the disease.
- Allergic conjunctivitis. As in the previous case, the drug is effective in all types of this pathology.
- Hay fever, or hay fever. "Cetrin" copes with the elimination of symptoms of seasonal allergies to pollen.
Forms of release of "Tsetrina" and its composition
Many antiallergenic drugs are available in various forms to meet the needs of all patients. After all, it may be inconvenient for someone to take, for example, pills all the time, so they would prefer syrups or drops. Antihistamines are available in various forms. "Cetrin" in this case was no exception, since it is presented in pharmacies with tablets, syrup and drops for oral administration. Of course, each of these forms has a different composition and packaging, so we will consider them separately.
Most often, for adults, the drug is prescribed in tablets. An abstract to Tsetrin indicates that they are covered with a white film coating, although sometimes they may not have a completely pure shade. The tablets have a round biconvex shape and for convenience are divided into half by special risk. The main active ingredient of both drops and pills is cetirizine dihydrochloride. In one tablet it contains 10 mg. In addition, the composition also includes auxiliary components, which can also be seen in other drugs. For example, the instructions state that the tablets contain lactose, magnesium stearate and corn starch.
The film coating that covers the tablet has its own composition. It is made from sorbic acid, titanium dioxide, hypromellose and other substances. For the convenience of customers, tablets are available in cardboard packaging, which, in turn, contains plastic blisters. Each of them contains 10 tablets. One package usually contains 2 or 3 blisters. The cost of the drug also depends on their quantity. As a rule, the price starts from 165 rubles for a package containing 20 tablets.
Drops are available in the form of a colorless liquid in which there are no inclusions. They are based on the same active substance (in 1 ml of drops - 10 mg of cetirizine dihydrochloride). The composition of the drops includes additional components. Among them, it is worth highlighting propylene glycol, purified water, citric acid monohydrate and glycerol. The drug is released in glass bottles that are made of dark glass. Each of them is also additionally equipped with a special dropper dispenser for ease of use. There is a different dosage of vials: 10 and 20 ml. All of them are also packed in cardboard boxes, which contains the instructions for use of the drug.
Like drops, syrup comes in the form of a colorless liquid, which is much thicker in its consistency. Sometimes it can have a yellowish color. You can recognize the syrup by a pleasant fruity smell. In 1 ml of the drug contains 1 mg of active substance. The composition also includes auxiliary components: sucrose, glycerol, fruit flavor, purified water and others. Syrup is produced in dark bottles (30 or 60 ml) made of glass and packed in cardboard boxes. In them, too, you can find instructions for use, as well as a special measuring spoon.
What contraindications does the drug have?
Despite the safe composition, Cetrin has contraindications, in the presence of which it is not recommended to take the drug. And although tablets, syrup and drops can be bought at a pharmacy without a special prescription, you should take them all only after consulting with your doctor, for example, a therapist or an allergist. It is worth noting that this medicine has very few contraindications, which makes it accessible to all categories of the population.
Of course, in the first place, you should not use the drug to treat allergies, if you have an individual intolerance to one or more of the components that make up the composition. This can only worsen the condition of the patient. Most often, patients encounter intolerance to cetirizine, as well as a piperazine derivative and hydroxyzine.
With caution, "Cetrin" for allergies is prescribed to people suffering from impaired renal function, since it is with their help that the drug is excreted from the body. The main contraindication in this case will be the terminal or chronic stage of renal failure - then taking the medicine is strictly prohibited. Elderly people need to prescribe the drug in the minimum dosage and conduct therapy under the supervision of a doctor. The same applies to patients with a history of pathology that lead to a delay in urine output, as well as epileptics and people suffering from increased convulsive readiness.
Side effects that may appear after starting
Despite a small number of contraindications, the drug may not be suitable for all patients, as sometimes unpleasant side effects may appear after taking it. "Cetrin" is well studied by specialists, therefore, the risk of such symptoms is not very high. However, if you feel that your condition has worsened after you started taking it, then it is best to stop using the product. And if necessary, you should even consult a doctor.
Instructions for use describe in detail all the possible side effects that may appear after the start of treatment. We list the most common of them:
- Dry mouth and mild nausea without vomiting are the most common symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract, which patients complain about. Less commonly diagnosed with diarrhea and abdominal pain.
- Headaches, dizziness and severe fatigue - this is how the nervous system usually reacts. Rarely, patients may suffer from seizures, tremors, and tics. Sometimes paresthesia is observed, that is, a violation of the sensitivity of the skin, the appearance of goose bumps and a slight burning sensation.
- Anaphylactic shock develops only in individual cases. The appearance of other hypersensitivity reactions cannot be ruled out, but studies have shown that they are extremely rare.
- Inflammation of the nasal mucosa or pharyngitis are frequent side effects that appear after taking the drug for a long time.
- Tachycardia is the most common symptom of the cardiovascular system.
- In very rare cases, vertigo can be observed, including a deterioration in the clarity of vision, loss of balance, dizziness.
- Infrequently, patients complain of psychological changes. For example, they note the appearance of feelings of aggression, confusion, suicidal thoughts. Patients rarely experience depression, hallucinations, insomnia, or increased drowsiness.
- Sometimes people say that they begin to feel a general malaise. Side effects can also occur in the form of increased appetite and weight gain, as well as swelling of the limbs, especially in the morning and evening.
