Ulfamide

Diseases of the digestive system do not allow a person to exist normally. He has to follow a certain diet and constantly maintain his condition with medications. Ulfamid will help get rid of this once and for all.

Indications Ulfamide

Ulfamid is actively used for gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. Ulfamid eliminates unpleasant symptoms and helps a person cope with the disease. Ulfamid perfectly eliminates hyperacidity of gastric juice, and also allows you to get rid of annoying heartburn. The main indication for the use of Ulfamid is the presence of dyspepsia with epigastric or retrosternal pain.

The drug is recommended for use in cases of symptomatic and stress ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract. It eliminates erosive reflux esophagitis, as well as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Ulfamid fights systemic mastocytosis, as well as polyendocrine adenomatosis.

Ulfamid is used as a prophylactic agent to prevent bleeding, which may develop in the postoperative period. In addition, it is used to prevent aspiration of gastric juice in patients who have undergone surgery under general anesthesia. It is also used as a prophylactic agent for aspiration pneumonitis.

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Release form

Ulfamid is produced exclusively in the form of tablets. Their quantity is the same everywhere, the only difference is in the content of the active component. Thus, the release form is represented by tablets that are covered with a film shell. According to the standard, one box contains one blister, which contains 10 tablets of 20 mg.

There is also a slightly different packaging. Thus, one cardboard box may contain 10 tablets of 40 mg. The only difference is in the box itself.

The drug contains an active substance - famotidine. It can be contained in both 20 mg and 40 mg. The optimal dosage is prescribed by a doctor, it is not recommended to choose it yourself. There are also auxiliary components that help to provide the necessary effect. Ulfamid is quite strong, so you should not choose the amount of the active component yourself. After all, the risk of complications remains.

Pharmacodynamics

Ulfamid is a third-generation histamine H2 receptor blocker. Its main function is to suppress the production of hydrochloric acid. Moreover, Ulfamid is able to cope with both basal acid and that stimulated by histamine and gastrin. This is the pharmacodynamics of this drug.

In addition, Ulfamid is able to increase pH and reduce pepsin activity. The effect of the drug depends entirely on the dose a person has taken. Typically, the duration of relief is 12-24 hours.

The active component of the drug is famotidine. It is he who has the above-described effect. The component not only fights the main manifestations of diseases, but also reduces the level of hydrochloric acid production. Thus, a person feels significant relief and may not worry about his disease for some time.

Pharmacokinetics

After the patient takes Ulfamid, its effect will begin to manifest itself within a few minutes. Absorption from the gastrointestinal tract is rapid. The drug reaches its maximum concentration 2 hours after administration. It is mainly concentrated in blood plasma. As for bioavailability, it is almost 50%. It can change in the presence of food, but the changes are insignificant. These properties characterize the pharmacokinetics of the drug.

The half-life is 3 hours. This number can increase, it all depends on the functionality of the kidneys. As for protein binding, it is 15-20%. A small part of famotidine can be metabolized in the liver. There it forms famotidine S-oxide. Most of the drug is excreted in the urine, and almost unchanged.

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Dosing and administration

Ulfamid is used internally. In case of ulcer disease, it is necessary to take it once a day at 0.04 mg. It is advisable to move the intake to the evening or divide the dose into two doses, in the morning and in the evening at 0.02 mg. If there is an urgent need, the dosage can be increased to 0.16 mg per day. The duration of therapy is 2 months. In general, the method of administration and doses of Ulfamid are prescribed by the attending physician.

To prevent the development of exacerbations, it is worth using the drug at 0.02 mg once a day at night. If Zollinger-Ellison syndrome bothers you, then initially it is worth taking the drug at 0.02-0.04 mg up to 4 times a day. Over time, the dose can be increased, up to 0.48 mg per day. For reflux esophagitis, 0.02 mg is used 2 times a day for one and a half months. If necessary, the dose and duration of administration are increased.

To prevent the development of aspiration of gastric contents, it is recommended to take 2 tablets before surgery or administer the drug by jet stream 2 hours before the operation. For children, 1-2 mg per kilogram of weight per day is sufficient.

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Use Ulfamide during pregnancy

It is not recommended to use Ulfamid during pregnancy. There is no data on the penetration of the active component through the placenta to the baby. That is why the use of Ulfamid during pregnancy is strictly prohibited. It is especially important to follow this condition in the first weeks of pregnancy. This will help to avoid the development of various pathological processes in the baby.

It is also not recommended to use Ulfamid during lactation. It is quite possible that the active component can penetrate into the child's body through milk. Such an effect can be harmful for the baby. Therefore, it is worth refusing to use the medication during lactation.

Any drug is taken only with the permission of a doctor and in the event that the positive effect for the mother is greater than the possible complications for the child. Finally, the dose of the drug should be prescribed by a specialist, based on the woman's condition.

