Dexamethasone tablets can, in a sense, be called a panacea. It is valued for its low allergenicity and excellent anti-inflammatory properties; it is used in the treatment of a huge number of diseases of almost any specialization. The main task of this semisynthetic hormone is to restore the normal metabolism in the body and maintain it.

The composition of the drug

Dexamethasone is a glucocorticosteroid identical to the hormone produced by the adrenal glands. The name of the drug was given by its main active ingredient - dexamethasone. One of the forms in which the medicine is made is white tablets, round, flat, with beveled edges.

In one tablet, 0.5 milligrams of dexamethasone.

In addition, there are auxiliary components:

  • corn starch:
  • lactose monohydrate;
  • magnesium stearate;
  • talc;
  • povidone;
  • anhydrous colloidal silicon dioxide.

Pharmacological properties and pharmacokinetics

Dexamethasone tablets are prescribed when there is a need to affect the body in a complex way - relieve shock and stop inflammation. Therefore, they are often indispensable during allergic manifestations of various forms and varying degrees of severity (excluding allergies to alcohol).

In the company of insulin, glucagon and catecholamines, dexamethasone regulates the accumulation and consumption of energy by the body.With it, the liver begins to produce more glucose and glycogen.

The substance activates the blood flow in the kidneys.

Slows down the effects of genes that form the culprits of inflammatory processes - enzymes, proteins and information molecules.

Also, dexamethasone has several more pharmacological properties:

  • anti-shock;
  • immunosuppressive;
  • anti-toxic.

The medicine is quickly and almost completely absorbed. Different sources provide a “bioavailability threshold”: from 80 to 100 percent. An hour or two after taking the tablets in a single dosage, a peak concentration of the hormone in the blood plasma occurs, and the therapeutic effect lasts for almost three days.

In plasma, most of the substance binds to albumin and enters the cells and the space between them. In the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, the scheme of action changes: there dexamethasone "works" through membrane receptors. In the so-called peripheral tissues - with the help of cytoplasmic receptors.

Molecules of the substance are destroyed directly in the cells of the body and completely leave the patient's body after the final cleavage in the liver. This is what is known for certain today. Most likely, the kidneys also participate in the process of liberation from dexamethasone residues, transporting them to the urine, and with it to the outside.

What is the drug prescribed for?

It has already been said that Dexamethasone is a fairly universal medication that is involved in getting rid of many ailments. It is used in dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiology, gynecology, resuscitation, oncology, endocrinology ...

These tablets are prescribed for:

  • bronchial asthma;
  • focal tuberculosis;
  • acute leukemia;
  • rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatic fever;
  • thrombocytopenia;
  • inflamed joints;
  • burns;
  • serious blood loss;
  • the development of myocardial infarction;
  • purulent conjunctivitis;
  • the rudiments of glaucoma;
  • severe viral infections like meningitis, typhoid fever and pneumonia;
  • peritonitis;
  • anaphylactic shock;
  • congenital adrenal hyperplasia;
  • thyroiditis;
  • lupus erythematosus;
  • swelling of the larynx and other diseases.

It is interesting:adrenal glands - diseases in women

In addition, Dexamethasone may be part of the chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer patients.

In any case, it is vital to take pills without departing from the doctor’s instructions and completely eliminate alcohol.

Instructions for use of tablets "Dexamethasone"

Any drug should be used correctly. And if it is hormonal, the importance of this requirement increases a hundredfold. Such medicines affect the body at such a deep and subtle level that it is comparable to balancing on a knife blade. In order to stay on it and not harm, it is necessary to observe filigree balance. Therefore, following the instructions is not just a formality, but an indisputable requirement.

Naturally, the dosage of "Dexamethasone" is prescribed only by the doctor. It is always individual, based on the ailment and condition of the patient, the reaction of his body to corticoids.

Adult patients are recommended an initial dose of 0.5 to 9 milligrams per day (daily maximum is 15 milligrams). This amount of dexamethasone is taken for the time being until there are signs that the body has responded and moved towards healing. After which they leave the minimum dosage to support the healing process - 0.5-3 milligrams. Medications can be divided into two to four times a day.

It is impossible to drastically change the way you use the hormone, especially after several days of treatment with large doses. They need to be reduced gradually, at 0.5 milligrams per day. The smallest volume is 0.5 to 1 milligrams per day.

If it takes a long time to be treated, doctors advise combining the medication with food, and drink antacids during breaks.

When the patient is a child with adrenal gland insufficiency, therapy with Dexamethasone depends on the patient’s weight (0.02 milligrams per kilogram) or body area (0.67 milligrams per square meter), which are divided into three doses per day. In all other cases, the initial dose should be kept within 0.08-0.3 milligrams per kilogram of weight.

