"Nitrazepam": instructions for use, mechanism of action, form of release. Feedback on the effectiveness of Nitrazepam, its analogs, synonyms

What is the purpose of the drug Nitrazepam? Instructions for the use of the drug, its pharmacological characteristics, analogs, synonyms and indications will be presented in this article. In addition, you will find out whether this medication has contraindications, side effects, what is its cost, the form of release, the composition, what patients and specialists think about it.

The drug "Nitrazepam": the form of release and the composition of the drug

In what form can you buy the drug? Tablets are his only form of release. The active substance of the drug is nitrazepam. As for the auxiliary, they include lactose monohydrate (that is, milk sugar), potato starch, magnesium stearate and talc.

You can buy the drug in jars made of dark glass (20 pieces each), as well as in cell packs of 10 tablets.

Pharmacological characteristics of the drug

What is the drug Nitrazepam? Instruction for the use of the drug says that this is a psychotropic synthetic agent that is used in the treatment of sleep disorders caused by various causes.

The therapeutic effect of the drug is due to its composition. The active component (nitrazepam) is able to exert a pronounced anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, hypnotic, anxiolytic and central action.

The anxiolytic effect of the medication is manifested in the elimination of emotional stress, as well as in alleviating anxiety. The sedative effect of the drug in question is expressed in the disappearance of symptoms of neurotic origin (such signs include anxiety and fear).

Medicinal preparation "Nitrazepam": mechanism of action

According to experts, this drug, more precisely, its active substance, can increase the depth and duration of sleep, reducing the impact of motor, emotional and vegetative stimuli, which, in fact, are the main cause of disturbances in the process of falling asleep.

The mechanism of action of this drug is associated with increased inhibitory effect of GABA on the central nervous system by increasing the sensitivity of GABA receptors to the mediator, which occurs as a result of stimulation of benzodiazepine receptors.

After taking the medicine, the dream comes in 25-40 minutes and lasts about 6-8 hours. Note! Medication can cause drug dependence and addiction. In this regard, he is released in pharmacies only on the prescription of a specialist.

Pharmacokinetics of the drug

The association of the drug with plasma proteins is about 80%. The half-life lasts an average of 26 hours. The medication is given in the form of metabolites (to a greater extent).

Indications for the use of hypnotics

For what purpose do doctors prescribe Nitrazepam tablets? Indications for the use of this medication include sleep disorders of various origins, including the difficulty of falling asleep, as well as early morning or night awakenings.

As part of complex therapy, the medicament is used when:

• Epilepsy in young children (from 4 months to 2 years);
• Encephalopathies, accompanied by myoclonic epileptic seizures;
• Endogenous psychosis, chronic alcoholism, neuroses, psychopathy and organic lesions of the central nervous system.

Contraindications to the use of hypnotics

In what cases is it forbidden to use the drug Nitrazepam? Instruction for the use of the drug contains the following list of contraindications:

• Acute intoxication by medical means, which produce a depressing effect on the central nervous system, including analgesics (narcotic) and hypnotics;
• shock;
• Acute intoxication due to alcohol intake with weakening of important body functions;
• Hypercapnia;
• Closed-angle glaucoma (with a predisposition to the disease and in the stage of acute attacks);
• Myasthenia gravis;
• Swallowing disorders in young children;
• Period of pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, as well as during breastfeeding;
• Chronic obstructive and severe lung disease, as well as respiratory failure;
• Drug addiction and alcoholism;
• Severe depression (to avoid the development of suicidal manifestations);
• Temporal epilepsy;
• Hypersensitivity to active and auxiliary substances.

Taking the drug during pregnancy

Can pregnant women take the drug Nitrazepam? The recipe with this medication is allowed to be issued to the patient only in the first trimester. However, this increases the risk of congenital malformations in the baby. Longer use of a drug may lead to drug dependence and the appearance of a withdrawal syndrome in a newborn.

Use of the drug before birth causes the fetus to decrease muscle tone, hypotension, hypothermia and respiratory depression.

Careful medication

In what cases does the patient need constant monitoring after taking Nitrazepam? The prescription with this remedy should be prescribed by the doctor with extreme caution, if the patient has at least one of the following deviations:

• Hepatic, respiratory, and renal insufficiency;
• Established or supposed nighttime apnea ;
• Organic diseases of the brain;
• Psychoses;
• Drug dependence in history;
• Cerebral and spinal ataxia;
• Hyperkinesis;
• Propensity to abuse psychotropic drugs;
• Hypoproteinemia.

In what cases is a reduced dosage of Nitrazepam needed? The instruction of this medication states that when it is used in old age, special care must be taken. Such people should use small doses of medication.

Methods of using the medicinal product

How should I use the drug Nitrazepam? Instructions for use says that this sleeping pill should be consumed once a day for half an hour before bedtime.

The dosage of the drug is as follows:

• Children under one year - about 1.25-2.5 mg;
• For a child from 1 to 6 years - about 2.5-5 mg;
• Children from 6 to 14 years - not more than 5 mg;
• Adults - about 5-10 mg, but not more than 20 mg;
• For older people - 2.5-5 mg.

