"Montelukast": reviews, instructions and analogues of the preparation

"Montelukast" - reviews about the drug can be easily found on thematic forums and sites dedicated to the problem of bronchial asthma - this is a classical antagonist of leukotriene D4-receptors. The medication is widely used both for basic therapy and for the prevention of characteristic attacks of ailment. The balanced composition allows to apply the medicine to treat patients of almost any age category.

Form of issue

The reasons for which the "Montelukast" reviews are mostly positive, a lot. However, the first thing that catches your eye is, of course, the assortment of tablets produced under this trade name.

At the moment, three technological matrices dominate. These are standard film-coated pills (1 unit contains 10 mg of active substance) and their chewing analogues (4 mg and 5 mg of reagent, respectively). The base basis in both cases is montelukast sodium, but the composition of the auxiliary components is somewhat different - mannitol and aspartame are not present in the samples intended for immediate ingestion when used.

In the comments often enough pops up the question of fakes, which now and then appear in the pharmacy chains. To protect yourself from counterfeiting, you can, if you pay attention in time to the appearance of the pharmacological product.

Thus, in particular, a chewable pill with 4 milligrams of the active ingredient has an oval shape and a pink tint (the description responds to cherry flavored tablets, with differences in the use of other flavors), as well as a "4" digit on one side. Analogues, in which the main active substance is 1 mg larger, are round and labeled "five". Pills with a shell geometrically resemble a rectangle; They are beige in color and numbered "10".

Pharmacological affiliation

"Montelukast" (reviews describing situations when the reagent provoked complex allergies, are extremely rare) is a typical representative of a group of anti-bronchoconstrictive drugs. The algorithm of its action allows us to speak of a "close relationship" with intermediates / prostaglandins and thromboxanes.

The main function of the drug is the blocking of cysteinyl leukotriene "sensors" of the respiratory system. It is these receptors that support the high activity of the bronchi in the development of asthma, and they also stimulate the synthesis of a secret, which then accumulates and complicates the work of the mucous membrane.

Regular admission leads to a significant decrease in the severity of symptoms on the background of a general decrease in the number of asthmatic attacks (as many patients note, positive changes are already observed on the first day of therapy).

Metabolic features

"Montelukast" (reviews of pharmacists indicate that the real choice of duplicators is limited to the price policy of producers, that is, individual drugs that are synonyms, having in their composition the identical-structured molecules of the main component, cost several times more expensive than the described drug), getting into the plasma Blood, perfectly associated with its proteins. In the course of clinical trials, the result was fixed at the level of 99, 37%. At the same time, its bioavailability is directly dependent on the technological form of the release. For example, the ingredients of 5-milligram tablets are amenable to absorption by 73%, while the analogues with a film coating, in which there is twice as much of the active substance - only 64%.

A similar situation with the half-life of the reagent: the components of the chewable pills, metabolized, leave the body 2 hours after taking, and the constituent elements of the usual tablets - after 180-200 minutes. In this case, the plasma clearance varies between 43-45 ml / minute. And, interestingly, only 0.2% of the dose is transported by the urinary canals. Intestine, for comparison, is more than 85%.

From the comments of reputable specialists it follows that the pharmacokinetic process proceeds equally smoothly in patients of both sexes, and that no significant changes in age and renal pathologies are necessary when calculating the daily portion of the medication. But failures in the work of the liver, especially when it comes to severe diseases, when drawing up a therapeutic schedule deserve increased attention.

Indications for use

When the use of the "Montelukast" drug is justified, reviews (recommended for children in the chewing form, film-coated pills, it is advisable to appoint exclusively adults and adolescents) left on the forums, of course, help to understand. However, guided only by someone else's opinion - this is a big mistake, because without consulting a doctor, it is almost impossible to "identify" the type of asthma, and most importantly - to find out the reasons for its occurrence.

As for the official instruction, the circle of symptoms, ailments and other conditions is outlined as follows:

• Bronchial spasms, provoked by excessive physical exertion;
• Seasonal / chronic rhinitis of an allergic origin;
• bronchial asthma;
• The need for preventive measures.

