What is the drug "Eufillin"? Reviews about this medication, its indications, methods of use and side effects, we will give in this article. You will learn about the form in which this medicine goes on sale and what is its price.
General information
The drug "Eufillin", reviews of which are very diverse, is a bronchodilator drug. This medication belongs to the group of xanthines. It can be purchased at almost any pharmacy, however, it is advisable to use such a drug for medicinal purposes only as directed by a doctor.
Forms of release and composition of the medication
Currently, the drug can be purchased in two different forms, namely:
- In tablets that contain 150 mg of an active ingredient such as aminophylline. In the sale of this drug comes in cardboard packaging of 50, 10, 30 or 20 pieces.
- The drug "Eufillin" in ampoules. 2.4% solution for injection (1 ml) contains 24 mg of aminophylline.
Only the attending physician should recommend which form of the medicine to use to treat a particular disease.
Drug properties
As mentioned above, the drug "Eufillin" in ampoules or tablets contains the main substance - aminophylline. In turn, this component is a mixture that consists of 80% theophylline and 20% ethylenediamine. This composition greatly facilitates the solubility of the drug, and also significantly improves its absorption.
The drug "Eufillin" from which is prescribed by doctors? The indications of this drug are due to its effect on the bronchi. So, the “Eufillin” medication is able to relax the smooth muscle tissues of the said organ and eliminate the spasms that arise in them. It quite effectively improves the functioning of the epithelial cilia of the respiratory tract, and also increases the contraction of intercostal, diaphragmatic and other muscle tissues.
What is the peculiarity of the drug "Eufillin"? Reviews of patients say that this medication is able to stimulate the respiratory center in the medulla oblongata, as well as improve pulmonary ventilation, saturate the blood with oxygen and reduce its carbon dioxide content, that is, normalize respiratory functions.
The principle of action of the drug
The mechanism of action of the presented drug is that it inhibits the phosphodiesterase enzyme, due to which cyclic adenosine monophosphate accumulates in the tissues, and the intake of calcium ions in the cells, which are responsible for muscle contraction, decreases, which relaxes the smooth muscles of the bronchi.
It should also be noted that the drug “Eufillin” (ampoules, tablets) is able to stimulate cardiac activity, due to the increased frequency and strength of myocardial contraction. It lowers the tone of the blood vessels of organs such as the kidneys, brain, and skin.
Providing a relaxing effect on the walls of the veins in the pulmonary circulation, this medication helps to lower the pressure in it. The use of the drug “Eufillin” significantly improves the blood supply to the kidneys. Due to this, the formation and, accordingly, the excretion of urine significantly increases. The tool helps to slow platelet aggregation. It is impossible not to say that Eufillin makes red blood cells resistant to damage. In other words, it significantly improves the rheological properties of blood.
The tocolytic effect of this drug on the uterus is also known. He is also able to increase the acidity of gastric juice.
Suction and removal
The drug "Eufillin" - what is it used by patients from? Before answering this question, it should be said that this medication is fairly well absorbed from the digestive system. Its bioavailability reaches almost 100%, although while taking it with food, the absorption of the drug can noticeably slow down.
This medication penetrates the milk of a nursing mother and does not stop in front of the placental barrier. The metabolism of the drug occurs exclusively in the liver. Its excretion from the human body is carried out through the kidneys.
Medication "Eufillin": indications for use
The drug “Eufillin” is prescribed for obstructive chronic bronchitis, to relieve asthma attacks (in patients with physical activity asthma and as an additional tool for other forms), with asthmatic status (only in combination therapy), heart failure, complex treatment of stroke, and also other ischemic conditions of the brain, angina pectoris, Cheyne-Stokes respiration, pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary edema and other abnormalities associated with congestive phenomena. According to patients, the drug “Eufillin” (solution for
intravenous injection and tablets) effectively lowers blood pressure during a hypertensive crisis. It is often used to treat apnea in newborns, that is, in a condition characterized by periodic respiratory arrest (for 15 seconds), and is accompanied by abnormalities such as bradycardia and cyanosis.
Contraindications
The drug "Eufillin" (indications for the use of this drug include many exceptions) has a large number of contraindications.