As an antiepileptic and anxiolytic drug, the drug is prescribed up to three times a day for 5-10 mg, but not more than 30 mg per day.

Important! The drug "Nitrazepam", its analogs are not recommended for a long time without special instructions. This is due to the fact that there is a danger of mental and physical dependence, which develops after several weeks of daily intake of therapeutic dosages.

With the simultaneous use of the drug with narcotic analgesics , an increase in dependence is very often observed. With the development of such reactions as aggressiveness (increased), acute states of excitement, hallucinations, feelings of fear, suicidal tendencies, increased muscle spasms, difficulty in falling asleep and superficial sleep, medication should be stopped.

Side effects of taking medication

Is there any side effects of Nitrazepam? The patients' reviews of it say that at the very beginning of therapy, the medication can cause a feeling of fatigue, drowsiness, slowing of mental and motor reactions, dulling of emotions, dizziness, lack of confidence in walking, ataxia, lethargy, decreased concentration and gait disturbance.

Slightly less often, the drug causes such paradoxical reactions as outbreaks of aggression, fear, acute arousal, confusion, suicidal tendencies, hallucinations, insomnia, irritability and other CNS disorders.

According to reviews, this medication often causes the development of the following side effects: headache, uncontrolled body movements, depression, catalepsy, depression of mood, weakness, anterograde amnesia, tremor, myasthenia, euphoria, confusion and dysarthria.

In addition, judging by the feedback of patients, the drug "Nitrazepam" can cause the following disorders: increased or decreased libido, leukopenia, urinary incontinence or delay, anemia, heartburn, decreased appetite, thrombocytopenia, dysmenorrhea, impaired liver function, vomiting, itching, nausea, Renal dysfunction, agranulocytosis (excessive fatigue, hyperthermia, sore throat, chills, weakness), neutropenia, skin rash, dry mouth, salivation, diarrhea, or constipation.

Overdose Symptoms

What signs of overdose can occur in the case of uncontrolled intake of the drug "Nitrazepam"? The experts say that an increased dosage of the drug can cause quite serious disorders, which manifest themselves as a decreased reaction to painful irritations, drowsiness, severe weakness, confusion, decreased reflexes, deep sleep, paradoxical stimulation, tremor, collapse, bradycardia and coma.

The withdrawal syndrome

The drug "Nitrazepam" (analogs of the medication in particular) should in no case be stopped to take too sharply. Otherwise, the patient may develop withdrawal syndrome. As a rule, this is expressed in the appearance of the following signs:

• irritability;
• tachycardia;
• Anxiety, agitation or anxiety;
• depression;
• Sleep disorders and nervousness;
• Depersonalization;
• Increased sweating;
• feeling of fear;
• Spasms of skeletal muscles and smooth muscles of internal organs;
• headache;
• nausea and vomiting;
• Paresthesia;
• tremor;
• Hyperesthesia;
• dysphoria;
• photophobia;
• Hallucinations;
• Convulsions;
• Acute psychosis.

Interaction of the drug with other drugs

The drug "Nitrazepam", the price of which is presented below, can not be used simultaneously with drugs that exert a depressing effect on the central nervous system, as well as with ethanol-containing medicines and ethanol.

At one-stage application with anticonvulsant agents there is a possibility of intensification of toxic effects.

With simultaneous use with estrogen-containing oral contraceptives, the concentration of nitrazepam in the blood increases.

At a one-time admission with rifampicin, the excretion of the active substance from the body is increased.

With a single use with cimetidine, the concentration of nitrazepam in the blood increases, which entails an increase in the sedative effect.

Reviews of patients and doctors about the drug

According to reviews of specialists and patients, the drug "Nitrazepam" effectively copes with the task. It eliminates emotional stress and relieves anxiety. The drug is a good hypnotic.

However, in addition to positive feedback, this medicine has a lot of negative. As a rule, they are associated with the appearance of a large number of side effects. Often this is due to improper intake of tablets or their abuse. Also, negative reviews about the drug are left by those patients who took it despite existing contraindications.

Cost and analogues of medicament

How much is the drug Nitrazepam? The price of this drug is very low. On average, it varies between 60-70 Russian rubles for 10 tablets. However, you can not buy a drug in a pharmacy without a doctor's prescription.

What should I do if the patient, for one reason or another, was unable to purchase the Nitrazepam drug? Synonyms and analogues of it should be prescribed only by a doctor. To such preparations it is possible to carry the following:

• "Berlidorm 5".
• "Eunotin".
• "Nitrazadon."
• "Nitrazepam."
• "Radedorm 5".
• "Nitrosan."
• "Mogadon."
• "Nitram" and others.

These drugs (analogs) have the same pharmacological characteristics as the drug Nitrazepam. However, their dosage and methods of use may differ. Therefore, before using a medication, it is necessary to consult a specialist and study the attached instructions in detail. The cost of such drugs can be as high as that of a sleeping pills "Nitrazepam", and lower (depending on the manufacturer and the mark-up).