The medicine "Advantan" is a special drug for the treatment of erythema, edema, itching or pain caused by neurodermatitis, eczema, allergic dermatitis, dermatitis of other origin.
"Schering AG Advantan" is a hormonal drug. Therefore, it is necessary to approach its use especially carefully. Like all drugs from the group of non-halogenated synthetic glucocorticosteroids, it is contraindicated in syphilis, tuberculosis, rosacea and hypersensitivity to the components of the drug.
But the components of the product are different. The fact is that the drug "Advantan", this instruction explains, is available in the form of an emulsion for external use, ointment and cream. Each type of medicine is intended for different purposes and, accordingly, has a different composition.
The drug "Advantan" cream . The active substance is methylprednisolone acepoate (as in all other types of medicines). In addition to it, glycerol monostearate, benzyl alcohol, butylhydroxytoluene, cetosteryl alcohol, and some other substances are included in the cream. Cream "Advantan", the instructions explain, contains more water than fat. Therefore, this dosage form is suitable for the treatment of weeping skin irritations. In addition, the cream is recommended for application to the scalp, patients with very oily skin. It is also suitable for application to those areas that are constantly open.
Ointment "Advantan" , the instruction details its composition, is more balanced in the amount of fat and water. In addition to methylprednisolone acetoate, it includes heavy liquid paraffin, white petrolatum, water, white wax. This composition is recommended for patients with excessively dry skin or in the treatment of chronic diseases. The ointment makes the skin oily, but does not create a thermal effect and does not retain fluid at all. Therefore, the ointment can be used in occlusive dressings that accelerate healing.
And what is the "Advantan" emulsion intended for ? The instruction explains that it can be used to treat severe sunburn, dermatitis caused by the sun, exogenous eczema or atopic dermatitis.
The emulsion includes benzyl, sterile alcohols, triglycerides, glycerin, and some other chemicals.
Regardless of the type of dosage form, the drug "Advantan" is applied in a thin layer, only once a day. The course lasts no more than three months. Sometimes the medicine "Advantan", a warning about this, may begin to dry the skin. In this case, you need to change the prescribed dosage form to another one containing more fat.
The drug "Advantan" has received many positive reviews from doctors and patients, because it has virtually no negative side effects. Only in very rare cases does it cause itching. Even less often (and only with prolonged use), it can cause hypertrichosis, folliculitis.
All these reactions pass quickly.
Medication "Advantan" can be used in monotherapy and as a component in complex treatment. For example, with dermatomycosis, treatment is recommended to be supplemented with antifungal drugs.
If you treat the skin around the eyes for a long time, you can provoke the development of glaucoma.
In case of an overdose, striae (white stripes on the skin, popularly called stretch marks), telangiectasias (blue, red or pink spots on the skin, with blood vessels shining through them) are possible.
A special issue is the use of medication during feeding and pregnancy. Despite the fact that there are very few negative results, doctors recommend the Advantan drug to this group only when the expected benefit exceeds the hypothetical harm.
There are no analogues in the medicine. In pharmacies, the vacation of the Advantan medication without a prescription is allowed.
However, it is not worth using it without the doctor's instructions: only a specialist can determine whether the Advantan medicine will help in a particular situation or whether it is better to use another drug.