Salbroxol

The mucolytic drug Salbroxolum is released to the pharmacological market by the Ukrainian scientific and production center "Borshahiv Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant". It was developed specifically for use in treatment protocols for pulmonary patients.

People constantly encounter colds and infectious diseases, especially in the spring and autumn. But if a person is not struck by a simple cold, and the symptoms indicate a more severe lesion of the respiratory system affecting the bronchi, then such an effective drug as Salbroxol, which has bronchodilating and mucolytic properties, will come to the rescue. Just remember one thing - self-medication: you should not diagnose and prescribe drugs on your own. The appointment should be made by a specialist and only after a general examination of the patient's body and receiving the test results. Only then can you count on a quick and effective result in stopping the disease.

Indications Salbroxol

Before prescribing any drug, the attending physician must thoroughly know the indications for the use of Salbroxol, and they are not so numerous. This drug was developed for targeted action and is not systemic.

It is used in the treatment of the following diseases:

1. Bronchitis (an infectious disease of the bronchial mucosa) of a chronic nature, aggravated by obstructive factors (blockage of the air passages).
2. Bronchial asthma is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the respiratory organs.
3. Pulmonary emphysema is a pathological change in lung tissue, characterized by its increased airiness.

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Release form

This medicine is presented by the manufacturer on the pharmacological market in the form of tablets - this is the only form of release of Salbroxol. But the tablets are located ten units on one plate. The cardboard package can contain one, two, or four dozen pieces, presented, respectively, by one, two and four plates in one cardboard package.

One unit of the drug contains 15 mg of ambroxol hydrochloride - the active chemical compound and 4 mg of salbutamol sulfate. These are the main elements of the drug. They are accompanied by several other additional substances.

Pharmacodynamics

Each of the two main components of the drug in question, which pharmacologically complement and enhance each other's action, have their own therapeutic characteristics, the combination of which results in the pharmacodynamics of Salbroxol. To understand what properties the drug has, we will consider the characteristics of each of its main components separately.

Ambroxol hydrochloride, when introduced into the patient's body, shows secretolytic properties. Directly affecting the mucous and serous components, changing their ratio, it allows to normalize the composition of bronchial mucus. This component activates the functional features of the "life" of serous cells of the mucus-producing glands, which are located in the structural walls of the bronchi. Ambroxol thins the sputum accumulated in the bronchi, which makes it easier to remove them from the affected organ. This chemical compound makes it possible to reduce the volume of mucopolysaccharide fibers, increasing their fragmentation.

Due to the fact that ambroxol actively affects the ciliated epithelium ciliary outgrowths, it is possible to achieve effective mucociliary transport of pathological sputum. Ambroxol hydrochloride shows antioxidant characteristics and stimulates the synthesis of surfactant phospholipids.

The second active chemical substance of Salbroxol is salbutamol, which works quite selectively, being an agonist of some receptors. That is, when interacting with beta2-adrenoreceptors, it changes their state, leading to a biological response. This characteristic makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of a spasmodic attack, and also accompanies the growth of lumens in the bronchial organ. This effect is achieved by reducing the excitation of the smooth muscle layer, which is a structural component of the bronchi.

This chemical compound allows to increase the stable state of mast cells and basophils. Salbutamol effectively blocks the release of histamine structures, preventing the development of pathological factors that are reinforced by the action of histamine, for example, bronchospasm. Compared with other beta 2 - adrenomimetics, the characteristics of salbutamol show a reduced effect on the myocardium. This fact applies to both chronotropic and inotropic aspects of influence.

Based on the above, Salbroxol is classified as a complex drug with bronchodilating and mucolytic action.

The main properties of the complete drug include normalization of the secretory characteristics of bronchial mucus, prevention of bronchospasm, as well as improvement of the process of removal of sputum accumulating in the bronchi. This is especially relevant for sick people whose disease is aggravated by obstruction phenomena.

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Pharmacokinetics

The medicine enters the patient's body orally (through the mouth). Its main components, salbutamol and ambroxol, have a high absorption level. The absorption process is carried out by the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.

After taking the medicine, after half an hour, you can already observe the therapeutic effect, which lasts, depending on the individual characteristics of the patient, from six to twelve hours. Salbutamol, like ambroxol, is metabolized in the patient's body. The ninth part of ambroxol is utilized by the patient's body through the kidneys together with urine in the form of metabolites, and the remaining one part is excreted unchanged.

The bioavailability of ambroxol hydrochloride approaches 30 percent. This figure is due to the "first penetration" syndrome through the liver.

