Citramon is an absolute champion in folk love and popularity among the broad masses of the population in the CIS countries. That only they do not treat. The breadth of its action is unique. But the fact is that the word "citramon" is now written on packages with completely different tablets. You need to figure this out. Therefore, the article will provide relevant explanations and tips.
Before, citramon would be called a unique legend of Soviet pharmacology. Now he is cited as an example as a Soviet pharmaceutical brand. Both of these are true, but we are interested in completely different issues: from the expiration date of citramone to the mechanisms of its interaction with other drugs.
Now they don’t wear it like that
To date, under the cap "citramon" there is no specific drug. As they say, the whole shelf life of the citramone of the Soviet flood came out. It consisted of well-known components: aspirin, phenacetin, caffeine, cocoa and citric acid. In this composition, no one is releasing tablets. It's all about phenacetin, whose reputation is greatly tarnished, especially abroad.
Phenacetin reduced fever, relieved inflammation and gave mild euphoria. It would seem an excellent set of characteristics for a medicine. But the fact is that his side effects outweighed all the advantages. First of all, this is a pathological effect on the kidneys - the so-called "phenacetin nephritis" and a high risk of hemolysis of the blood - the destruction of red blood cells up to death.
In Western Europe, its use completely ceased more than forty years ago. As for the territory of the CIS countries, for a long time it was treated much softer. Moreover, information on side effects was simply not available in the instructions for use. Another feature of the Soviet-style instructions is an absolute disrespect for the shelf life of tablets, citramone and phenacetin, including. As a result, to date, phenacetin is not available almost anywhere.
Composition of citramone tablets
Just note that there are a huge number of modern versions of citramone. The vast majority of them have exactly three components in their composition:
- aspirin;
- paracetamol;
- caffeine.
But do not be fooled by this either on the expiration date of the citramone or on its content. Let's check that we are offered different versions of the same drug.
The drug belongs to the group of non-narcotic analgesics with three main properties: anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic. It affects the centers that regulate body temperature and inhibits the formation of inflammatory mediators.
The composition of one tablet of the most popular Citramon P includes the following active substances in addition to various excipients:
- aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid 240 mg;
- paracetamol 180 mg;
- caffeine 30 mg.
Since this version of the drug is the most common, we will hold it for the basic version for comparison with other drugs under this brand. The shelf life of citramone P tablets is more than solid - five years. We figured it out.
And now we will consider the Citramona Extra tablet, in composition it is a fundamentally different drug:
- paracetamol 500 mg;
- caffeine 50 mg.
And no aspirin, that is, an anti-inflammatory component. Few consumers know about this. When asked how suitable Citramon Extra is, the answer will also be different: not five years, but only two years. Completely different numbers.
And finally, the third version - "Citramon UltraTs, in one tablet contains:
- aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid 320 mg;
- paracetamol 240 mg;
- caffeine 40 mg;
- citric acid 7 mg.
Tablets are real "heavyweights" in all respects, in addition with a flavoring component in the form of citric acid. Let's try to guess how long the shelf life of Citramone Ultra is. The answer this time is three years.
Note that we have considered only three versions of citramone, the scatter of data in the composition of citramone and instructions for use are more than solid. The reason for this difference is not entirely clear, the logic and any system is not visible here.
There are no questions about aspirin
Acetylsalicylic acid deserves the most flattering words and a detailed description of its remarkable pharmacological qualities. Aspirin reduces heat and pain, inhibits inflammatory processes and, most importantly, helps to increase blood microcirculation at the site of inflammation.
Aspirin acts on the centers of pain sensitivity. It affects the most complex multicomponent processes in blood plasma and red blood plates. It is perfectly absorbed and reaches its maximum level of action two hours after ingestion.
However, aspirin has quite clear contraindications due to side effects. This is an “aspirin” triad associated with hypersensitivity to the drug, vascular pathologies and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
One thing to remember best: do not give aspirin to children under 12 years of age.
Paracetamol limps on both legs
And here the praises end. This is a very mixed drug by many criteria. The domestic analgesic paracetamol has a crazy amount of synonyms - 61! This is another champion in popularity and use among the general public. But with one caveat: the championship is clearly geographically limited. These are the countries of the Third World, or more precisely, the same territory of the CIS countries. Wherever it is produced - from St. Petersburg to Khabarovsk, the prices are cheap, the quality is different, the composition can also “dance” from plant to plant.
Meanwhile, in the West, paracetamol has long been on the black list because of the most serious claims for side effects on the kidneys and liver. And if we talk about the form of effervescent tablets, this is a real factor of stroke, which was discovered and proved in the UK back in 1971. So from a safety point of view, paracetamol is the most vulnerable part of citramone.
And here is caffeine
Of course, you can drink half a tablet of citramone and half a tablet of aspirin with a cup of strong coffee. And you can drink citramone, which contains caffeine. Its effect is due to many factors: an increase in the excitability of the spinal cord, the expansion of the vascular bed of the arteries of muscles, the brain and almost all internal organs.
Under the influence of caffeine, drowsiness is reduced, fatigue is minimized, and, in turn, increased efficiency. It should be noted that the proportion of caffeine in citramone is very small, therefore, in such a low concentration, it is only responsible for accelerating blood flow and normal tone of the cerebral vessels.
Indications for use
The spectrum of action of citramone is extremely wide. This is his strength, in the same weakness. This is a classic pharmaceutical situation. The wider the indications for use, the more extensive the side effects. As the saying goes, two sides of the same coin. Many buyers are interested in the expiration date of citramone. How old can this drug be stored? This question arises in the minds of his fans less often than we would like. Packages with it are stored in boxes for decades. Amazing stamina preferences.
