Furagin – composition, action, indications, dosage. Furagina side effects

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Furagin (furazidine) is a drug with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. It belongs to the group of chemotherapeutic agents. It is used in the case of acute and chronic lower urinary tract infections. Also used in severe infections when other antibacterial drugs are not working properly.

Furagina – indications

Furagin is used in urinary tract infections such as chronic and acute bladder infections, uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia Coli, which are responsible for 95% of the disease. bladder infections. Furagin is active against the following strains of gram-positive bacteria: staphylococci (staphylococcus aureus), faecal streptococcus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and gram-negative bacteria: enterobacteria (Salmonella, Shigella, Proteus, E. coli).

It has antiprotozoal and antifungal properties, but does not affect blue oil sticks. It is helpful in the treatment of recurrent cystitis.

Consult a doctor in the case of recurrent cystitis and other urinary problems. Schedule an online teleconsultation with a urologist to find out the cause of your problems and implement specialist treatment.

See: What can you get infected at the bathing beach? These facts must not be ignored

Furagina – action

Furazidine, or furagin (nitrofurylacrylidine-amino-hydantoin) is a derivative of nitrofuran. Drugs from this group are bacteriostatic against a wide spectrum of microorganisms, including some gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and many gram-negative strains (Enterobacteriaceae: Salmonella, Shigella, Proteus, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Enterobacter).

Nitrofuran derivatives have antiprotozoal activity and only slight antifungal activity. They do not affect sticks of blue oil (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and on most strains of misfit (Proteus vulgaris). Furazidine shows the strongest effect in an acidic environment (pH 5,5), while an alkaline environment weakens its effect.

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Furagina – dosage

Furagina should always be used as described in this leaflet or as directed by your doctor or pharmacist. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

The recommended dose of taking Furagina for adults:

  1. first day of treatment: 100 mg (2 tablets) 4 times a day;
  2. next days: 100 mg (2 tablets) 3 times a day.

Furagina should be taken orally with meals containing a protein that increases the absorption of the drug. The drug is used for 7-8 days.

See: How to cure cystitis after intercourse?

Furagina – side effects

Furagina, like any other drug, may cause certain side effects. A distinction is made between common side effects (i.e. 1 to 10 out of 100 people) and side effects affecting no more than 1 in 100 people.

Among the frequently occurring side effects, the following are distinguished:

  1. nausea,
  2. excessive gas emission,
  3. headaches. 

The following side effects may affect up to 1 in 100 people:

  1. cyanosis, megaloblastic anemia (vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anemia) or haemolytic anemia,
  2. dizziness, drowsiness, visual disturbances, damage to peripheral nerves (also acute or irreversible, especially in patients with renal failure, anemia, diabetes, electrolyte disturbances, vitamin B deficiency),
  3. respiratory hypersensitivity reactions,
  4. constipation, diarrhea, dyspeptic symptoms (e.g. postprandial feeling of fullness, flatulence), abdominal pain, vomiting, inflammation of a salivary gland, pancreatitis, pseudomembranous enteritis,
  5. alopecia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (bullous erythema multiforme),
  6. fever, chills, malaise, infections caused by pathogens resistant to furazidine,
  7. itching, hives, anaphylactic reactions (sudden local or systemic allergic reactions), angioedema (a disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue with limited edema), rash,
  8. symptoms of drug-induced hepatitis, cholestatic jaundice (caused by an obstruction in the drainage of the bile), necrosis of the liver parenchyma.

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Furagina – contraindications

The main contraindication to taking Furagina is allergy to furazidine, other nitrofuran derivatives or any of the other ingredients of this drug. In addition, you should not take Furagina:

  1. in the first trimester of pregnancy,
  2. about the period of term pregnancy (from 38 weeks) and delivery, due to the risk of haemolytic anemia (anemia related to the breakdown of red blood cells) in the newborn,
  3. in children and adolescents,
  4. if you have renal insufficiency, and laboratory tests show a creatinine clearance below 60 ml / min or an increased level of serum creatinine,
  5. if you have a known polyneuropathy (a disorder of the nervous system), e.g. in the course of diabetes,
  6. if you have a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (an enzyme involved in the metabolism of red blood cells),
  7. Due to the excretion of furazidine into breast milk, the drug should not be used during breastfeeding.

You can buy prophylactic laboratory tests for kidney diseases today at Medonet Market. The test package, which you will perform in several hundred institutions throughout the country, will examine your kidneys and indicate any abnormalities in their functioning.

Furagina – precautions

Special care should be taken when using Furagina in people with renal and hepatic dysfunction, neurological disorders, anemia, electrolyte disorders, deficiency of B vitamins and folic acid, and lung diseases. Patients with diabetes should exercise caution as furazidine may cause the development of polyneuropathy. Peripheral polyneuropathy, which in severe cases may be irreversible and life-threatening, has been observed in patients treated with nitrofuran derivatives.

Therefore, at the first signs of neuropathy (paraesthesia), Furagina should be discontinued. Acute, subacute and chronic pulmonary reactions have been reported in people treated with nitrofuran derivatives. If symptoms of such a reaction occur, treatment should be discontinued immediately.

During long-term use of the product, blood counts (leukocytosis) and biochemical parameters of kidney and liver function should be monitored. Alcohol consumption should be avoided during furazidine therapy. Furagina contains sucrose. It should not be used in people with rare hereditary problems of fructose intolerance, glucose-galactose malabsorption or sucrase-isomaltase insufficiency.

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Furagina – drug interactions

Each drug can cause interactions that will have consequences for the patient’s body. Particular care should be taken when using the following drugs together with Furagina:

  1. Nalidixic acid (an antibiotic) – furazidine inhibits its bacteriostatic effect,
  2. Aminoglycosides and tetracyclines (antibiotics) – intensify the antibacterial effect of furazidine,
  3. Chloramphenicol and ristomycin (antibiotics) – increase the toxic effect of furazidine on blood cells,
  4. Probenecid (in high doses) and sulfinpyrazone (drugs that increase the excretion of uric acid in the urine) – reduce the excretion of furazidine and may cause its accumulation in the body, increasing its toxicity and reducing the concentration in the urine, and consequently lead to reduced effectiveness,
  5. Antacids containing magnesium trisilicate – reduce the absorption of furazidine,
  6. Atropine – delays the absorption of furazidine, but the total amount of the absorbed substance does not change,
  7. B vitamins – increase the absorption of furazidine.

Before starting treatment, it is worth reading the leaflet attached to Furagina, in which all side effects, contraindications, drug interactions and dosing are described – unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

Furagina – overdose

If you use more than the recommended dose of Furagina, the following symptoms may occur: headache, dizziness, allergic reactions, nausea, vomiting, anemia. If these symptoms occur, you should immediately contact the casualty department of your nearest hospital as specialist treatment may be required (including gastric lavage and intravenous fluid administration, and in severe cases, hemodialysis).

As the drug is eliminated from the body by the kidneys, the risk of overdose is increased in people with impaired renal function.

Furagina – price and reviews

Furagina’s prices vary – from about PLN 6 to PLN 22, depending on what the doctor prescribes. Opinions about the drug are positive, the drug is described as very helpful, especially in the case of troublesome, recurring infections of the lower urinary tract.

In order to prevent problems with the urinary system, it is worth implementing appropriate supplementation. Swanson’s Vitamin C-1000 with Rosehip is a dietary supplement to strengthen the body’s immunity. Wild rose present in it soothes inflammation of the urinary system, and also has antibacterial and antifungal properties.

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