Alcoholism drops

The feelings of people whose relatives suffer from alcoholism can only be understood by those who have experienced the horror of the situation. Another difficulty is that mostly people burdened with alcoholism do not recognize this as a problem, assuring that if they want to, they can easily quit drinking on their own. Therefore, relatives try to cure the patient on their own, try various methods, techniques and medications. In this article, we will try to figure out what drops for alcoholism modern pharmacology offers today, how effective and safe they are for the body of a sick person.

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Indications for the use of drops for alcoholism

It is worth noting that the most stable result of any therapy largely depends on the patient's attitude, his desire to get rid of the problem. Therefore, if a drinking person is aware of his trouble and has a desire to stop the craving for alcohol, then pharmacological agents will help him with this. But if the patient does not want to be treated on his own - here the situation is more complicated. But you can't sit back and wait for a loved one to completely drink himself to death and lose his human appearance, or even life. You definitely need to try!

Indications for the use of drops for alcoholism are as follows:

• Direct treatment of alcoholism as a disease.
• Relieving hangover symptoms.
• Elimination of disease recurrence.
• Substitution therapy (aversive), which, by administering certain drugs, “replaces” the feeling of pleasure from a shot of alcohol with disgust for the drink.

In this case, alcoholism is accompanied by corresponding symptoms:

• Severe headaches.
• Increased irritability.
• Depressive states.
• Apathy or, on the contrary, aggression.
• Excessive sense of anxiety.
• Loss of appetite.
• Sleep disorders.
• Rapid change of mood.
• Emotional instability.

Release form

Medicines with pharmacodynamics of interest are widely represented on the modern market. Their release forms are also different. These are tablets, injection solutions. Drops taken orally by the patient are also widely used.

The drop form is also good because, having no color, taste or smell, it allows them to be added to the alcoholic's drinks and food, without his knowledge. Usually, drops, which can be easily purchased at any pharmacy, are poured into dark glass bottles. The volumes of the drug produced are mainly 25 ml, but on the shelves of pharmacies, you can also find dosages of 50 ml. The bottle is placed in a cardboard package and supplied with instructions for use.

The composition of medicines naturally has its own characteristics and differences.

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Pharmacodynamics

Today, pharmaceutical companies produce drops for alcoholism of three types, which differ slightly in the results of action:

• The pharmacodynamics of some allow them to induce an aversion to alcohol in the patient.
• Others are more effective in reducing the feeling of need to drink and relieving severe hangover symptoms.
• The third category are those that are designed to cause some degree of intolerance to alcohol.

When the drug is introduced into the body of a drinking person, the synthesis of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is inhibited - a liver enzyme that promotes the activation of the acetaldehyde oxidation process.

If even a small amount of alcohol enters the body, the oxidation process occurs more actively, accumulating the products of the transformation in the body, which invariably leads to alcohol intoxication, and, in fact, to poisoning.

The active ingredient of the drug used inhibits this enzyme, and the chemical compound cyanamide activates the process of synthesis of acetaldehyde, which is a metabolite of ethyl alcohol.

Such processes can cause a negative reaction in the body, manifested by uncomfortable symptoms.

This happens immediately after a person suffering from alcoholism drinks even a small amount of alcoholic beverage. The person begins to experience:

• Shortness of breath.
• Increased heart rate.
• A sudden rush of blood to the head.
• Nausea.
• Tremor.
• Feeling like vomiting.

Taking the drugs in question makes it possible to cause the patient to feel disgust not only for the taste of the "fiery liquid", but also for the smell of alcoholic beverages. This reflex is formed at the level of the subcortex of the brain.

It is worth noting that the hypotensive effect is not observed when cyanamide is administered, while disulfiram provokes its development. The therapeutic effect after the drug enters the body of a drinking person occurs in 45 minutes to an hour. At the same time, its effect does not weaken over the next 12 hours.

Almost all drugs, when they enter the body, begin to influence, among other things, the parts of the cerebral cortex (hypothalamus, hippocampus, and others), which are responsible for strengthening the body's resistance, increasing the patient's ability to resist toxins entering with alcohol and "breaking" the formed dependence on alcohol.