Citramon is taken for pains of various etiologies and of very different localization: from headache and toothache to menstrual pain and inflammatory processes. It works well when taken after exercise and muscle fatigue. It relieves fever, fever and swelling of tissues with common diseases of viral etiology.
special instructions
Aspirin and children under 12 years of age - the concept is incompatible, without any exceptions. Therefore, citramone is banned. Unless only versions without aspirin are suitable. If, God forbid, a child has a viral infection, taking citramone can cause Reye’s syndrome - “white liver disease” - a rare and extremely dangerous ailment with the highest mortality rate.
If citramone is taken for a long time, a clinical blood test and a functional diagnosis of the liver should be performed.
Patients with an allergic status and, especially, an asthmatic mood should be more attentive and careful with all versions of citramone.
In the photo, citramone, the composition of the tablets of which is quite a classic set: aspirin, paracetamol and caffeine. In fact, this drug is absolute nonsense because of the word "Euro". Europe has long stopped releasing anything like that. They paracetamol blacklisted decades ago. So adding the word “euro” is just a ruse for marketers who don't have a medical background.
Contraindications and side effects
To be honest, citramone has a fatal effect on the body extremely rarely, it is a fairly harmless drug in comparison with others.
It is clear that it should be taken carefully to people with hypertension, as it increases vascular tone and ultimately raises blood pressure. Here it must be remembered that citramone is not drunk to increase pressure, from this point of view it is not completely reliable and even weak. It's like drinking a cup of coffee and waiting for a stable normalization of pressure.
Since one of the main elements of aspirin actively interacts with platelets and reduces coagulability of the crocium, citramon should never be drunk before any type of surgery. If suddenly there was a regular appointment, you need to inform the doctors in the most detailed way.
Gastritis and some other chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can also cause the undesirability of taking citramone. The fact is that paracetamol and aspirin are quite aggressive against the liver, kidneys and acid-base balance within the intestinal perimeter. An absolute contraindication is gastric ulcer.
During pregnancy and the period of breastfeeding and citramone, you need to think and, especially, take with great care. After all, everything is transmitted in milk, and caffeine is certainly not needed for a child, and paracetamol is useless.
Hypotonic citramons are loved: it enhances the hypertensive effect of drugs to increase pressure. In addition, he is friends and helps vasoconstrictor drugs work. Enhances the effect of drugs that lower blood glucose - good for diabetics.
Despite the general harmlessness of citramone, its individual intolerance can lead to great troubles. If you group the side symptoms into points, they will look like this:
- in the gastrointestinal tract: pain in the epigastric triangle, nausea, vomiting;
- in the cardiovascular system: low levels of blood coagulation, bleeding up to massive, increased blood pressure;
- in the central nervous system: headache, dizziness;
- kidneys: nephropathy of unknown etiology;
- various skin allergic reactions of different severity and intensity.
Interaction with other drugs
Since citramone is a combined drug, the overall effectiveness of other drugs must be planned and calculated with the “big picture” - as an air traffic controller. The first thing to do is to carefully remember all the existing diseases and pathologies, because they, like other drugs, can easily change the effect of citramone on the body "here and now."
"Citramon P" with its exorbitant shelf life, for example, is undesirable with hormone therapy, as it enhances the negative side effect of glucocorticoids. In addition, it has a pronounced anticoagulant effect and reduces the effect of antihypertensive drugs.
The composition of the citramone tablet of the Extra version, already mentioned above, is characterized by a relatively high proportion of caffeine, therefore there is a risk of overdose of caffeine if you drink it with well-brewed tea or coffee. With this, it is better to wait, and drink large doses of mineral water with an alkaline balance.
Citramon is also not friendly with alcohol because of the increased risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. A separate “bonus” will be the combination enhancement of the toxicity of ethanol itself.
Overdose
Honestly, an overdose of citramone is rare when it causes serious health effects. Nevertheless, any drug can become truly dangerous to health - because everything is good in moderation.
Common signs of an excess dose of citramone are mainly due to the action of aspirin. With a mild overdose, it can be stomach pain, dizziness, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. With a more severe degree of excess of citramone, noise or tinnitus, general lethargy, difficulty in breathing, convulsions and even collapse can be observed.
It is better not to engage in self-medication in such situations. The best solution would be to call an ambulance.
Storage conditions
Here everything is as in a classic textbook: stored in a hard-to-reach place at a temperature not exceeding 25 ° C. But the shelf life of citramone in tablets is one of the most mysterious things in domestic pharmacology. It is impossible to understand logic. Most often, the sources call the period up to five years. The expiration date of “Citramon P” with this figure, thank God, is beating. Do not forget to check the manufacturing date, by the way. But the shelf life of citramone in tablets with the additional word “extra” will be radically different - only two years.
Conclusion
Let's start with the easiest: hypertensive patients are very easy to do - it’s better to choose the caffeine-free pill option.
Amazing popular love for a rather outdated and unsafe drug can be explained by its penny price. But probably not only that. According to patients, citramone has a high level of effectiveness.
The main advice when buying is to carefully read all the accompanying information about the drug called Citramon: composition, contraindications and everything else. And it's best to know which version of citramone is right for you. It must be sought in pharmacies. In addition to the clinical indications and characteristics of the drug, it is always necessary to separately determine the shelf life of citramone in this version. Well, if a new option is on sale, we read, think and make a decision. After all, now you are armed with all the necessary knowledge, so you will perfectly understand all the surprises under the head of "citramon". Good luck and do not be sick!