So, the medication presented is highly not recommended for treatment if you have at least one of the following phenomena:
- hypersensitivity to one of the constituent substances, including derivatives of such an element as xanthine (pentoxifylline, caffeine, theobromine);
- arterial hypertension;
- arrhythmia;
- myocardial infarction;
- myocardial pathology;
- heart failure;
- duodenal ulcer or stomach;
- chronic or acute (especially in the acute phase) gastritis;
- diarrhea;
- prostate adenoma;
- pulmonary heart;
- cystic fibrous mastopathy;
- hypoxemia;
- alcoholism;
- hyperthyroidism;
- fever;
- diseases of the rectum;
- respiratory tract infections;
- violation of the liver;
- acute or chronic kidney failure;
- edematous syndrome;
- breast-feeding;
- hypernatremia;
- pregnancy.
Instructions for use
In the form of a solution, such an agent is administered intramuscularly or intravenously. It should be especially noted that the parenteral use of this drug is used only in emergency and emergency conditions. In this case, the dosage of the drug should be calculated individually and depend on the rate of excretion in various people, the severity of the patient's condition and his body weight.
What rules should you know to administer the drug Eufillin intravenously? A medicine dropper should be placed very carefully, and most importantly, slowly.
According to the instructions, for adults in emergency situations, the dosage of this drug is selected at the rate of 6 mg per 1 kg of weight. For this, the drug must be diluted in 20 ml of physiological solution of "Sodium chloride" and the drug is administered intravenously. The injection is carried out very slowly (over 5-8 minutes).
If the patient has asthmatic status, then he is prescribed infusion of the drug in an amount of 720 or 750 mg. The duration of such therapy should not exceed 14 days.
In order to alleviate the patient’s condition with obstructive pulmonary diseases (especially in the acute phase), administration of the drug begins with a dosage of 5 or 6 mg per 1 kg of patient weight. If necessary, it can be increased. However, this should be done very carefully, controlling the blood picture.
As for the tablets, in this form “Eufillin” is prescribed 0.15 g after meals once or three times a day. The course of admission can last several days or months.
With apnea of ​​newborns, the initial dosage of this drug is 5 mg per 1 kg of body weight per day (in 2 doses). In this case, the drug is administered by nasogastric tube. After improvement, you should switch to maintenance therapy (2 mg per 1 kg per day in 2 divided doses). The duration of treatment for the disease can be several weeks or months.
For younger and older children, the drug is prescribed depending on the indications and severity of the condition. The daily dosage varies between 6-15 mg per 1 kg of weight.
Inhalation with Eufillin
The drug is indispensable for obstructive bronchitis. This is due to the fact that it facilitates the elimination of sputum and well dilates the vessels of the bronchi. In physiotherapy rooms, which are located in each clinic, inhalation procedures are carried out based on the large volume of this drug. So, for 3 ampoules of the drug, it is necessary to use 10 ampoules of "Diphenhydramine", as well as 500 ml of water. If a conventional compressor nebulizer is used for treatment, then this dosage will be much smaller, although the proportions should be preserved.
Before you breed and use "Eufillin" for inhalation, the baby should always consult a pediatrician.
Feasible side effects
According to reviews, the drug “Eufillin” can cause such undesirable effects as dizziness, insomnia, excessive excitement, constant headaches, arrhythmia, tremor of the extremities, lowering blood pressure, abdominal pain, heart rate, nausea, heart pain, heartburn, allergic reactions, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased blood glucose, increased sweating, changes in urinalysis.
special instructions
In what cases should the drug “Eufillin” be taken with extreme caution? Reviews of experts indicate that this drug should be used only as prescribed by the doctor and strictly under his supervision, especially if the patient has a fever of unknown origin. With extreme caution, the drug should be taken by the elderly.
It should be noted that the drug "Eufillin" is able to increase the level of uric acid in the urine. During the use of this medication, special care must be taken while consuming a large number of foods and drinks containing caffeine.
Before parenteral administration, it is recommended that the drug solution be heated to body temperature.
Drug interaction
- With simultaneous use with this medication, the bronchodilating effect of "Salbutamol" and "Terbutaline" noticeably increases.
- The simultaneous use of the drug "Eufillin", the price of which does not exceed 40 Russian rubles, with beta-blockers can quite easily cause bronchospasm.
- During the use of this drug, it should be borne in mind that its effect is noticeably enhanced if treatment with drugs such as Erythromycin and Cimetidine is simultaneously carried out, as well as an influenza vaccine and oral contraceptives.
- The level of concentration of this drug in the blood decreases with simultaneous use with the preparations “Carbamazepine”, “Rifampicin” and “Phenytoin”.