Brother Liu was a company employee before he retired, and his cervical and lumbar spine have not been very good due to long-term desk work, and he often feels dizzy and headaches, but he has never taken it too seriously.
Until half a year ago, the family moved and made him do physical work for a few days, and since then he has been feeling dizzy and headache, and no matter how much he rests, he can't relieve it.
After going to the hospital for examination, it was found that there were obvious atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid arteries and vertebral arteries, and the blood flow was significantly reduced, and then the doctor prescribed him aspirin, atorvastatin and other drugs to prevent and treat the arterial plaques.
At the same time, he also prescribed flunarizine to help relieve dizziness and headache symptoms, and told him that flunarizine should not be taken for a long time and should be stopped after a period of time.
After eating for a while, the family noticed that his personality had changed a lot, and he was often irritable and irritable.
When I went to the hospital for an examination, the doctor told me that flunarizine could not be taken for a long time, otherwise there was a risk of inducing depression.
1. Flunarizine is very effective in improving health problems in 4 aspects
Flunarizine is a calcium ion antagonist, which is very fat-soluble, can improve the blood supply and oxygen supply to brain tissue through the blood-brain barrier, and has positive significance for the prevention and treatment of migraine, cluster neuralgia, chronic headache and peripheral vascular disease, and has little impact on heart function and blood pressure, and has a high safety.
Flunarizine can dilate cerebral blood vessels, increase cerebral blood flow, and improve symptoms of cerebral insufficiency such as dizziness, headache, and memory loss;
Secondly, it is also used to treat idiopathic tinnitus, which may be related to vascular lesions of the inner ear, and taking flunarizine can improve blood circulation in the inner ear and relieve symptoms;
In addition, migraines related to vasoconstriction and diastolic dysfunction can be adjusted by taking flunarizine to regulate vascular tone and prevent migraine;
When flunarizine is used in combination with other antiepileptic drugs, it can play an adjunctive role in the treatment of epilepsy, it blocks the calcium overload in brain cells, so as to prevent paroxysmal depolarization of the central nervous system, avoid its abnormal discharge, and is beneficial for the prevention of seizures.
Second, to take flunarizine safely, these 4 details should be kept in mind
Although flunarizine has many effects, there are also many precautions in its use, which must be kept in mind.
1. Not suitable for acute migraine attacks
Flunarizine is used as a prophylactic treatment for migraine, and for patients in the acute exacerbation phase, the drug has little effect.
Acute attacks of migraine should be treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen; Patients with more severe disease may be treated with caffeine-containing combinations such as aspirin and caffeine, or triptan-specific migraine-specific medications.
2. The indications and dosage are different
The starting dose for the prophylactic treatment of migraine is 1 capsule per night for those over 65 years of age and 2 capsules per night for those under 65 years of age, and to maintain good results, it needs to be administered every 7 days for 5 consecutive days and stopped for 2 days.
If there is no significant improvement after 2 months of treatment, the drug should be discontinued in time; Treatment for vertigo and migraine is the same, and the medication should be discontinued as soon as symptoms are controlled.
3. Special groups need to be used with caution/disabled
Not to be used in acute intracerebral hemorrhage disorders, history of depression, Parkinson's, allergy to flunarizine, and pregnant/lactating women;
In addition, the nervous system of the elderly is relatively sensitive and the metabolic ability is weak, so the dosage should be reduced appropriately when using.
4. There may be 4 adverse reactions
Weight gain: the drug can affect the endocrine of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which is easy to cause weight gain;
Depression: flunarizine has antihistamine, dopamine, and anti-serotonin activities, which may cause depression;
Drowsiness: It may cause drowsiness after taking the drug, and it is generally recommended to take it at night;
Parkinsonism: This drug has the effect of blocking synaptic D2 receptors, which may give acetylcholine dominance and extrapyramidal reactions.
3. When treating dizziness, how to choose flunarizine and betahistine?
The most common discomfort symptoms in neurology are headache and dizziness, and doctors usually use flunarizine and betahistine when prescribing medications.
Generally speaking, there are two common causes of dizziness, one is otolithiasis, Meniere's disease, viral infection of the inner ear nerve, inner ear tumor and other factors affect the vestibular function of the inner ear; Second, multiple sclerosis, arterial stenosis, etc., which lead to cerebral ischemia and other central nervous system disorders.
If the vestibular function of the inner ear is abnormal, it is recommended to choose betahistine for treatment, because betahistine is more likely to penetrate the blood-brain barrier into the inner ear to play a role; However, if it is a cause related to cerebral ischemia, flunarizine is recommended, which has a better cerebral vasodilator function and may improve symptoms of acute vertigo.
The mechanism of action of the two drugs to relieve dizziness is different, and in many cases, the combination of the two drugs can be considered, such as for patients with vertigo, tinnitus and other diseases, the combined effect will be better.
It should be reminded that there are many causes of dizziness, and it is not recommended to buy drugs on your own. The correct way is to go to the hospital in time to consult a professional doctor for advice and take medicine under the guidance of a doctor.
The phrase "three parts of poison is medicine" applies to all medicines, so daily medication must be carefully followed by the doctor's instructions! Do not self-medicate for a long time or use medication without authorization.
Resources:
[1] "[Medication Notes] Understanding Flunarizine: A Good Drug for Improving Cerebrovascular Diseases". Pharmacist Guo said on March 04, 2024
[2] "Reasonable Use of Flunarizine in the Third Hospital of the City". Yangjiang Third People's Hospital subscription number 2022-09-02
[3] "What should I pay attention to when using flunarizine and betahistine in the treatment of dizziness?" 》. Department of Neurology, Chongqing People's Hospital, February 05, 2024
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