The drug of this group modifies the functional activity of the S-100 protein, which “binds” the information coming to the brain and the processes occurring in the body. They increase the sensitivity of the neuronal membrane to the effects of irritants. They slightly reduce the work of the renal neurons of the hippocampus, which leads to a decrease in the quantitative component of immune complexes that circulate together with the peripheral blood. This fact makes it possible to reduce the body’s necessary need for ethanol, weakening the craving for alcohol. They allow you to restore and normalize the synaptic plasticity of neurons.

The drugs in question are a catalyst for positive psychological reinforcement of the recovery process, which is one of the main keys to achieving positive results, allowing to reduce the need for alcohol to stimulate the lateral hypothalamus.

The conducted studies have shown that the drugs of the considered category of medicines restore conditioned reflex connections quite well, normalizing the neurotransmitter balance, and also increase the resistance of the body as a whole, and the brain in particular, to toxins and hypoxia.

Pharmacokinetics

Large-scale studies to determine the characteristics of interest have not been conducted, but some data related to the section under consideration are still available. Pharmacokinetics of drops from alcohol notes that cyanamide, which is part of their composition, is absorbed into the plasma quite well, showing bioavailability of about 70%. The indicators of its total plasma clearance, depending on the individual characteristics of the patient's body, fall within the range of 42 to 62 minutes.

Names of drops for alcoholism

As noted earlier, a significant bonus in obtaining the desired result is the desire of the drinking person himself. But even if he has not consented to treatment, it is necessary to fight for his life and the quality of life of those around him. Therefore, relatives, secretly from the alcoholic, begin to add anti-alcohol drops to his drinks or dishes.

Every day there are more and more drugs with such action on the shelves of pharmacies. Therefore, it is worth remembering at least some names of drops for alcoholism and getting acquainted with their pharmacological characteristics.

In any modern pharmacy today you can find the following drugs: Proproten-100, Vitael, Antiethyl, Disulfiram, Esperal, Caprinol, Stopethyl, Kolme, Teturam and many others.

For example, teturam, the active ingredient of which is disulfiram (disulfiramum), is taken orally. The therapeutic dosage is selected for each patient strictly individually within the range from 0.25 to 0.5 g per day. Doses lower than the recommended drugs are very quickly excreted from the body, without showing any significant effect.

Vitael is a dietary supplement made from a complex of medicinal herbs. The treatment must be approached with full responsibility. The drug is administered taking into account the patient's concomitant diseases, and is also determined by the duration of alcoholism and the degree of alcohol dependence. This drug is perfectly compatible with food products, which makes it possible, even without the patient's knowledge, to mix it into food and drinks (including alcohol itself). Before use, shake the contents of the bottle several times.

Lavital - this drug is used both to relieve the problem of alcoholism and to prevent it. It is based on medicinal herbs: hawthorn, green tea, motherwort, milk thistle, oregano, St. John's wort, dandelion root, thyme. Additionally, the composition contains glycine and succinic acid. When treating this disease, you need to be patient. This drug is available in the form of drops and syrup.

Typically the recovery process takes several months.

Colme

Let us dwell in more detail on those preparations that are currently the most popular among consumers. One of them is Kolme drops for alcoholism. They contain cyanamide, the main active ingredient of the preparation. As well as sodium acetate, sorbic and acetic acids, water, which are additional chemical compounds.

The pharmacodynamics of cyanamide have already been described above. It prevents the synthesis of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which is directly involved in the processing of ethyl alcohol. When the enzyme production decreases, unprocessed acetaldehyde, which is a product of alcohol breakdown, accumulates, which leads to intoxication of the alcoholic's body.

It is this reaction that provokes the appearance of a severe hangover, accompanied by the pathological symptoms described above. And as a result, each intake of alcohol begins to be accompanied by severe discomfort, which develops a persistent aversion to alcohol in a person, and the emergence of a conditioned reflex aversion to the smell and taste of alcohol.

The positive aspects of taking this medicine include:

• A fairly small percentage of relapses (subsequent breakdowns).
• The drug is safe for the patient's body when taken over a long period of time.
• It helps to normalize appetite and general (both physical and emotional) tone, which is important in the current situation.

