Gastromax

It is no secret that diseases of the digestive system are as common as respiratory infections. In this regard, the pharmaceutical industry is concerned with the release of new effective drugs that help, if not cure the disease, then at least remove the unpleasant symptoms that prevent “stomach patients” from enjoying life on an equal basis with other people. Most often, the cause of poor health and stomach pain is the acid in the gastric juice, which has an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the main digestive organ. This problem can be combated with the help of various drugs. When it comes to stomach ulcers, the drugs of choice are “Famotidine” and “Calcium Carbonate” (cheap and cheerful!). But there is a more interesting drug that combines the action of both drugs to normalize the acidity of gastric juice, and its name is “Gastromax”.

Indications Gastromaxa

The beautiful bright blue packaging of the drug "Gastromax" with a delicate green mint leaf in the corner, produced by the Indian pharmaceutical companies Unimax Laboratories and Themis Medicare Ltd, will definitely attract the attention of buyers, especially those who have stomach problems. After all, the name itself already tells us that the drug is intended for patients of a gastroenterologist who treats gastrointestinal diseases.

The inscription under the name of the drug, where the main active ingredients of the drug, primarily famotidine, are indicated in large letters, will confirm the guess. Its presence in the composition of the drug indicates that this drug will be useful for those who have been diagnosed with "ulcer of the stomach and duodenum" or "gastroesophageal reflux disease", when protection of the mucous membrane is extremely necessary.

But, according to the manufacturer's instructions, the drug can also be used to relieve unpleasant symptoms associated with increased stomach acidity, in pathologies such as gastritis and functional dyspepsia (that which is not associated with ulcerative processes in the gastrointestinal tract).

Indications for the use of the drug in this case are such manifestations of the disease as heartburn, sour belching, pain and heaviness in the stomach, rapid satiety, accompanied by a feeling of fullness in the stomach.

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Release form

"Gastromax" is produced in the form of chewable tablets, therefore it is indicated only for oral administration. The tablets are sealed in a blister of 10 pieces and packed in a cardboard almost square container with a bright picture. One package contains 10 round white tablets of a fairly large diameter. On one side of the tablet you can see embossing, where the name of the drug is written in English and looks like "GASTROMAX".

The main active ingredients of the drug, in addition to famotidine, of which 1 tablet contains 10 mg (half the dose contained in a standard tablet of the drug of the same name), are also calcium carbonate (800 mg) and magnesium hydroxide (165 mg), which provides the drug with a double adjusted effect.

The drug has not only an enhanced effect, but also a rather pleasant taste and aroma of mint, which is due to the inclusion of peppermint essential oil and menthol in its composition. Excipients, in addition to the above, also include sucrose, dextrose, aspartame and saccharinate, presented as natural or artificial sweeteners, mannitol, povidone, magnesium stearate and talc.

Pharmacodynamics

"Gastromax" is a representative of effective combination drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, which require protection of the mucous membrane from the irritating effect of hydrochloric acid. It effectively combats increased acidity of gastric juice and relieves symptoms caused by this condition.

Famotidine in the composition of the drug is the only representative of the 3rd generation histamine H2-receptor blockers _. Thanks to it, the secretion of gastric juice is reduced. At the same time, it reduces not only the volume of gastric secretion, but also the content of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice without affecting the production of pepsin. The ratio of pepsin to the volume of secreted gastric juice remains the same.

Famotidine has a depressing effect on the production of hydrochloric acid both during the day and at night. Alkalization of gastric juice in turn inhibits the secretion of pepsin (an enzymatic irritant for the inflamed mucous membrane, designed to break down protein food).

Magnesium hydroxide, like calcium carbonate, is a well-known antacid. Together, these two substances, which are also a source of calcium and magnesium, so necessary for the body, effectively neutralize acid, creating favorable conditions for the work of the affected organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

Famotidine and antacids provide the drug with a double effect, due to which the unpleasant symptoms of increased stomach acidity go away much faster, and the effect lasts longer. The drug promotes the production of protective mucus in the stomach and the concentration of glycoproteins in it, which have a positive effect on tissue regeneration processes in ulcerative and erosive lesions of the mucous membrane.

In reflux disease, the drug binds bile acids thrown back into the stomach along with half-digested food, thus providing a protective effect on the organ's mucous membrane.

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Pharmacokinetics

The pharmacokinetics of the drug depends on the pharmacokinetic properties of its components. Famotidine is a substance that can be quickly absorbed in the digestive tract (bioavailability of about 45%). The presence of antacids slightly reduces this ability, but this point has no clinical significance. The maximum concentration of the drug in the blood is observed after 1-3 hours, it binds to blood proteins by more than 20%. Famotidine does not accumulate in the body.

Famotidine is metabolized in the liver with the release of sulfoxide. Most of the parent substance and its metabolites are excreted through the kidneys. The half-life ranges from 2 to 3.5 hours.

Calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide both neutralize the acidic environment of the stomach. In the first case, carbon dioxide is released, in the second - water and magnesium chloride. Magnesium chloride, in turn, can be considered a saline laxative that helps empty the intestines, which reduces the frequency of constipation that sometimes occurs when taking pure famotidine. The prolonged action of the antacid effect is associated with magnesium hydroxide.

The effect of the drug depends on the dose taken. The duration of its effects can vary from 12 hours to 1 day.

Dosing and administration

Gastromax chewable tablets are intended for oral administration. The tablet is not sucked, but chewed, after which it can be safely swallowed. It is not necessary to wash down the drug.

Tablets should be taken when symptoms characteristic of increased acidity of gastric juice appear, the most popular of which are heartburn and sour belching. In the absence of pronounced symptoms, the drug is taken 1 hour after eating.

