Despite the significant development of modern medicine, which can sometimes work real miracles, humanity is still forced to experience inconvenience from such an unpleasant skin disease as atopic dermatitis, otherwise referred to as eczema. Fortunately, the drugs of our time are able to quite successfully deal with this disease. However, not everyone knows that some drugs intended for the treatment of the skin have analogues that are quite capable of successfully coping with this particular task. "Elidel" (a remedy in the form of an ointment, one of the most widely used for such purposes) was no exception. Therefore, it is better to find out if there are such drugs, the potential effect of which will be no worse than that of the Elidel drug, and their cost will be even less.
Elidel ointment base
Numerous positive reviews testify to the high level of effectiveness and considerable popularity among the consumer masses of the Elidel drug. Cream, analogues of which are widely used both in the domestic market of medicines and abroad.abroad, is considered a very versatile tool. The main component of this 1% ointment is pimecrolimus. In addition, the composition also includes substances such as sodium cetostearyl sulfate, purified water, sodium hydroxide, oleic and stearyl alcohols, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol, mono-, di- and triglycerides, citric acid. The standard release of the drug is carried out in tubes with volumes of 15, 30 and 100 g.
Possible analogues of Elidel ointment
In the practice of treating dermatological and other inflammatory skin diseases, both in domestic and foreign medicine, quite often, replacing the main medication, analogues are prescribed. "Elidel" was no exception. Most of these drugs have pharmacological properties similar to their prototype. But, unfortunately, today in the vastness of the CIS countries, the drug "Elidel" is a cream, the analogues of which are almost impossible to find, since none of the products repeats its structural component basis. Nevertheless, one of the most common drugs in our time that can compete with the Elidel medication is Advantan ointment.
How does the main analogue of Elidel ointment work?
This drug is a glucocorticosteroid intended for external treatment of the epidermis. It is able to suppress any allergic and inflammatory reactions on the skin, caused by increased proliferation. Cream "Advantan" tends to destroy the visual symptoms, towhich include edema, erythema, just as Elidel does. The ointment also eliminates all manifestations of subjective sensations (pain, itching, irritation, etc.).
Indications and contraindications for the use of Advantan cream
The drug is prescribed for any diseases associated with inflammation of the skin. These include various types of dermatitis (allergic, atopic, contact, etc.) and eczema that differ in form (microbial, true, degenerative, etc.). Sometimes the remedy can also be useful for relieving the symptoms of a sunburn called photodermatitis.
According to the instructions provided by the manufacturer, the drug is prohibited for use by patients with hypersensitivity to its components. You can not use it also in the presence of skin tuberculosis, viral lesions of the body cover (herpes, chicken pox, lichen) in those areas on which the cream is applied. Children under the age of 4 months, the ointment is also categorically contraindicated.
When deciding which ointment to choose - "Advantan" or "Elidel", one should be guided not only by the cost, but also by the real characteristics inherent in a particular drug, since treatment with these two drugs will not always be equivalent in result and degree of impact for a particular person.
Method of application and variety of the drug
Like Elidel cream, Advantan ointment should be prescribed only on the basis of a particular condition of the epidermis. itthe product is perfect for moderately dry skin, since the ratio of components based on water and fat in it is optimally balanced. If there are weeping areas on the body, it would be best to give preference to the cream, since the level of fat in it is low, and the predominant component is water. For sunburn, an emulsion is a good solution. Like its counterparts, Elidel should not be kept on the skin for too long. "Advantan" should be applied in a thin layer once a day directly to those areas of the skin that are affected by the disease, and this method is also suitable for children (the course of treatment is no more than 4 weeks) and for adults (no more than 12 weeks).
Special cases of using Advantan ointment
Some situations, in particular bacterial dermatoses and ringworm, require the use of this drug along with special antibacterial treatment. It is important to prevent the ointment from getting on the mucous membrane of the eyes while applying it to the face. It is worth remembering that the use of drugs of a similar pharmacological group can cause the development of glaucoma, so you should carefully monitor the amount of the drug and the correct application of it to the skin around the eyes. Pregnant and lactating women are advised to start treatment with Advantan ointment, which in no case should be treated with the mammary glands, only after the doctor has assessed the potential risk to the he alth of both the mother and the child. Also, do not keep the drug on the skin for too long, otherwise itcan only aggravate the disease without bringing any positive effect.
Side effects and overdose of "Advantan"
If used incorrectly, any analogues can be dangerous. "Elidel" must be used strictly in accordance with the instructions for its use. As for the drug "Advantan", with proper observance of the instructions, both overdose and cumulation are excluded. However, as already mentioned, it is not worth keeping the product on the skin for too long, because of this, atrophy of the epidermis, manifested in its thinning, may develop. With this outcome, treatment with Advantan ointment is recommended to be suspended.
Speaking about the side effects of the drug, it should be noted that usually there are no problems during its use. In very rare cases, itching, burning, vesicular rash, erythema may occur. As mentioned above, long-term exposure of the ointment to a large area of the body can cause atrophy of the skin and lead to the appearance of striae. However, clinical studies of the drug "Advantan" proved that during the experimental trials on it, no manifestations of the previously listed side effects were noted.
Of course, there are other analogues that are very similar in description to Elidel cream. Their price is absolutely different (from 140 to 500 rubles). These are, for example, medicines "Akortin", "Apulein", "Bronal", "Videstim", "Berlikort" and many others. But when choosing a remedy for the treatment of skin diseases, allit is not necessary to focus only on its low cost. It would be better to trust the opinion of a professional doctor and choose for yourself the drug that will correspond to all the features of a particular type of body cover and the whole organism as a whole.
