Treatment of mental illness in many people is associated with the use of potent drugs that cause irreparable damage to the nervous system. Therefore, some patients with mild symptoms prefer to hide them or deal with them on their own. This approach is very dangerous and fraught with the development of serious complications. Timely seeking help from a psychiatrist and selecting an individual treatment regimen with suitable means is the key to maintaining a normal lifestyle in the future.
Mechanism of action
"Klopiksol-Akufaz" is a drug solution for intramuscular injection. It belongs to antipsychotics, that is, drugs that are used to treat various mental illnesses. The active ingredient in the solution is zuclopenthixol acetate.
Psychotic reactions can develop due to malfunctions of neurotransmitters (most often dopamine and serotonin). Normally, these compounds ensure the transmission of a nerve impulse to receptorendings. Antipsychotics are used to reduce their activity and restore the ability of the brain to think objectively. Zuclopenthixol blocks dopamine receptors, due to which it exhibits an antipsychotic effect.
The substance also inhibits the transmission of impulses in the nerve endings of the brain stem, has a calming and relaxing effect. It reduces the gag reflex, so it can be used in situations in which a tantrum is accompanied by nausea and headache.
Indications
"Klopiksol-Akufaz" is used to treat the initial stages of acute mental illness, exacerbations of chronic psychosis and to reduce the severity of manifestations of manic obsessions. In combination with other components of the treatment, this remedy returns a person to the real world. It effectively eliminates the following signs of incipient psychosis:
- nervousness and unmotivated aggression towards others;
- lack of interest in life, apathy;
- memory deterioration;
- decrease in mental performance;
- anxiety and causeless fear;
- indifference to one's appearance, constant disregard for basic hygiene rules;
- isolation and unwillingness to communicate with people;
- excessive suspicion and mistrust.
The maximum concentration of the drug in the blood is observed on the 3rd day of treatment, although the sedative effect develops much earlier (about 15 minutes after intramuscular injection).
"Clopixol-Akufaz ": instructions for use of the drug
Solution contains 50 mg of zuclopenthixol acetate per 1 ml. Depending on the patient's disease, the dose of the drug is selected individually by the attending physician. The recommended initial amount of the drug is 1-3 ml intramuscularly. One injection is enough to maintain a stable concentration of the active substance in the blood for several days. The number of injections and the interval between them can be adjusted by the attending psychiatrist, taking into account the tolerability of the drug and the severity of its action.
In the treatment of the elderly, many neuroleptics are undesirable to administer at the maximum allowable doses. This also applies to the medicine "Klopiksol-Akufaz". Instructions for use of the drug involves reducing the amount of the injected solution to 1-2 ml once. Exceeding these values is highly discouraged in order to avoid the development of side effects and allergic reactions.
Contraindications
Any neuroleptics should not be used in some concomitant pathological conditions. This must be taken into account when prescribing the drug "Klopiksol-Akufaz". Contraindications to its use are as follows:
- cardiovascular failure (collapse);
- pheochromocytoma;
- coma;
- a state of drug or alcohol poisoning.
The drug is not used to treat pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, when all the organs and systems of the unborn baby are laid. During lactation, the appointment of this drug is also undesirable, although it is excreted in milk inminimum quantity. In case of urgent need, it is possible to combine drug therapy with breastfeeding. In this situation, it is necessary to organize constant pediatric monitoring for the newborn in order to respond in time if the drug has a negative effect on the child.
Side effect
Undesirable effects during treatment are rare. This usually happens with prolonged use of the solution in large quantities. As a rule, when the dose is reduced, they disappear, although sometimes it is necessary to replace Klopiksol-Akufaz with alternative means. Side effects can be expressed by such systems and organs:
- nervous system (motor disorders, accommodation pathologies, increased fatigue and a constant desire to sleep);
- cardiovascular system (dizziness and decrease in pressure with a sharp change in body position, rapid pulse);
- digestive organs (fluctuations in the level of liver tests, insufficient saliva, impaired defecation);
- excretory system (inability to empty the bladder).
Since the drug has a strong sedative effect, during the course of treatment, the patient is undesirable to drive a car and work with precise mechanisms that require concentration.
Admission rules
"Clopixol-Akufaz" refers to non-toxic drugs, which are generally easily tolerated by patients. However, given that the product is available in the form of an oil solution,it can be administered exclusively intramuscularly. Intravenous injections can lead to a fat embolism, which is very life threatening. It is fraught with blockage of the main blood vessels and respiratory arrest.
