Co-trimoxazole is a broad-spectrum antibiotic drug. This drug shows a high degree of activity against various bacterial strains. You can take the drug only as directed by a specialist, since improper use can lead to undesirable reactions from the body, including the nervous or circulatory systems, intestines or thyroid gland.
Composition and properties of this drug
"Co-trimoxazole" is an active agent used against certain gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial strains that are sensitive to the effects of sulfonamides.
The active component of the drug is co-trimoxazole. This substance shows a pronounced antimicrobial effect of the combined type. In addition to tablets, the drug is available in the form of a solution for injection, as well as in the form of a suspension and syrup for oral administration.
Co-trimoxazole tablets are available in a gastro-soluble coating. The cost of one package depends on the number of tablets in it and can vary from 20 to 100 rubles.
Indications for taking the drug
"Co-trimoxazole" is prescribed as the main therapy to eliminate the following diseases:
- Infectious diseases localized in the genitourinary system, such as gonorrhea and epididymitis. The drug is equally effective in the treatment of both men and women.
- Soft chancre, lymphogranulomas of venereal or inguinal type.
- Pathological processes in the airways, such as acute or chronic bronchitis, pneumonia of the croupous type, etc.
- ENT diseases, including sinusitis, otitis media, laryngitis, scarlet fever or tonsillitis.
- Digestive system diseases, including salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholangitis, dysentery, cholera, gastroenteritis, cholecystitis and other pathological processes provoked by enterotoxic bacterial strains.
- Dermatological infectious pathologies, such as pyoderma, acne, furunculosis.
- Osteomyelitis in a chronic or acute form.
- Malaria, brucellosis, blastomycosis of the South American type, toxoplasmosis.
Thus, the area of use of Co-trimoxazole is quite wide, which allows doctors to prescribe it for various infections of the body.
Contraindications to the use of the drug
The use of "Co-trimoxazole" is prohibited in certain diseases and conditions, these include:
- Hypersensitivity to the components of the drug, as well as sulfonamides.
- Kidney or liver failure.
- Aplastic or deficient anemia (e.g. vitamin B12 deficiency), leukopenia, and agranulocytosis.
- Lack of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.
- The period of gestation and breastfeeding.
- Pneumocystis pneumonia.
- Children under six years old.
- Hyperbilirubinemia in children.
According to the instructions for Co-trimoxazole, caution is required when taking the drug against the background of such body conditions as:
- Folic acid deficiency.
- Bronchial asthma.
- Endocrine pathology.
Before you start taking the drug, you must carefully read the instructions and study the contraindications, as well as inform the doctor about all the available pathologies.
Instructions for use of tablets "Co-trimoxazole"
The dosage regimen of the drug is selected by the doctor, taking into account the patient's age, its features and the nature of the disease. The instruction offers the following reception mode:
- Children over 12 years of age and adults - 960 mg once or with a division into morning and evening reception. With a severe course of the disease, the drug is taken three times a day at 480 mg. If the infection is chronic, 480 mg are prescribed in the morning and evening.
- At the age of less than two years, the drug is prescribed only in case of emergency, 120 mg in the morning and evening.
- From two to six years, the dosage of the drug doubles to 240 mg, divided into two doses.
Duration of treatment with this drug
The minimum course of treatment reaches four days. When the symptoms are resolved, the tablets should be taken for a few more days. Treatment of pathologies in a chronic form will require a longer course of therapy. In the acute phase, brucellosis is treated for about four weeks, typhoid fever or paratyphoid suggests treatment for at least one month.
Co-trimoxazole is also used as a preventive measure to prevent re-infection of the urinary tract. In this case, you will need to take the drug once in a dosage of 480 mg.
For children under six years of age and adolescence, the dosage is calculated individually and is 11 mg per kilogram of body weight. The treatment of acute cystitis in children from 6 to 16 years of age involves taking 480 mg once for three days.
The dosage for gonorrhea is 2000 mg, divided into three doses during the day. Gonorrheal pharyngitis with an intolerance to penicillin preparations can be treated by taking Co-trimoxazole at 4000 mg per day. The duration of the therapeutic course is up to one week.
To achieve the maximum degree of effectiveness from taking the drug, it is important to regularly monitor the content of trimethoprim in plasma or serum.
Adverse reactions from the use of the drug
As the instructions for Co-trimoxazole tablets indicate, the following adverse reactions from the body are possible during therapy:
- Nervous system: dizziness and pain in the head. In rare cases, there is a state of depression, aseptic type meningitis, tremors, apathy, and peripheral neuritis.
- Digestive disorders, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, gastritis, pain in the abdomen. In addition, the body can respond to taking the drug with cholestasis, glossitis, hepatitis, stomatitis, increased activity of liver transaminases, pseudomembranous enterocolitis, hepatonecrosis, etc.
- The respiratory system can respond to the drug with pulmonary infiltrates and bronchospasm.
- Hemopoietic system: neutropenia, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, megaloblastic type anemia.
- Urinary system: dysfunctional kidney disorder, polyuria, interstitial type nephritis, crystalluria, elevated urea, hematuria, oliguria, anuria, hypercreatininemia, toxic nephropathy.
- Musculoskeletal system: myalgia, arthralgia.
- An allergic reaction, accompanied by a rash, itching, photosensitivity, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, multiforme exudative erythema, epidermal necrolysis of toxic origin, allergic myocarditis, angioedema and hyperemia.
- Local reactions are expressed in the form of thrombophlebitis at the injection site and general pain.
Overdose symptoms
With a significant excess of the dosage of the drug, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, colic in the intestines, dizziness, depression, drowsiness, etc. In addition, the condition of an overdose of the drug causes confusion, tremor, convulsive syndrome. In such cases, gastric lavage is performed, followed by symptomatic treatment.
This also confirms the instructions for use of Co-trimoxazole.
Analogs
There are a number of drugs from the category of sulfonamides, which can replace the tool we describe. The medicines listed below have similar active ingredients and properties. The most popular analogues of this drug are:
- "Biseptolum." Also included in the broad-spectrum antibiotic group. The drug shows activity against streptococci, staphylococci, Escherichia coli, etc. In addition to the tablet form, the medicine is made in the form of a syrup and a solution for injection.
- "Dvaseptol." This analogue of “Co-trimoxazole” is a combined preparation that has a pronounced bactericidal effect. This medicine is prescribed for the treatment of cystitis, urethritis, gonorrhea, pneumonia and other bacterial pathologies. Release forms are identical.
- "Metosulfabol". Also a combined drug with antimicrobial properties. The active components in it are trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. The drug is available in the form of a solution for injection.
Reviews
In general, opinions on the action of Co-trimoxazole are positive. The drug is actively fighting the manifestations of bacterial lesions. The active substance of the antibiotic is active against a large number of pathogenic microorganisms, which makes its field of application very extensive.
The disadvantages of the drug are a large list of contraindications and possible adverse reactions. At the same time, many patients taking the drug confirm that they had some undesirable consequences during treatment with Co-trimoxazole, including headache and nausea.