Finasteride is a crystalline powder of white color, practically insoluble in water and easily soluble in chloroform - belongs to the category of hormonal antitumor drugs used to treat prostatic adenoma.
One of the positive side effects of its effect is the ability to prevent hair loss, which allows using the drug to combat premature male pattern baldness.
Form release, formulation and packaging
The finasteride drug intended solely for oral administration( through the mouth) is available in a single dosage form, in the form of biconvex round tablets coated with a bright blue color and labeled "F5" on either side.
Dispersed film coating of opadrai in which tablets are coated consists of a whole complex of auxiliary components: monocrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate, corn starch, magnesium stearate and lauryl macrogolglycerides.
In the photo, the medicine Finasteride
Manufacturers pack tablets in contour vacuum blisters, containing seven, ten and fourteen pieces. Blisters( one to four), along with instructions for the use of the drug, are placed inside cardboard packs.
Manufacturer
Specialized enterprises are engaged in the issue of finasteride medicines:
- of the Russian pharmaceutical company ZAO "Obolenskoe".
- of the International Pharmaceutical Corporation Aktavis Group AO, based in Iceland. The Indian pharmaceutical company Intas Pharmaceuticals is packing the tablets produced there.
- Indian Pharmaceutical Company Okasa Pharma Co., Ltd.
Indications for use
Finasteride is used to treat patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia( adenoma). Under the influence of the drug:
- , a significant reduction in the size of the affected gland occurs;
- maximizes the rate of urine outflow;
- significantly reduces the likelihood of developing a mechanism for acute urinary retention, for the elimination of which there is a need for the use of catheterization or in performing prostatectomy( removal of the entire prostate gland or part thereof) and transurethral resection( minimally invasive surgical intervention aimed at rapid elimination of urinary problems) of the prostate.
Contraindications
The drug finasteride is absolutely contraindicated:
- Patients who are hypersensitive to the main active ingredient and to individual components of the chemical composition.
- Women of childbearing age.
- Pregnant women.
- for children.
With great care, a drug can be used to treat patients suffering from:
- with obstructive uropathy( a condition that occurs on any part of the genito-urinary tract and accompanied by blockage of the urine flow, which is fraught with serious damage to the kidneys);
- with varying degrees of hepatic insufficiency;
- with prostate cancer.
Mechanism of action of the preparation
Finasteride slows down the action of 5-alpha-reductase of the second type, which promotes the conversion of testosterone into 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone, a substance with significantly greater activity.
As a result of this process, the concentration of newly synthesized hormone in plasma and prostate cells is significantly reduced. This effect persists throughout the day after taking the drug.
Finasteride blocks the stimulating effect of testosterone on the growth of tumor structures. As a result of regular inhibition of the formation of 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone, the volume of the pathologically enlarged prostate gland is significantly reduced, the maximum rate of urine outflow is increased, and the painful symptomatology of insufficient conductivity of the urinary ducts is rapidly declining.
In patients who regularly take the drug in full compliance with the recommendations of their treating specialist, the first significant results of treatment are recorded at regular intervals:
- , the volume of the affected prostate gland begins to decrease after twelve weeks of treatment;
- significant acceleration of urine outflow occurs after 16 weeks of therapy;
- , a decrease in general pathological symptoms and the effects of obstruction of the urinary tract is observed after seven months of daily treatment.
Complete absorption of finasteride by the gastrointestinal tract occurs after six to eight hours. Possessing good absorption and high penetrating ability, the drug quickly spreads through the body, easily penetrating into tissues and all kinds of biological fluids( in the ejaculate concentration quickly reaches 5 μg).
The level of bioavailability( the ability of the drug to be absorbed with maximum benefit to the body) finasteride is almost 80%.The maximum time( its value is 8-10 ng / ml) concentration of the drug in the blood plasma is two hours, and its relationship with blood plasma proteins is at the level of 92%.
After overcoming the hemato-encephalic barrier, a small amount of finasteride is present in the cerebrospinal fluid within a week after the start of the therapeutic course.
With prolonged medication, a slight cumulation of the active substance in the body tissues is observed. The half-life period of the drug in men, belonging to the age category from 18 to 60 years, is not less than six hours. In patients older( after seventy) age category, it is extended by two hours.
A large( almost 58%) part of the drug in the altered( in the form of metabolites) form leaves the body of the patient along with the calves, 39% - along with the urine. In patients with chronic kidney failure, some metabolites( those that are usually excreted in urine in healthy patients) can be excreted along with feces.
Instructions for use Finasteride
Finasteride belongs to the category of drugs that should be taken for a very long time. Therapeutic regimens are developed individually for each individual patient.
- The drug, intended for oral use, usually takes one tablet once a day( it can be done both before and after food: it is only necessary that the digestive process is already started when the drug enters the gastrointestinal tract).Do not chew the tablets.
- Finasteride can be used both for monotherapy and in combination with the drug "Doxazosin".
- If, for any reason, the next dose of the drug was missed, you can not break the usual schedule of treatment by taking two tablets at once: instead of the expected benefit, you can damage your body.
- In relation to patients suffering from different types of renal failure, there is no particular need for the selection of therapeutic doses, since during the study of pharmacokinetics it was established that the patient's condition does not affect the excretion of the drug.
- The same principle applies to elderly people, although from the body of patients older than seventy years finasteride is not as effective.
Side effects of
The undesirable effects that arise in response to the drug are combined in this list:
- The immune system can respond to it with symptoms of hypersensitivity.
- Reaction of the mammary glands and the reproductive system can lead to the development of gynecomastia( painful enlargement of the mammary glands in men accompanied by hypertrophy of adipose tissue), impotence, pain in the testicles, various ejaculation disorders and a significant decrease in the volume of ejaculated secretion.