Optimal dosage

"Montelukast" (it is extremely difficult to find negative reviews because the active ingredient has been used successfully for a long time as an integral part of many profile medicines) is taken orally, once a day, without reference to the schedule "breakfast - lunch - dinner".

For chewing tablets 4 mg and 5 mg, the following dosage rules apply:

• Children aged 2 to 5 years: 1 unit of the drug (4 mg) per day, at bedtime, until symptom control is achieved, and with mandatory prolongation of the course for 2-4 weeks to fix the effect;
• Patients from 6 to 14 years: a similar regimen, but a single dose of 5 mg.

For the film-coated pills, the following recommendations are relevant:

• Adults and children over 15 years old, suffering from bronchial asthma or chronic rhinitis: 1 unit (10 mg of substance) / day, in the evening hours;
• With the goal of preventing spasms: the same dose on a time interval of 14-28 days.

Side effect

"Montelukast" instruction (reviews confirm that even with full compliance with the official guidelines, atypical reactions to the presence of ingredients can not be completely excluded) is positioned as a potentially safe drug, but with the reservation that an uncharacteristic "response" from the body in certain cases It is still possible.

Acceptable scenarios:

• Gastrointestinal tract: diarrhea, dry mouth, abdominal pain syndrome, nausea;
• Heart and blood lines: a very noticeable increase in heart rate;
• Skin: rashes, urticaria, local hematomas;
• Respiratory system: rhinorrhea and severe cough;
• CNS: dizziness, fatigue, depressed moods, followed by excessive psychomotor agitation;
• Musculoskeletal system: arthralgia and myalgia (including convulsions)
• Other: symptoms characteristic of acute respiratory infections and influenza.

Limitations and contraindications

"Montelukast" (instruction on the application of the reviews finds the most positive, and to the information contained therein, from the point of view of objectivity, there are practically no questions among members of the forum) are not appointed if:

• Increased sensitivity to the composition of the drug (the rule is relevant for all types of tablets);
• Rare hereditary diseases are diagnosed, including those in which the body does not metabolize galactose, or is critically deficient in lactase (this restriction does not apply to chewable pills);
• The patient's condition is aggravated with phenylketonuria;
• The patient has not yet reached the age of two (for tablets in the envelope "age qualification" - 15 years).

Overdose: symptoms and treatment

Studies have shown: "Montelukast" 4 mg (reviews on this trade form of the reagent, in fact, identical to the comments that are addressed to chewable analogues containing 5 mg of active substance), when the daily intake exceeds the same effect as the 10 mg tablet . The most symptomatic of overdose is seen in patients of the younger group. Adults, even with the reception of 200 mg / day for 5 months, some atypical reactions were not noted.

In single episodes, a sign of increased drug concentration was:

• Unquenchable thirst;
• drowsiness;
• Pain in the abdominal region;
• Vomiting;

Treatment is based on the observed clinical picture. There is no information on the effectiveness of hemodialysis.

Patient interaction and the most popular analogues

"Montelukast" 5 mg (reviews about the masticatory samples left by pediatricians, boil down to the idea that the drug is undoubtedly worthy of the attention of young parents), like other forms of antagonist leukotriene receptors, when used in parallel with the profile reagents helps accelerate the positive dynamics : The symptoms of bronchial asthma become less pronounced, the number of seizures decreases. However, the abrupt withdrawal of therapy based on inhaled GCS is not recommended.

Significant fluctuations in pharmacokinetic processes involving theophylline and prednisol were not detected. But absorption at "alliance" with phenobarbital falls by as much as 40%.

Reagents that inhibit the synthesis of the CYP3A4 isoenzyme should only be used under the supervision of a physician.

Structural analogues, which are often found on sale:

• Moncasta.
• "Singlon".
• The Singular.
• «Ektalust».
• "Singulex".

"Singular" or "Montelukast": reviews of doctors and pharmacologists

According to experienced pharmacologists, disputes about which of the given drugs are safer and more effective, are meaningless, since both Singular and Montelukast have the same medicinal base. Just the first trade name passed patent registration, and the second one is international. Individual doctors and patients, however, adhere to a different point of view, and consider the medication distributed under INN, the only true solution.