Hypertension is a disease of our time - according to statistics, every fourth person on the planet (15 to 64 years old) suffers from this disease. Indapamide is a specially formulated diuretic that is used to lower blood pressure in arterial vessels. Its use allows the patient not to be afraid of hypertensive crises.
Material Content:
Release forms and composition
On sale you can find a drug called Indapamide or Indapamide Retard - this is the same medication that is available under different names. In appearance, these are simple round tablets with convex sides and a film membrane. One pill contains 2.5 mg of the active substance indapamide and various excipients for easy absorption of the drug (magnesium stearate, lactose monohydrate, talc and film coating substances).
In its composition, the medicine is a diuretic. These are drugs that contribute to the rapid removal of salts from the body and the formation of urine. As a result of their action in the tissues and serous cavities, the amount of fluids decreases. This is extremely important for patients, because as a result of high blood pressure and heart failure, edema occurs in muscle tissue.
You can buy the drug in any pharmacy according to the prescription of your doctor, sale without prescriptions is prohibited. The medicine is sold in standard plastic blisters of 10 capsules in each or a plastic jar of 30 capsules.
Pharmacological action, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics
The drug delays the absorption of ions of chlorine and sodium, magnesium and calcium and at the same time increases the rate of their excretion together with urine. The walls of the vessels under the action of Indapamide become less resistant to norepinephrine. Sodium ions cease to linger in the walls of blood vessels and their resistance decreases. All this leads to the normalization of blood pressure, the cessation of swelling of muscle tissue and a decrease in hypertrophied cardiac ventricles. Therefore, often the medicine is prescribed for patients with heart failure.
When taken orally, the substance is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream (the concentration in the blood after one hour is maximum) from the gastrointestinal tract. The medication has high bioavailability (about 93%). At the same time, eating slightly reduces the rate of absorption.
It is split in the liver and excreted in two stages:
- from the bloodstream - after 14 hours;
- completely out of the body within 26 hours.
About 7% of the drug is excreted unchanged, and the rest in the form of metabolic products. Excretion is carried out through the urinary system and colon.
Indapamide has a pronounced dose-dependent effect, that is, the larger the dose of the drug, the expression of the therapeutic effect of its action. The dose of the active substance in one tablet is 2.5 mg - this amount has the maximum hypotensive effect. The maximum effect of a single dose is achieved after 24 hours. In the case of repeated administration of the drug, the effect is noted after 14 days and reaches a maximum after 56 days.
What is indapamide for?
The only registered indication for taking this medication is arterial hypertension - constantly increased pressure in the arterial vessels (from 140/90 mm Hg or more). This is a chronic condition of the cardiovascular system, which affects more than 30% of the world's population aged 30 years and above. Often, hypertension becomes a symptom of a serious illness, so you can take any medications only after an accurate diagnosis made by a specialized therapist.
The exact causes of hypertension have not yet been identified, but there are a number of provoking factors:
- bad habits (smoking, alcohol);
- increased body weight;
- heredity;
- lack of sport;
- malnutrition;
- stress.
An unofficial indication is also chronic heart disease, but it has not been officially registered, so doctors prescribe Indapamide as part of complex cardiac therapy, i.e. only as an additional tool.
Instructions for use and dosage of tablets
Since the medicine has a serious effect on blood pressure, it is forbidden to take it without the permission of the attending physician. The appointment is made by the therapist after the diagnosis and diagnosis. This takes into account the individual characteristics of the patient and his susceptibility to the components of the drug.
Indapamide tablets are taken orally with plenty of water. Food only slightly slows down absorption, so there is no need to take the drug strictly on an empty stomach. It is best to drink the medicine in the morning so that blood pressure does not rise during the day.
The course of taking Indapamide is 1-2 months at 2.5 mg per day.
After completing the course, the therapist re-diagnoses and, if the desired effect has not been achieved, then the dose is not increased, but an additional medication of a similar action is added (but not a diuretic).
This is due to the possibility of serious side effects and overdose.
It should be understood that in the early days of therapy, serious jumps in blood pressure and changes in well-being are possible. The same changes occur during the addition of another drug with a similar effect.Therefore, at the beginning of treatment, you should carefully drive the car and work with precise mechanisms.
During pregnancy and lactation
Since Indapamide has a high volume and distribution rate, it penetrates through all barriers, including the placental barrier. However, scientific experiments did not reveal a direct relationship between the occurrence of mutations or pathologies for the fetus. Doctors, therapists, are allowed to take Indapamide during pregnancy if the expected benefit for the woman is higher than the potential risk for her baby.
Experiments to identify the pathological effect of the active substance on the infant have not been carried out, but doctors do not recommend taking it during feeding. The FDA has rated 8 for the effect on the fetus.
Drug interaction
Due to the serious effect on the body, Indapamide should be carefully combined with other medicines.
Possible side effects include:
- The possibility of hypokalemia and digitalis poisoning when combined with saluretics and glycosides therapy.
- Hypercalcemia, if you take drugs with calcium.
- Impaired renal function when using contrast (for MRI or CT) based on iodine. The negative effect is enhanced by dehydration.
- Hypokalemia and hyperkalemia when combining Indapamide and diuretics, which have a potassium-sparing effect. The risk of such a side effect increases if the patient is diagnosed with impaired renal function.
When forming complex therapy for a patient, it is very important for the doctor to take into account the interaction of various medications in order to avoid the development of an overdose and serious side effects.
Contraindications, side effects and overdose
In addition to an individual allergy to individual components of the medication, it can not be used if the patient has the following problems:
- Lactose intolerance.
- Galactosemia.
- Impaired renal function (in severe form).
- Hypokalemia.
- Hepatic failure (leads to an overdose).
It is forbidden to take Indapamide to persons under 18 years of age and women in position, as well as when breastfeeding a child. Patients with impaired renal and hepatic function, hyperparathyroidism, heart problems, diabetes mellitus and the joint use of antiarrhythmic drugs should take Indapamide with extreme caution and preferably under therapeutic supervision.
There may be side effects, among which:
- nausea;
- dryness in the nasopharynx;
- pancreatitis
- headache;
- cough or runny nose;
- arrhythmia;
- constipation;
- hepatic encephalopathy.
If the prescribed dosage is not observed, the patient may begin to overdose, which is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- nausea and general weakness;
- too low pressure in the arterial vessels;
- violation of the water balance in the body.
- stool problems.
In case of overdose, the patient should immediately wash the stomach and carry out symptomatic treatment.
Analogues of the drug
Analogues of Indapamide are drugs whose active ingredient is indapamide. They are prescribed when the patient is allergic to the auxiliary components of the drug or a less strong dosage is required.
The main analogues are:
- Pamid.
- Indopres.
- Indap.
- Arifon.
- Indabrew.
All these medicines are also prescribed by your doctor after an accurate diagnosis and are sold strictly by prescription in pharmacies.
Analogs have a similar effect - they normalize blood pressure and relieve swelling of the muscle tissue of the body. Taking them as a prophylactic is strictly prohibited.
Indapamide is a specialized drug that has a powerful effect and normalizes high blood pressure in a short time.The ratio of price and quality for this medication has made it the most effective and popular drug on the pharmacological market.
