Novalgin® drops

introduction

Novalgin® drops with the active ingredient metamizole are prescription drops for pain treatment.

Due to the possible side effects, Novalgin® drops are being prescribed less and less, although the active ingredient has good antipyretic and analgesic properties. In hospitals where the patient can be closely monitored, Novalgin® drops are still used frequently because of their effectiveness despite possible side effects.

application areas

Novalgin® drops are used for:

  • severe to very severe pain
  • after operations or injuries
  • Tumor pain or similar painful conditions
  • high fever
  • when other drugs have so far been unsuccessful

Novalgin® drops are to be seen as a reserve drug, i.e. they are only used when other drugs with fewer side effects are unsuccessful.

Dosage of Novalgin® drops

The exact dosage of Novalgin® drops, as well as the Duration of use is from Doctor individually to the Needs of each patient customized.

General dosage guidelines for Novalgin® drops are:

  • baby (3-11 months) 5-8 kg of body weight each receive 50-125mg Novalgin® (2-5 drops) as a single dose. Maximum daily dose: 300mg (12 drops)
  • Infants (1-3 years) weighing 9-15 kg get 75 - 250mg Novalgin® (3-10 drops) as a single dose.
    Maximum daily dose: 750mg Novalgin® (30 drops)
  • 4-6 years of 16-23 kg get 125 - 375mg Novalgin® (5-15 drops) as a single dose.
    Maximum daily dose: 1125mg Novalgin® (45 drops)
  • 7-9 years: each 24-30 kg get 200 - 500mg Novalgin® (8-20 drops) as a single dose.
    Maximum daily dose: 1500mg Novalgin® (60 drops)
  • 10-12 years of 31-45 kg get 250 - 750mg Novalgin® (10-30 drops) as a single dose.
    Maximum daily dose: 2250mg Novalgin® (90 drops).

Novalgin® and alcohol - are they compatible?

Novalgin® and alcohol do not get along and should therefore not be taken at the same time. One of the reasons for this is that both are metabolized via the liver. Taken together, both are broken down more slowly. Alcohol then accumulates especially in the brain and triggers classic alcohol-related symptoms. Novalgin® also accumulates in the body if it cannot be broken down regularly. This can lead to an overdose. Symptoms of an overdose are abdominal pain up to nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, drop in blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias.

Read more on the topic: Painkillers and alcohol

  • Children (13-14 years) weighing 46-53 kg: get 375 - 875mg Novalgin® (15-35 drops) as a single dose.
    Maximum daily dose: 2625mg Novalgin® (105 drops)
  • Adults and adolescents over 15 years of at least 53 kg: 500-1000mg Novalgin® (20-40 drops) as a single dose.
    Maximum daily dose: 3000 mg Novalgin® (120 drops)

If the patient has a Renal dysfunction with decreased creatinine clearance or a poor general condition the dose of Novalgin® drops should be reduced.

If Novalgin® drops were used once, after about one and a half hours there should be one Improvement of the complaints come. If this is not the case, a further single dose can be taken after consulting the doctor until the maximum daily dose is reached.

Between the receipts should be at least one and a half hours lie to a Effectiveness of Novalgin® drops wait and prevent overdosing, as this can lead to significant side effects.

Novalgin® drops should taken with a little water become. In order to obtain an even dosage, the bottle always held vertically and before removing the required amount of Novalgin® drops shaken become.

Components of Novalgin® drops

In addition to the active ingredient Metamizole in Novalgin® drops are the following medically inactive ingredients contain:

  • purified water
  • Flavor
  • Sodium dihydrogen phosphate
  • Sodium monohydrogen phosphate
  • Saccharin sodium dihydrate

How does Novalgin® work?