Ambroxol shows high rates of connection with plasma protein structures. This characteristic approaches 85%. Salbutamol has a much lower rate, and its bioavailability is from 40 to 50%.

Pharmacokinetics Salbroxol shows a high level of penetration of active substances through the hematoplacental barrier. The half-life (T1/2) of the drug in question is six hours on average.

Dosing and administration

You should not prescribe medications for yourself. At the first signs of the disease, you should make an appointment with an otolaryngologist or, if the patient is in a serious condition, call a doctor to your home. Only a specialist can adequately assess the situation and prescribe an effective method of use and dosage of the drug, allowing you to achieve maximum therapeutic effectiveness for a specific disease.

Salbroxol is designed by the manufacturer for oral administration. To achieve maximum efficiency of drug therapy, pharmacologists recommend separating the time of drug administration and food intake. The interval between drug administration procedures must be strictly maintained and not reduced to less than six hours.

The duration of the therapeutic course, as well as the amount of the drug administered, is determined by the attending physician specifically for each patient.
The recommended amount of Salbroxol for adult patients and adolescent children is usually one tablet taken three to four times a day.

For medical reasons, in severe cases of the disease, the single dosage for an adult patient can be doubled and brought to two tablets administered three to four times a day.

The maximum daily dose of the medicine for an adult patient is eight tablets.

If during treatment the patient begins to notice the appearance of negative side symptoms, the dosage of the drug Salbroxol can be halved and taken half a tablet four times a day.

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Use Salbroxol during pregnancy

The pharmacodynamic characteristics of the mucolytic drug discussed above show high permeability through the hematoplacental barrier, which indicates a high potential for active ingredients to enter breast milk and the nutritional system of the fetus in a woman who is undergoing treatment with this drug during the period when she is carrying her child.

In light of the above, it can be stated that the use of Salbroxol during pregnancy (in the first trimester) is strictly contraindicated. This is the most critical period of pregnancy, when the baby's organs are being formed and any external influence can lead to a "failure in the program" of formation, which is fraught with disability of the child, or even his death.

During the second and third trimesters, Salbroxol is acceptable for use by pregnant women, but only in cases of high therapeutic necessity, and only under the strict supervision of the attending physician.

If a woman of childbearing age falls ill and there is a need to undergo therapeutic treatment with Salbroxol, it is advisable to exclude pregnancy beforehand. If pregnancy is only planned, then for the period of treatment, the moment of conception should be postponed until the woman has fully recovered, or find a replacement for the drug with one of the analogues.

If it is necessary to relieve the problem with this drug during lactation, it is necessary to raise the issue of interrupting breastfeeding of the newborn.

Contraindications

No matter how easy and close to natural preparations the medicine in question is, it also has its limitations when prescribed. Contraindications to the use of Salbroxol are few, but they still exist:

1. This mucolytic agent is not prescribed to patients with a history of increased intolerance to ambroxol and/or salbutamol.
2. Diabetes mellitus.
3. A contraindication to taking the drug is galactosemia (a hereditary disease based on a metabolic disorder in the conversion of galactose into glucose).
4. Acute heart failure, or heart defect of various genesis and degrees of damage.
5. Lactose intolerance.
6. Arterial hypertension.
7. Glucose-galactose malabsorption syndrome - when glucose and galactose are not absorbed.
8. Myocarditis is an inflammatory lesion of the myocardium caused by infectious, toxic or allergic influences.
9. Tachyarrhythmia is an increase in heart rate and abnormal heart rhythm.
10. Ulcerative and erosive lesions of the mucous membrane of the duodenum and stomach.
11. Thyrotoxicosis is the production of excessive amounts of thyroid hormones.
12. Hyperthyroidism is an increased level of thyroid hormones.
13. Glaucoma is a pathology of the optic nerve.
14. If the patient is already receiving one of the beta-blocker drugs.
15. First trimester of pregnancy.
16. Lactation time.
17. Age of children who are under 12 years old.

Particular caution should be exercised when prescribing and selecting the dosage of Salbroxol if the patient has a history of problems with the kidneys and/or liver.

When undergoing therapy using this medication, it is not recommended to drive a vehicle and to be more careful when working with unsafe moving mechanisms.

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Side effects Salbroxol

The drug in question is relatively easily tolerated by the patient's body, but there are still known cases where side effects of Salbroxol have occurred, caused by the action of the active components of the drug.