- Patients prone to allergic reactions of may experience severe swelling of the face and lips, a rash on the surface of the skin;the patient often complains of hives accompanied by severe itching.
- The influence of finasteride on the digestive system of is manifested by the activation of hepatic enzymes.
- The circulatory system reacts to finasteride by the development of palpitation( malfunction of the heart muscle).
- The mental reaction of the body can manifest itself by a significant weakening of sexual desire.
- The concentration of hormones of luteinizing( LH) and follicle-stimulating( FSH) may increase in the blood of the patient receiving finasteride, while the content of the prostate-specific antigen( PSA) is significantly reduced.
Overdose of
The administration of a single dose of finasteride in the amount of 400 mg and subsequent regular treatment with the drug( dosage amount - 80 mg during the day) for twelve weeks did not cause any negative symptoms in patients.
The developed recommendations concerning the treatment of patients with an overdose of finasteride are not available at the moment.
Special instructions
- When treating finasteride, patients who have a significantly reduced outflow of urine or a large volume of residual urine need to closely monitor the likely development of obstructive uropathy.
- Before starting treatment, you should make sure there are no diseases that can simulate adenoma of the prostate - stricture of the urethra, prostate cancer, infectious prostatitis, bladder hypotension and all kinds of violations of its innervation.
- Pregnant women and patients of childbearing age should exclude the possibility of contact with finasteride, which has a teratogenic( capable of disrupting the normal development of genital organs in male embryos) by action and penetrating into the seminal plasma.
- The reception of finasteride leads to a significant decrease in the level of PSA in the blood. After six months of treatment, it falls by 42%, in a year - by 48%.
Compatibility
- Drugs antipyrine, warfarin, propranolol, glyburide, digoxin and theophylline do not lead to clinically significant symptoms when interacting with finasteride.
- Clinically significant drug interaction is not observed also with the concomitant use of finasteride and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, quinolones, beta and alpha-adrenoblockers, diuretics, nitrates, ACE inhibitors and HMG-CoA reductase, calcium channel blockers and benzodiazepines.
- In patients daily consuming more than 50 ml of alcoholic beverages, the risk of developing prostate cancer significantly increases, and the positive effect of finasteride on the body is significantly reduced. In a special medical study( covering almost 11,000 men over the age of fifty) over a period of seven years, it was shown that alcohol consumption during the treatment with finasteride increases the risk of developing prostate cancer( both low-grade and low-gradeforms) by almost 90%.Important in this case is the type of alcoholic beverage used. The greatest risk is exposed to beer lovers. With the use of natural wine, the probability of developing prostate cancer was the lowest. Scientists emphasize that the negative impact of alcohol is observed only in the case of regular use of sufficiently large doses. If small portions of alcoholic beverages are not used too often, it does not have a particular effect on the risk of developing prostate cancer.
- Given the fact that the metabolism( change of the drug with the formation of its degradation products - metabolites) of finasteride occurs with the participation of the CYP3A4 isoenzyme, it is undesirable to apply it simultaneously with drugs that are inhibitors or inducers of the above isoenzyme, as their effects may affect drug concentrations inblood plasma.
Reviews about Finasteride
Veronica:
My husband suffers from prostate adenoma. The half-year course of treatment with finasteride( the volume of the prostate was sixty-five cubic centimeters) helped to normalize the size of the affected organ and eliminate problems with urination. The use of the drug provoked an unexpected side effect: accelerated growth of hair on the entire surface of the body. Fortunately, for a man it does not really matter. The attending physician said that to take finasteride will have throughout life.
Ivan:
Being still a very young man, I for a long time drove myself away from the thought that the culprit of the painful symptoms observed by me is prostate adenoma. After a thorough urological examination and confirmation of this diagnosis, I was assigned finasteride. I accept it already for a year. It was possible to achieve a positive result and a significant relief of the condition. An impressive list of side effects listed in the instructions for use, initially aroused fear, but, fortunately, none of them( including probable problems with potency) did not touch me.
Novel:
I was surprised to hear that the reception of finasteride led to increased hair growth. I take this drug for just over two years. Before I became acquainted with the effect of this medicine, my body was covered with dense vegetation, which could be envied by an anthropoid primacy. Now there is not a hair left on him( even on his feet).
Price of medicine in Moscow
The cost of finasteride depends mainly on the manufacturer, as well as on the place of purchase of the drug.
- The average price of a package containing thirty tablets( 5 mg each) of a drug produced in Russia in pharmacies in Moscow is 250 rubles.
- The same package of finasteride, produced by the Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva, will cost the consumer 350 rubles.
Synonyms
Finasteride has an impressive list of synonymous names:
- "Proscar";
- "Vero-Finasteride";
- Prosteride;
- Finasteride;
- "Finast";
- "Alfinal";
- "Zerlon";
- "Penester";
- "Finasteride-OBL";
- "Finpros";
- "Urofin";
- Finasteride-Teva;
- "Propecia".
Analogues
Similar drugs have the same pharmaceutical subgroups:
- Avodart;
- Sonirid Duo.
Terms of dispensing from pharmacies
The drug can be purchased at the pharmacy only after the presentation of a prescription issued on a special form, certified by a personal stamp of the attending physician.
Storage Conditions and Shelf Life
Finasteride must be stored in a dry place, excluding penetration of bright light and children's access( at temperatures not exceeding thirty degrees).Shelf life of the medicinal product is 36 months.
Use of the drug with expired shelf life is prohibited. Overdue tablets should be disposed of in accordance with special precautions.