Even with a noticeable improvement and the apparent absence of symptoms, you should not abruptly stop using the drug Clopixol-Akufaz. Annotation to the remedy suggests in such cases the selection of maintenance therapy or the transition to tablets with the same active substance. It is very important to adhere to all the recommendations of the attending physician, because unauthorized withdrawal of the drug almost always leads to a new exacerbation and, as a result, to severe psychological problems.
Compatibility with other drugs and alcohol
Almost all drugs used in psychiatry are incompatible with alcohol (including Clopixol-Akufaz). Treatment with this remedy involves the rejection of alcohol and any narcotic substances, since when they enter the body together, they greatly depress the work of the brain and the entire nervous system. It also enhances and prolongs the effect of general anesthesia medications.
A combination of a drug with antiemetic drugs (for example, Cerucal) and anthelmintic drugs (Piperazine) is considered dangerous. The risk of developing extrapyramidal pathology in this case increases much more than with the separate use of these funds.
Clopixol-Akufaz solution (including analogues of the agent) is not prescribed together with guanethidine and similar agents fortreatment of hypertension. In Parkinson's disease, the use of this antipsychotic is contraindicated, since it is not combined with the main therapy usual for such patients.
How to switch to other dosage forms of the drug?
To maintain the antipsychotic effect, the psychiatrist can choose an individual scheme for switching to a more convenient dosage form. Most often, the patient is recommended to replace injections with a conventional solution for a deposited version. Usually, 1 injection of this medicine every 2 weeks is enough to achieve the desired concentration of the drug in the tissues of the body.
This regimen does not affect the normal lifestyle, and in the absence of direct indications for hospitalization, a person can continue treatment at home. Less often, instead of injections, tablets are prescribed, the dose of which is calculated individually, based on the characteristics of the patient's body and the severity of the disease.
Advantages and disadvantages of the drug
"Klopiksol-Akufaz" is available in a convenient dosage, which allows you to reduce the number of injections to a minimum and thus not draw the attention of the patient to this. Unlike other antipsychotics, in the treatment of psychosis, a course of 2-4 injections of this drug is enough to achieve a lasting effect. With the right dosage, the remedy avoids the parallel intake of tranquilizers. Treatment with the drug helps to eliminate not only the signs of psychosis, but also some of the symptoms of schizophrenia (tendency to isolation, emotional exhaustion).
The relative disadvantage of the drugcan be called its dosage form. Since the drug is available in solution, it can only be administered by injection. This requires the help of medical staff and the observance of sterility. However, given the effectiveness and wide spectrum of action of Clopixol-Akufaz (indications and clinical data confirm this), these nuances are not particularly significant.
Patient testimonials
Mentally ill people deserve attention and support just as much as those who are physically ill. Not understanding the dangers of the disease during an exacerbation, they can harm themselves or others. Therefore, those who have encountered such a problem during the period of "enlightenment" are ready to try any methods of treatment and drugs in order to normalize their thinking and reaction to the world around them. One of the effective and affordable drugs in this case is Klopiksol-Akufaz. Reviews of the drug confirm the fact that relief in patients with psychosis came very quickly, and then a long-term remission was observed.
Few patients complained of side effects, and they were mainly related to the high dosages of the drug administered. People noticed that during treatment, the desire to hide from relatives and not communicate with the medical staff gradually left them. Over time, they were able to socialize normally in their usual social circle and retain critical thinking.
Reviews of doctors
During treatment with neuroleptics, the sedative effect is often accompanied by a significant decrease in pressure (this also applies to the drug "Klopiksol-Akufaz"). The instruction warns about this, although in practice, doctors note that most often severe hypotension is not observed when using this medication.
Psychiatrists describe a rapid sedative effect in psychosis, schizophrenia and manic states. Unfortunately, the drug does not lead to improvements in the cognitive and analytical abilities of the brain, which are impaired in schizophrenia. This is not the case for the drug. For these purposes, patients should be individually prescribed additional funds.
The drug is used to treat the elderly. It eliminates anxiety and relieves symptoms of mental arousal. In people with Alzheimer's disease, it helps to reduce aggression and improve sleep, but this does not happen as quickly as in patients with vascular pathologies.