It is also worth noting that the frequency of occurrence of such symptoms is higher when taking tablets and drops, rather than syrup. In addition, an increase in the activity of liver enzymes is considered a side effect, however, it can be detected only after passing the appropriate tests.
The drug "Cetrin": instructions for use
To make treatment with tablets and drops as effective as possible, it is important to follow all the recommendations of doctors. For example, they indicate that you can take the drug regardless of food intake. The tablets do not bite and do not chew, swallowing them whole and drinking one glass (about 200 ml) of clean and still water. But syrup to achieve the best effect is recommended to be taken exclusively in the evening.
The dosage of the drug depends on the age of the patient and the diseases in his medical history. So, the elderly and patients with impaired renal function are recommended to prescribe a minimum amount of funds. As a rule, the smallest possible dosage is 10 mg of the active substance per day, that is, one tablet or 20 drops. Taking the drug can be divided, for example, drink half a tablet in the morning and evening. In some cases, it is noted that even 10 drops per day, that is, 5 mg, is enough to achieve a positive effect from the treatment. Syrup is also recommended to use 10 ml per day, if desired, this technique can also be divided into morning and evening.
Is the drug prescribed for pregnant and lactating women?
The effect of Cetrin on the body of a pregnant woman is not well understood. As a rule, all experimental studies were carried out first on animals. They did not reveal any adverse factors that could affect the formation of the fetus in the womb. However, due to the small number of clinical studies specifically related to the human body, the drug is not recommended for use by pregnant women at any time. The same can be said about the lactation period. The drug is excreted in breast milk, so when feeding it can enter the body of a newborn. Therefore, the mother will either have to stop taking the drug, or switch to artificial feeding. Moreover, the ban applies not only to tablets, but also to drops and syrup.
Is the drug prescribed for children?
Unfortunately, quite often small children also suffer from allergy manifestations, for which it is necessary to select only an absolutely safe drug. Therefore, many parents are interested in the question of whether Cetrin is suitable for babies. The instructions for use indicate that children can take this drug, but with caution and under the supervision of a physician. For example, tablets are not recommended for babies under 6 years old. In preschool age, it is best to use drops that can be taken for children over 1 year old. In this case, the dosage, of course, should be minimal. For children, Cetrin syrup is the most pleasant option. However, it can be taken for babies over two years old in minimum dosages.
More on overdose
As a rule, if you strictly and carefully follow the recommendations of your doctor, then taking a larger amount of the drug will not work. However, sometimes this can be done by accident. Unpleasant symptoms with an overdose of "Cetrin" begin after taking 50 mg of the active substance per day. Patients in these cases noted confusion, severe headache, dizziness, and general malaise. Sometimes they complained of tremor of the extremities, diarrhea, increased drowsiness, and other symptoms.
What should you do if you have drunk more medicine than you should? Of course, if you increase the dosage of Cetrin, you should immediately seek help from a doctor. Experts also recommend rinsing the stomach immediately. For this, it is necessary to induce vomiting in the patient as soon as possible. To slow the absorption of the drug into the body, you need to give the patient activated charcoal. Then doctors advise symptomatic treatment, which will be aimed at stabilizing the patient's condition, until the drug itself is removed from the body. Moreover, the use of hemodialysis to accelerate this process has been shown to be ineffective.
Interaction with other drugs
No medicine can completely cure allergies, so sometimes antihistamines have to be taken on an ongoing basis. Of course, in this case, sometimes the therapy with them coincides with the use of other means. That is why it is necessary to know which medications should not be taken at the same time. The instructions indicate that "Cetrin" does not adversely affect the body and the effectiveness of treatment if taken with ketoconazole, cimetidine, diazepam and antiprina. When taken together with macrolide antibiotics, there was no deterioration in the condition of patients and changes in the ECG.
However, it is worth noting that the simultaneous administration of "Cetrin" together with myelotoxic drugs can lead to increased hemotoxicity of the drug. In addition, it is not recommended to use this medicine in conjunction with any alcoholic beverages.
Analogs of the drug for adults and children
The selection of an antihistamine is an individual matter for each patient, since far from all allergy sufferers the same drug is equally well suited. Therefore, people who, for whatever reason, cannot be treated with this medication, often pay attention to the analogues of Tsetrin. It is worth noting that you can replace one remedy with another after a preliminary consultation with a doctor. He can choose the best option that will suit a particular patient with his medical history.
Cetrin has quite a few analogues, and there are those that contain the same active substance. The most common ones are listed below:
- Allertec.
- The Zodak.
- Parlazin.
- Zirtek.
- "Cetirizine".
- "Letizen" and others.
Positive feedback from doctors and patients
Many patients seek to learn more about "Cetrin" and analogues before treatment, therefore, refer to the reviews of people who previously took this tool, as well as doctors prescribing it. As a rule, the responses of both of these are most often positive. Experts note its high effectiveness and rare cases of side effects. Patients also like its affordable price. By the way, some people note the name of the drug, which is easy to remember, as an advantage. Doctors indicate that it is most effective against skin dermatitis and itching. It is slowly excreted from the body, so you can take it once a day. Also, the medicine is suitable for continuous therapy, for example, in the spring. Therefore, during the flowering period of plants, you can take "Cetrin" every day. There are many indications for its use, so it can be called a universal remedy.
Negative reviews
Experts positively evaluate this drug, therefore, it is often prescribed to their patients. However, they do not deny that the drug has its drawbacks. For example, doctors and patients rarely report severe drowsiness, headaches, and dry mouth. , , . - .
Draw conclusions
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