Contraindications

Ulfamid should not be prescribed under any circumstances to people who have increased intolerance to famotidine. Use of the drug in this case is fraught with the development of serious allergic reactions. The main contraindication for use is the period of bearing a child.

It is also not recommended to use Ulfamid during breastfeeding. It is advisable to either stop taking the drug or using breast milk during this time. The drug can have a negative effect on the baby's body. Naturally, people with impaired liver and kidney function are also at risk.

There are no other contraindications regarding the use of the drug. However, caution should be exercised when using it. The human body is an individual mechanism, how it will react to a particular dose of the drug is unknown. Therefore, you should never increase the dose on your own.

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Side effects Ulfamide

Ulfamid can lead to the development of negative reactions from the body. Thus, the digestive system often suffers. This manifests itself in the form of dry mouth, a sharp decrease in appetite and intestinal disorders. Frequent side effects of Ulfamid include: nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Often, the activity of liver transaminases begins to increase. The development of cholestatic or mixed hepatitis, as well as acute pancreatitis, is possible.

The blood-forming organs may also react negatively. Leukopenia, pancytopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypoplasia and even aplasia of the bone marrow may occur. Allergic reactions in the form of skin itching, rash and anaphylactic shock are not excluded.

The cardiovascular system may also be affected. It is characterized by changes in blood pressure, asystole and bradycardia. The nervous system reacts with headaches, confusion, and dizziness. The sense organs may also be affected, characterized by ringing in the ears and decreased vision.

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Overdose

Often people put themselves at risk. Because of the unpleasant symptoms, they want to get rid of the disease much faster. In this case, patients independently increase their dosage of the drug, thereby provoking the development of an overdose. Usually, Ulfamid does not lead to negative reactions from the body. But, an incorrectly selected dose can "correct" this nuance.

If a large amount of the drug is consumed, the person should immediately undergo gastric lavage. It is easy to find out that the patient has overdosed, this process is accompanied by certain symptoms. First of all, severe vomiting appears, the person is overly excited and mobile. Tremor and tachycardia are observed, blood pressure drops sharply, collapse may occur.

This condition must be eliminated by means of adequate therapy aimed at eliminating symptoms and restoring the body. In this case, hemodialysis is also effective. It is important to provide the person with the necessary help in time.

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Interactions with other drugs

If this drug is used simultaneously with anticoagulants, an increase in prothrombin time is possible. The risk of bleeding is not excluded. When interacting with other drugs, in particular antacids, a decrease in the absorption of the main component Ulfamid is possible.

When used simultaneously with itraconazole, the concentration of the latter in the blood may decrease, as well as its effectiveness may decrease. Do not use Ulfamid together with Nifedipine. There have been cases of decreased cardiac output and cardiac output. This is most likely caused by the negative effect of Nifedipine.

The use of the drug with Norfloxacin leads to a decrease in its concentration in the blood plasma. If there is an interaction with Probenecid, then on the contrary, its concentration in the blood increases significantly. In addition, there is a risk of developing a toxic effect. A decrease in bioavailability is possible due to a decrease in its solubility in the contents of the stomach. All this occurs under the influence of famotodine. Simultaneous use with cyclosporine leads to an increased concentration in the blood plasma.

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Storage conditions

Each drug must be stored correctly. Compliance with the storage conditions will allow it to be used for the specified period. Thus, Ulfamid requires a certain temperature regime, for it it is equal to 25 degrees. Do not store the drug in the refrigerator. It is advisable to choose a warm, dry place without exposure to sunlight. Dampness can soften the packaging and thereby make the tablets completely unusable. Sunlight creates an unacceptable temperature for the drug and also leads to its deterioration.

It is advisable to find the best place for storage, but at the same time, protect it from children. A home medicine cabinet that children cannot reach is quite suitable for this. If the medicine gets into children's hands, anything can happen. The most harmless is poisoning of the child. To protect the life of the baby, it is worth putting the tablets away.

Shelf life

If all storage conditions are met, the drug can be used for 5 years. After the expiration date, the product should be disposed of. By this time, its pharmacological properties will disappear, and the tablets will not be effective. But this is only one side of the coin. How exactly the product can affect the human body after the expiration date is unknown. Therefore, it is better to dispose of it and not use it. There is no need to risk your own health.

As mentioned above, the key to a long shelf life is compliance with all necessary conditions. Therefore, moisture, direct sunlight and high temperatures must be excluded without fail. Throughout the entire period, the appearance of the tablets, as well as their color and smell, should be monitored. If some changes are observed, it is better to stop taking the drug. It can harm the human body. Only proper storage will allow you to use the product throughout the specified period.