The daily recommended amount of the drug, depending on the individual characteristics of the human body, its condition and the severity of the disease, is from 35 to 75 mg, which corresponds to 12 - 25 drops taken once or twice during the day.

The drug has neither smell nor taste, which allows it to be used for therapy without the knowledge of the drinker.

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Barrier

Another drug that allows you to stop the problem without any serious consequences is drops from alcoholism Barrier. This drug belongs to the new generation of drugs and is not yet so "popular" with the consumer, but already has quite enthusiastic reviews.

This parapharmaceutical makes it easier to give up emotional and physical cravings for alcohol. Its work consists in reducing the pathological effect of ethanol alcohol on the patient's body. It has a beneficial effect on metabolic processes, restoring their normal functioning. The drug in question gives a stable result over alcohol.

In addition, the anti-alcohol drug normalizes the functions of the central nervous system and reduces the intensity of hangover symptoms.

The barrier is produced in the form of drops. The liquid is odorless, brown, transparent. The duration of the course of therapy is on average three weeks.

The drops in question are convenient because their use goes unnoticed by drinkers. The alcoholic's loved ones can easily add them to drinks and food without fear of being "caught" doing so. The only caveat: the dish into which the drug is mixed must be dark in color (due to the shade of the drops). After all, they will be noticeable on light food.

A week after the start of treatment, those around you should notice the first results of the therapy. The alcoholic's craving for alcohol should decrease.

This medicine has virtually no contraindications, which expands its use even for people belonging to a certain category of patients who have restrictions in taking other drugs of this pharmacological group. But this does not mean that the medicine can be prescribed independently and used without supervision. A specialist consultation is mandatory. It is he who will help determine both the dosage of the drug and its administration schedule.

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Proproten 100

Another fairly popular drug is drops of Proproten 100 for alcoholism, which, being a homeopathic remedy, are produced both in drops and in tablets. This drug is mainly used to relieve hangover symptoms: headache, emotional stress, digestive problems, anxiety, sleep problems.

If the question of treating alcoholism is raised, then it is advisable to take this medicine not as monotherapy, but in combination with other drugs.

The main function of Proproten 100 is to reduce the negative symptoms of a hangover. This drug is also suitable for people who do not suffer from alcoholism, but suffer after a "heavy feast" the day before.

Doctors recommend taking the medicine fifteen to twenty minutes before the expected meal. Drops, as well as tablet form, should not be swallowed immediately. It is necessary to hold the drug in the mouth for some time. This will allow it to dissolve.

If doctors observe an acute form of withdrawal syndrome, the medicine is administered to the patient every half hour, one tablet or the corresponding dosage in drops (one tablet - 15 drops). Gradually, the interval is increased to two hours. At night, the intake is stopped, and in the morning the regimen is repeated. If a therapeutic effect is achieved, the interval between doses is maintained at three hours - this regimen is followed for three days, then they switch to the regimen of two tablets (or the corresponding amount in drops) once a day for a month.

Coprinol

It is worth remembering another medicine related to the drugs of the group under consideration - drops of coprinol for alcoholism. This is a relatively expensive, but effective medicine of the new generation. Some refer to them as vitamin complexes, others - to dietary supplements.

Today, it is not available in retail, but is distributed by specialized companies. The instructions attached to the drug indicate that it is made from the extract of the dung mushroom, which has been used by traditional healers since ancient times to treat those who often looked into a glass. It also contains succinic acid and vitamins.

The drug coprinol works to make a drinker feel disgusted with alcoholic beverages. However, this medication should be taken under the supervision of a specialist, without self-medication, as coprinol is quite aggressive and has a detrimental effect on the patient's liver, destroying its structures.

The recommended dosage is 2 ml, which is mixed into the patient's drinks and food. Doctors strongly recommend that you categorically refuse to drink alcohol during treatment. This will at least partially reduce the stress of internal organs on the drug. It would not be superfluous to include a vitamin and mineral complex and a healthy diet.