The daily dose of the drug used for increased acidity to protect the gastric mucosa is 1 or 2 tablets (1-2 times a day). It is not recommended to take more than 2 tablets per day.

The dosage of the drug is universal and does not depend on the patient's age. This means that teenagers over 12 years old and the elderly use the drug in an adult dosage.

The minimum dose is 1 tablet. It is recommended for people with low creatinine clearance.

Use Gastromaxa during pregnancy

The drug "Gastromax" is not usually prescribed during pregnancy. This is due to the property of famotidine to penetrate the placenta, which poses a certain danger to the child's body, which is not fully formed, in the womb.

In addition, famotidine gets into breast milk, and through it into the baby's body, causing problems with the digestive system and toxic effects. For this reason, during the mother's treatment with the drug, the child will have to be transferred to artificial feeding or a wet nurse will have to be hired.

Contraindications

Like any other chemical drug, Gastromax is, of course, not suitable for everyone and not always. Increased acidity of gastric juice may be accompanied by a feeling of heaviness and fullness in the stomach. Similar symptoms are also characteristic of pathologically high pH. In case of gastritis with low acidity, the drug can only aggravate the situation, which will complicate the process of digestion of food.

Absolute contraindications to the use of the drug include intolerance to at least one of its components, as well as hypersensitivity to drugs from the category of histamine H2 _- receptor antagonists.

It is also undesirable to prescribe the drug to patients with renal failure. This condition is explained by the high probability of developing hypermagnesemia with its characteristic symptoms (depressive state, negative impact on the central nervous system, etc.).

The drug is not used in pediatrics to treat children under 12 years of age due to insufficient research in this area. It is prescribed with caution to adolescents with renal failure or liver disease, as well as to elderly people.

In case of low creatinine clearance (less than 30 ml per minute) and high creatinine content in blood plasma, the dose of the drug may need to be adjusted. In such case, no more than 1 tablet per day is prescribed.

When treating the symptoms of gastric ulcer with the drug, it is necessary to make sure that the process has not become malignant, in other words, to confirm the absence of cancer cells in the tissues of the gastric mucosa. This unusual requirement is due to the fact that the drug's action can hide the symptoms of gastric carcinoma.

Side effects Gastromaxa

Taking the drug can cause various unpleasant manifestations from the organs and systems of a person. Symptoms appear with different frequency.

The most common side effects of the drug "Gastromax" are considered to be:

• increase in blood pressure,
• symptoms of arrhythmia,
• heart block,
• dryness of the oral mucosa,
• nausea and vomiting,
• abdominal discomfort,
• changes in laboratory blood parameters (thrombocyto-, pancyto- or leukopenia, agranulocytosis, increased transaminases in the blood),
• slightly elevated temperature,
• allergic skin rashes in the form of hives,
• muscle spasms and joint pain,
• bronchospasm,
• fatigue and drowsiness,
• dry skin, itching.

Less common symptoms include headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, bowel disturbances, significant loss of appetite, cholestatic jaundice, baldness, and severe allergic reactions.

Some patients note swelling of the mammary glands during therapy with the drug, which disappears in the first days after discontinuing Gastromax.

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Overdose

Long-term use of the drug "Gastromax", which contains calcium and magnesium compounds, can lead to the development of hyperstates. If the patient's kidneys are functioning well, then he may only be at risk of hypercalcemia and its characteristic symptoms (drowsiness, depression, pyschosis, muscle weakness, hypertension, development of urolithiasis, etc.).

In renal failure, hypercalcemia may be accompanied by hypermagnesemia, which is characterized by sudden attacks of weakness, respiratory failure, impaired coordination, loss of consciousness, paralysis, increased drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, a drop in blood pressure, etc.

Long-term therapy with the drug can also provoke the accumulation of alkaline substances in the body tissues and blood. Alkalization of the blood and the body as a whole occurs (alkalosis) with the appearance of signs of diffuse cerebral ischemia (anxiety, excessive excitement, sensory disorders in the form of paresthesia of the face and limbs, dizziness, pale skin, memory impairment, etc.).

If suspicious symptoms appear (vomiting, tremors of the extremities, decreased blood pressure, increased pulse rate, etc.), you should immediately stop taking the medicine, wash out the stomach and, if necessary, seek help from a medical institution. In severe cases, hemodialysis (blood purification) may be required.

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Interactions with other drugs

Since the drug "Gastromax" includes active antacids, taking this drug simultaneously with other drugs can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the latter due to the deterioration of their absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.

Antibiotics of the tetracycline and fluoroquinolone groups, phosphates, iron preparations for internal use, barbiturates, sulfanilamide preparations - this is an incomplete list of drugs that should be taken separately from antacids. Moreover, the interval should be at least one, and preferably two hours.

The same can be said about individual drugs such as Digoxin, Warfarin, Itraconazole, Ketoconazole, Amoxicillin, Acetylsalicylic acid and their derivatives, as well as digitalis preparations.

Calcium carbonate can accelerate the excretion of salicylates by the kidneys, reducing their content in the blood.

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Storage conditions

As is known, improper storage of food products usually results in their premature spoilage. The same can be said about medicines. In this case, they not only lose their effectiveness, but can also pose a certain danger to human health and life.

In connection with the above, it is necessary to understand how important it is to comply with the storage conditions of the drug, dictated to us by the manufacturer and tested empirically.

Fortunately, the drug "Gastromax" does not require any special storage conditions. It is enough to keep it at room temperature (not higher than 25 degrees!) and protect it from sunlight. The best way to preserve all the useful properties of the drug is to store it in its original packaging.

Shelf life

The drug can be stored and used to treat unpleasant symptoms of increased stomach acidity for no more than 3 years, provided that the requirements for proper storage of the drug are met.

According to the official instructions for the drug "Gastromax" produced in India, the shelf life of the drug is 3 years.