Such symptoms may include:

1. Tremor of the upper and lower limbs.
2. Dilation of peripheral vessels. This symptom is usually not constant and does not require discontinuing the medication if it occurs.
3. Manifestations of allergy symptoms: itching, urticaria, hyperemia of the skin, and others.
4. Pain symptoms localized in the head area as a reaction of the central nervous system to the action of the drug.
5. Dizziness.
6. Deterioration of condition and decrease in overall body tone.
7. The patient has increased activity of the sweat glands.
8. Weakness and nausea.
9. Gastralgia is pain in the stomach area that has the character of contractions and appears both in pathology of the digestive organs and in neuroses of a vegetative nature.
10. A sharp decrease in blood pressure numbers. This situation can lead to arterial collapse.
11. Paradoxical bronchospasm.
12. Increased blood glucose levels.
13. Convulsions and vomiting.
14. Increased heart rate.
15. Disruption of the rhythm of heartbeats.
16. Feeling of fullness in the stomach.
17. Decreased appetite.
18. Problems with defecation.
19. In rare cases, Quincke's edema is possible.
20. Problematic urination.
21. There are isolated cases where a person taking Salbroxol developed hypokalemia (pathologically low levels of potassium in the blood).

If one or more symptoms from the above list appear, you must inform your doctor. Treatment of these manifestations is purely symptomatic.

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Overdose

When a doctor prescribes a particular medication, it is necessary to very carefully follow the recommendations for taking it, or strictly follow the instructions attached to the medicine. Otherwise, an overdose of the active components of the drug may occur.

Symptoms of excessive drug accumulation may include:

1. Arrhythmia.
2. High heart rate.
3. Tremor of the upper and lower limbs.
4. Pain symptoms appearing in the sternum area.

If adequate measures are not taken at this stage, then a further increase in dosage can provoke:

1. The appearance of seizures.
2. Problems with sleep.
3. A sharp drop in blood pressure, up to the point of collapsing symptoms.
4. Quincke's edema.

If the above symptoms appear, the patient should immediately undergo gastric lavage. It is advisable to immediately seek help from a qualified specialist (call an ambulance). If the signs of intoxication are severe, the medical worker will most likely administer a drug belonging to the group of cardioselective beta1-adrenoblockers to the victim.

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Interactions with other drugs

Before prescribing several drugs for joint use at the same time, it is necessary to know their mutual influence on each other and their combined effect on the patient's body. Interactions of Salbroxol with other drugs under certain conditions can cause irreparable harm to the human body.

It is strictly forbidden to take Salbroxol with drugs belonging to the group of beta-blockers. It is not recommended to take the drug in question in parallel with drugs whose pharmacodynamics are aimed at stopping coughing fits. For example, these include glaucine, libexin, codeine and others.

When administered together with antimicrobial drugs, ambroxol provokes an increase in the concentration of antimicrobial substances in bronchial secretions.

If the treatment protocol includes M-anticholinergics, then their combined use with Salbroxol significantly enhances the pharmacological properties of the latter. A similar result is obtained with a tandem with theophylline. However, such a combination can also provoke a disturbance in the functioning of the heart - an increase in the frequency of its contractions, and the risk of getting supraventricular extrasystole also increases.

The development of hypokalemia can be observed with the tandem action of the components of Salbroxol and diuretics.

Glucocorticosteroids increase the sensitivity of beta-adrenoreceptors to the active substances of the drug in question. An increase in the likelihood of progressive hypokalemia was noted with a tandem combination of the drug in question with glucocorticosteroid drugs. The same result can be expected with the parallel introduction of Salbroxol and cardiac glycosides, which are xanthine derivatives.

When combining a mucaltic agent with monoamine oxidase inhibitors, an increase in the pharmacological properties of salbutamol is noted. Such a tandem also increases the likelihood of developing orthostatic hypotension. And in some cases, it can provoke a collapsed state in the patient.

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Storage conditions

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to read the recommendations that describe the conditions for storing Salbroxol at home. Depending on how accurately these instructions are followed, the degree of effectiveness of the drug throughout the entire pharmacoavailable period of its use will depend.

There are several such recommendations:

1. The medicine must be stored in a cool place where the room temperature does not exceed +25 °C.
2. The room where Salbroxol is stored must have low humidity.
3. It should be located in a place inaccessible to direct sunlight.
4. The drug should not be accessible to small children.

Shelf life

When buying any medication, you need to pay attention to its expiration date. The packaging of the drug must necessarily reflect both the production date and the recommended end time of administration. For Salbroxol, the period of effective work is three years. If the end date on the packaging has already passed, then such a drug is not recommended for further use.