Adding drops for alcoholism to food

The modern pharmacological market is ready to offer a wide range of anti-alcohol drugs. But often the problem is not even in their high or low efficiency, but in the fact that most people suffering from alcoholism do not see this as a problem. They are ready to say with complete confidence that as soon as they want, they will easily quit drinking. This is the whole problem. Therefore, the relatives and friends of an alcoholic have to try many different drugs and means in order to positively solve the problem.

One of the solutions in this situation is to add drops for alcoholism to food, which allows the treatment to be carried out in secret from the patient.

The drug form in drops is convenient precisely because the liquid has neither taste nor smell. This allows the drug to be “masked” by the alcoholic’s favorite food. At the same time, the drops can be taken for quite a long time, since they do not have a significant negative effect on the alcoholic’s internal organs, including the liver.

But this advantage costs money. And as we show by monitoring the prices of these drugs, drops are somewhat more expensive than the tablet form, so buyers are more likely to buy tablets.

Of course, the treatment with anti-alcohol tablets brings certain positive results, but it is worth noting that many patients simply cannot withstand the long-term effect of the tablets on the body (their high toxicity) and break into a binge.

When choosing a form of medicine, it is worth considering all aspects of the problem and in some cases, choosing a more expensive but effective drug is not wastefulness, but direct savings. But you should also remember about possible side effects that may arise against the background of the drug being administered.

Many medical workers believe that it is impossible to treat a patient by force, because such an approach can be dangerous for an alcoholic. Therefore, any treatment should be approved by a qualified specialist and take place under his supervision. It is advisable to try to convince the drinking person of the need to seek help from a narcologist and only through joint efforts try to cope with the trouble.

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Method of administration and dosage

If the problem under consideration has arisen and one of your friends or relatives is "sliding downhill", you should try to convince him to seek help from a specialist. Only a narcologist, having examined the patient, will prescribe the most effective drug that corresponds to his clinical picture and the state of the body at the time of seeking help.

The most effective method of application and dosage of the medicine, the treatment schedule will be described. These facts differ depending on the person's status and the medicine that was prescribed to him.

If there is no way to consult a doctor, then the precautions described in the instructions attached to the drug should be strictly followed. This will reduce the risk of side effects and serious complications.

If an alcoholic does not know that he is being treated, then a situation is possible where hidden intoxication begins to develop, which, if the dosage is violated or if the patient has a history of liver, kidney and cardiovascular diseases, can lead to death.

If the patient does not have any serious health problems, the duration of the treatment course is about three months, and the amount of the drug administered varies from 15 to 30 drops per dose. Usually, two such doses are administered during the day. Since most drugs show a sufficient level of therapeutic effectiveness for 12 hours, this is the interval that is maintained in taking the drug.

It is best to administer the medicine in warm food or drinks. The only exception is alcohol-containing liquids, which should not be allowed into the patient's diet.

This duration of therapy is due to the need to form a conditioned reflex to alcohol.

Some drops are best taken half an hour before meals. In this case, you should take them together with some liquid (15-20 ml of water is enough), and eat 30 minutes later. For example, Proproten 100 is administered in the amount of 10 drops. If the result of the drug administration is the removal of a hangover syndrome, then the administration scheme is one: the first 2 hours - the drug is administered every 30 minutes, then - every hour, until the negative symptoms are removed.

As a preventive measure, Proproten 100 is taken in the same dosage, but one or two doses throughout the day.

If severe alcohol withdrawal is observed, these drops are included in complex therapy that detoxifies the alcoholic.

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Using drops for alcoholism during pregnancy

Medicines of the pharmacological focus under consideration are quite "aggressive", and they have not yet been sufficiently studied for their effect on the developing embryo. Therefore, the use of drops for alcoholism during pregnancy and during the period when a young mother breastfeeds her newborn baby is absolutely unacceptable, although, frankly speaking, alcohol and pregnancy are also two incompatible statuses from a medical point of view.