During pregnancy and lactation

"Dexamethasone" during pregnancy is prescribed only in exceptional cases, when the benefits for the expectant mother are higher than the risk for the baby. And if such a need has arisen, they operate only with the smallest effective doses and carefully monitor how treatment is reflected on both organisms. And newborns are then additionally examined to rule out adrenal insufficiency.

What is the reason for such caution?

  1. Glucocorticoids easily overcome the placental barrier and accumulate in the fetal blood, concentrating in its plasma.
  2. Even with clearly calibrated pharmacological doses, there is a risk of causing placental insufficiency.
  3. "Dexamethasone" is able to provoke a slowdown in the development of the child in the womb, and even his death.

If a woman was treated with "Dexamethasone" in the process of bearing a baby, during childbirth she is given an additional dose of the drug. If the delivery is delayed or a cesarean section is to be performed, the patient takes a glucocorticoid every 8 hours, but not in tablets, but intravenously.

A mother breast-feeding a baby will have to transfer the child to artificial nutrition for the period of Dexamethasone therapy. Because, albeit in small quantities, the hormone is able to be collected in breast milk. With such nutrition, there is a chance that the development of the baby will not pick up the desired pace, since his body will cease to independently produce enough hormones.

Can I drink alcohol while taking the drug

There is only one answer to this question: it is strictly forbidden to take “Dexamethasone” and combine it with alcoholic drinks! This is one of the contraindications, black and white recorded in the instructions for the drug. Do not tease fate - even a couple of sips during the treatment period will respond very unpleasantly.

This could turn into:

  • a sharp decrease, or even a partial loss of vision;
  • disruptions in the stomach, accompanied by vomiting and nausea;
  • red spots on the skin in the chest area;
  • debilitating diarrhea;
  • face covered with eels;
  • ulcers in the stomach and intestines;
  • bleeding that you can’t stop yourself.

All of the above are just a small part of the problems that careless patients can bring upon themselves. The full list of consequences includes as many as 40 points. And each of them will add unnecessary suffering.

Drug interaction

During the treatment period, the doctor should know which drugs you are using in parallel to avoid complications due to incompatible drugs.

At the same time as Dexamethasone, you can’t take:

  • non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (risk of ulcers and bleeding in the digestive system);
  • “Phenytoin”, “Primidon”, “Rifabutin”, “Carbamazepine” (reduce the effectiveness of the hormone);
  • "Ephedrine", "Aminoglutetimide" (distort the results of the dexamethasone inhibition test);
  • "Indinavir", "Erythromycin" "(increase the rate of excretion of synthetic hormone from the body);
  • "Ketoconazole" (reduces the synthesis of glucocorticoids by the adrenal glands and the concentration of dexamethasone, provoking insufficiency of the adrenal glands);
  • birth control pills (glucocorticoid release period lengthens, as does its effect, there is a risk of side effects).

In addition, Dexamethasone reduces the effectiveness of drugs against diabetes and hypertension.

There are medicines with which Dexamethasone is compatible. So, together with Metoclopramide, Diphenhydramine, Prochlorperazine or Granisetron, it prevents the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.

Contraindications, side effects and overdose

Like most medications, Dexamethasone has contraindications, in which it is forbidden to take these pills:

  • diabetes;
  • all kinds of viral, bacterial and fungal infections and even recent contact with such a patient;
  • acute psychosis;
  • osteoporosis;
  • intolerance to any of the components of the drug;
  • Cushing's syndrome (a chronic excess of hormones of the adrenal cortex, regardless of its causes);
  • heart failure;
  • stomach ulcer;
  • glaucoma.

But even if the patient does not suffer from anything like this and scrupulously complies with the doctor’s prescriptions, you still need to know that side effects may appear:

  • swelling;
  • electrolyte balance failure;
  • menstrual irregularities;
  • increase in blood pressure;
  • bad sleep;
  • allergic dermatitis;
  • overweight;
  • ulcerative processes in the stomach;
  • blood glucose is more than normal;
  • vision problems;
  • mental disorders.

All this is the reason for discontinuing the drug and finding suitable substitutes.

As for the overdose. Systematic overdosing is a real danger. There is even information about the fatalities to which it led. But more often the result is phenomena from the side list.

Analogues of tablets "Dexamethasone"

When the patient complains of severe discomfort and unpleasant phenomena accompanying the use of these pills, the doctor decides to change the medicine.

There are good analogues of Dexamethasone, some with more, others with a less broad spectrum of action, including:

  • Dexoftan
  • Ozurdeks
  • Decadron
  • Betaspan
  • Dexon
  • Fortecortin;
  • Megadexan
  • Dexapos
  • Dexason and others.

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