Novalgin®, also called Metamizole, is a Pyrazole derivative and belong to the non-acidic, non-opioid Pain relievers (analgesics). Novalgin® drops have a pain-relieving effect on mild, moderate and severe acute and chronic pain conditions. They reduce fever, but are only used as a reserve in case of a very high fever. Plus they have one spasmolytic Effect on colic. This means that they relieve spasms of the smooth muscles of the vessels and intestines. However, their exact mechanism of action is unclear.
For this reason, the use of Novalgin® drops is not recommended for pregnant women, mothers who are breastfeeding and children under ten years of age. They should only be taken in consultation with a doctor, as they interact with many different drugs. The usual dose is up to 4000 mg metamizole as the maximum daily dose for adults and adolescents aged 15 years and over and weighing at least 53 kg. The single dose, however, should not be higher than 500 to 1000 mg. Caution is advised in patients with impaired renal and hepatic function. Novalgin® drops should generally not be taken for more than three to five days without further consultation with the attending physician.

Is Novalgin® anti-inflammatory?

Novalgin® is not anti-inflammatory. It helps with severe and chronic pain and fever. In the event of inflammation, whether acute or chronic, other pain relievers should be used. Anti-inflammatory pain medications include ibuprofen and aspirin. It is important to discuss with your doctor which medication is right for you.

Side effects

The side effects that can occur when taking Novalgin® are generally classified according to the frequency with which they occur. In general, every intake of Novalgin® can theoretically lead to the occurrence of side effects, but these do not necessarily occur in every patient.

Occasional side effects

Under occasional side effects is understood to mean physical reactions to taking Novalgin®, which occur in 1 to 10 out of 1,000 people.
These include primarily allergic skin reactionswhich are in the form of a purple to deep red, sometimes blistered, rash (Drug eruption) occur. These can also be accompanied by symptoms such as to cough, Sneeze, Burning eyes, Nose is running and a light one Chest tightness.

Furthermore, a slight drop in blood pressure is occasionally noticed among those treated. Overall, all of the side effects listed here are usually not life-threatening and can be completely eliminated with therapy.

Rare side effects

To the rare side effects include those that may affect 1 to 10 patients in 10,000 treated.
That includes stronger ones allergic skin- and systemic hypersensitivity reactions, in the form of red spots on the skin and allergic shock reactions. Classic warning symptoms are itching, burning and a feeling of heat in the mouth and throat or on the soles of the hands and feet as well as difficulty swallowing, narrowing of the lower airways, which leads to shortness of breath or painless swelling, often in the face area (lips, cheeks, forehead or larynx) .
In addition, they are rare too Gastrointestinal discomfort, such as nausea, abdominal cramps and Stomach ulcers. It can also become a waste the number white blood cells come in the blood.

Very rare side effects

To the very rare side effects (less than 1 in 10,000) are most serious, life-threatening allergic shock reactions with circulatory shock and respiratory insufficiency as well as pain-medication-induced asthma attacks and extensive blistering of the skin and skin detachments, in the context of a most severe, allergic skin reaction on medicines.

Furthermore there is the possibility of one sharp drop in granulocytes or the Platelets to the very rare side effects. The latter can get through, among other things punctiform hemorrhages noticeable in the skin and mucous membranes.
Also an acute one Deterioration in kidney function up to kidney failure and kidney inflammation can be counted among the rare side effects, which can be noticed, for example, by decreased urine excretion or blood proteins in the urine.
Occasionally kick too psychological side effects which can manifest themselves in the form of restlessness, anxiety, depression, delusions or delirium.

Agranulocytosis

A very rare but more serious side effect when taking Novalgin® is acute Agranulocytosis.

This is a Disruption of blood cell production in the bone marrowwhere there is an absolute lack of a certain type of white blood cell called granulocytes, which are part of the immune system.
Acute agranulocytosis is characterized clinically at the beginning by the symptoms of fever (possibly with chills), local mouth, nose and throat infections (sore throat, mucous membrane ulcerations, difficulty swallowing) and hoarseness as well as inflammation in the genital and anal area.
The course can later turn into life-threatening blood poisoning (sepsis).

It is important that agranulocytosis caused by drugs such as B. Novalgin®, is by no means a permanent illness, but disappears again without consequences 1-2 weeks after stopping the pain reliever and the symptoms return completely.

Due to the severity of this disease, the use of Novalgin® in Germany is restricted by a Prescription requirement controlled and thus prevents misuse. Due to the fact that agranulocytosis only occurs very rarely, Novalgin® has great therapeutic safety despite everything. In addition, it is the pain reliever among the non-opioids with the strongest analgesic and antipyretic effects.