Contraindications to the use of drops for alcoholism

Due to its pharmacological properties and systemic mode of action, there are also contraindications to the use of drops for alcoholism, which are indicated by the pathologies and status of the person listed below:

• Individual intolerance of the patient's body to one or more components of the drug, including cyanamide.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding period.
• Congenital lactase deficiency.
• Tendency to allergic reactions.
• A severe stage of alcohol intoxication, followed by severe intoxication.
• Thyroid diseases.
• Moderate or severe liver and/or cardiac dysfunction.
• Symptoms of "delirium tremens". Severe mental disorders.
• Pathology of the vascular system.
• Diseases of the respiratory system.
• Possibility of occurrence of an epileptic seizure.
• Diabetes mellitus and other diseases associated with metabolic disorders.
• Congenital galactosemia.
• Severe renal failure.
• Oncological diseases.
• Glucose malabsorption.
• Old age of the patient (if he is over 65 years old).

Also, the effectiveness of drugs is quite insignificant in the case of advanced forms of alcoholism. A course of treatment with the drugs in question can help achieve the expected result only in the case of alcoholism of the first or second stage.

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Side effects of drops for alcoholism

Predominantly, the drugs of the pharmacological group under consideration show good tolerance by the patient's body, but side effects of drops for alcoholism, nevertheless, in some cases manifested themselves and were documented. The risk of developing pathological symptoms increases especially if, against the background of treatment, the patient "takes to the chest" even a small amount of alcohol.

The consequences of such a connection can manifest themselves as follows:

• Spontaneous rush of blood to the head, expressed by reddening of the patient's facial skin.
• An increase in blood pressure, which even begins to be felt as an increase in the pulsation of the blood vessels located in the neck and head.
• Mild drowsiness appears.
• Breathing problems may occur.
• Attacks of nausea occur, reaching the point of a gag reflex.
• Decreased performance.
• Decreased overall tone of the body.
• Rapid fatigue.
• Pain in the chest area may occur.
• Decreased visual acuity.
• Emotional instability is expressed by attacks of panic and fear.

It is worth clarifying once again that these symptoms appear when the patient continues to drink alcohol during treatment and they disappear after the introduction of alcohol stops.

Overdose

An unambiguous picture that would cause an overdose of drugs against alcoholism has not been described to date. Doctors - narcologists assume that it is quite possible that the symptoms may worsen as a side effect of the administration of some drugs of this pharmacodynamics. Therefore, when pathological symptoms are detected, antisymptomatic therapy is necessary, aimed at supporting the normal functioning of the heart and respiratory system. In especially severe cases, blood transfusion is necessary - hemodialysis.

Interactions with other drugs

It is difficult to speak unequivocally about the results of interaction with other drugs of anti-alcohol medicines, since a number of them behave quite neutrally with drugs of other pharmacological groups. But there are also those that should be introduced into a complex treatment protocol with great caution.

For example, the drug Colme should not be prescribed together with drugs of the aldehyde group. These include drugs that contain paraldehydes or chloral products.

It is also necessary to spread out the time of taking such a medicine as disulfiram. The interval between courses of Colme and disulfiram should be at least ten days.

During anti-alcohol therapy, drugs that can increase cravings for alcohol should not be prescribed. For example: metronidazole, isoniazid, phenytoin.

And, accordingly, you should not take medications that contain ethyl alcohol.

Storage conditions

Each developer company produces any drug with accompanying instructions, which clearly describe the storage conditions of this drug. They must be strictly followed. This will help maintain the high pharmacological effectiveness of the drug throughout its shelf life.

Storage of drugs in this category requires:

• The storage location should be protected from direct sunlight and moisture.
• Should not be accessible to children.
• The temperature at which the medicine is stored should be between 15 and 25 ºС.

Best before date

The shelf life of drugs in this group is generally two years (24 months). The production date and the expiration date must be indicated on the packaging. If the expiration date has expired, further use of the drug is not allowed.

Alcoholism is a great sorrow in the family and it affects not only the person suffering from this disease, but also all its members. The more persistently the alcoholic tries to ignore his problem, the more difficult it is to fight this problem. But it is necessary to save a loved one. And drops for alcoholism can help with this. It is worth remembering that self-prescribing this or that drug can end very badly. There are even cases of death. Therefore, before deciding on therapy, you should try to persuade the patient to seek help from a narcologist. If this does not work, then someone close to you needs to undergo a consultation. The doctor, based on the medical record of the drinking person, will try to give the necessary recommendations. The main thing is not to give up, but to fight.