Vicks Antigrip Complex. Price, instructions for use, composition, where to buy, reviews

Wicks Antiflu Complex is a means for eliminating the symptoms of infectious diseases and alleviating the patient's condition.

The main advantage of the drug is a quick and effective effect on the body, thanks to which you can forget for a while about high fever, painful cough and headache. The price of the medication is affordable enough to keep it in the medicine cabinet at all times in case of a cold.

Forms of release and composition of the drug

The Vicks brand is owned by the American company Procter & Gamble, while the production of the drug is carried out by Wrafton Laboratories Ltd, located in the UK. According to the Anatomical-Therapeutic-Chemical classification system, the drug is part of the anilide group.

It includes funds whose action is based on the properties of paracetamol, combined with other substances with the exception of psycholeptics.

Vicks is available in blue-orange-white cardboard boxes. Inside there are laminated sachets, the number of which ranges from 5 to 10 pieces per pack. Each weighs 4.36 g.

The sachet contains a powder that, when poured with boiling water, turns into a hot drink intended for oral administration. The drug has a whitish color, sometimes with an admixture of a yellow or gray tint. The powder consists of small, uniform particles. It smells like lemon with menthol notes.

Three components are used as active ingredients - paracetamol, phenylephrine hydrochloride and guaifenesin.

A more detailed composition of the drug is described in the table below:

Substance	Value and function	Quantity for 1 sachet
sucrose	sweetener	2000 mg
paracetamol	antipyretic	500 mg
sodium citrate	citrus flavor	500 mg
acids (citric and tartaric)	antioxidants	330 mg each
guaifenesin	mucolytic	200 mg
sodium cyclamate	sweetener	200 mg
lemon juice	flavoring	120 mg
ascorbic acid	antioxidant	100 mg
menthol	flavoring	100 mg
lemon	flavoring	50 mg
acesulfame potassium	sweetener	17 mg
phenylephrine hydrochloride	vasoconstrictor	10 mg
aspartame	sweetener	6 mg
quinoline yellow	dye	1 mg

Pharmacological properties

Vicks Antigripp Complex, the price of which is justified by the high efficiency of the product, has a beneficial effect on the human body, not only eliminating symptoms and improving well-being, but also helping the immune system to fight infection.

After taking the drug, a decrease in body temperature is observed, chills disappear, a feeling of weakness in the body and fatigue. The drug owes these properties to the high content of paracetamol. The substance affects the general condition of the body, providing an anti-inflammatory effect. The component helps to get rid of painful sensations in the head and throat, and normalizes appetite.

Guaifenesin is a powerful drug that can help reduce the intensity and frequency of coughs. Once in the body, the substance is retained in the bronchi, where it begins to actively produce neutral polysaccharides and stimulate secretory cells.

Thanks to him, the phlegm that occupies the lungs with a cold begins to decrease in size, becomes more liquid, which facilitates the process of its removal from the body.

Phenylephrine hydrochloride is beneficial for its vasoconstrictor effect. In infectious diseases, the substance is used mainly to combat nasal congestion, runny nose and swelling. It is also used in ophthalmology to treat conjunctivitis and the outflow of fluid accumulated inside the eye.

Among the excipients, three acids are especially important for the body: tartaric, citric and ascorbic. All of them have a positive effect on metabolic processes.

Citric and ascorbic acids have powerful antioxidant properties that improve skin condition, relieve swelling, cleanse the body, removing toxic compounds from it. They are also indispensable in the fight against colds, as they have a beneficial effect on the immune system, strengthen it and contribute to the destruction of viruses.

All other substances that make up the drug do not affect the body and are used only to give the powder taste, color and shape.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics

Vicks Antigripp Complex, the price of which corresponds to the high quality and powerful effect of the product, begins to act within a few minutes after application and relieves the patient's condition up to 3 hours. This is due to the characteristics of the active substances.

The paracetamol and guaifenesin contained in the hot drink pass through the gastrointestinal tract. Here they begin to be absorbed into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. The very first paracetamol reaches its maximum concentration. Already within 10 (in rare cases - 60) minutes, the substance has antipyretic and analgesic properties.

It takes about 25-30 minutes for guaifenesin to fully penetrate into the bloodstream. It acts on the lungs, helping to lower the viscosity of sputum, and is partially excreted with it when coughing. Paracetamol is excreted exclusively in the urine. Both substances are metabolized in the liver. Guaifenesin is retained in the body for about an hour, paracetamol - for 1-3 hours.

Phenylephrine hydrochloride, in turn, acts somewhat differently. It is characterized by irregular absorption. The process of metabolism of a substance is carried out mainly in the intestine.

It involves monoamine oxidase, which breaks down phenylephrine and promotes its more efficient absorption in the body. The maximum concentration of the component reaches 1–2 hours after taking the drug. Removal of the substance from the body takes about 3 hours.

Indications for use

Before you start taking the drug, it is recommended to visit a doctor who will help determine what to expect from Vicks and how often to take it to achieve the desired effect. Self-administration of the remedy can lead to unpleasant consequences, especially for people with chronic diseases and other health problems.

With confidence in the safety of the drug, it is used to treat infectious diseases such as ARVI, tonsillitis, flu.

In particular, the drug is effective for the following symptoms:

• increased body temperature, fever, chills and other symptoms of fever;
• soreness in the head and throat, migraine, difficulty swallowing;
• cough of varying intensity;
• nasal congestion, runny nose, swelling of the mucous membranes;
• body aches, feeling of weakness, fatigue.

Vicks Antigripp Complex, the price of which is fully justified by the quality of the drug, can be taken from the age of 12, which makes it an excellent way to fight colds for the whole family.

Contraindications

The medication has a rather large list of contraindications, so you cannot ignore the instructions before you start using it. It is best to sign up for a consultation with a specialist in order to find out exactly whether it is possible to use the drug and how the body will react to it.

It is not recommended to use the drug for diseases associated with the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

In particular, it is dangerous to use it when:

• ischemic heart disease;
• tachyarrhythmias;
• atherosclerosis;
• arterial hypertension;
• aortic stenosis;
• acute myocardial infarction.

Vicks will have an adverse effect on the body when the powder is taken by persons with intolerance to the components of the composition or hypersensitivity to them. In the presence of allergic reactions to paracetamol, guaifenesin and phenylephrine, the use is strictly contraindicated. Excipients such as fructose can also have a negative effect.

You can not use Vicks if the patient suffers:

• pheochromocytoma;
• deficiency of sucrase-isomaltase;
• hyperplasia of the prostate gland;
• phenylketonuria;
• severe chronic renal and hepatic failure;
• porphyria;
• angle-closure glaucoma;
• diabetes mellitus;
• glucose-galactose malabsorption;
• exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease affecting the duodenum or stomach;
• hyperthyroidism.

It is contraindicated to use the drug for women during pregnancy. It is also dangerous to use it for nursing mothers. Do not give the drug to children under 12 years of age.

At what age can the drug be used?

Due to the large dose of active substances, it is impossible to use the remedy to treat a small child. This can cause various side effects and unpleasant consequences that affect your health. The liver and kidneys are especially affected by an overabundance of the active substance, as a result of which insufficiency develops.

The optimal age for taking the medication is 12 years. The adolescent's body is already able to tolerate the doses indicated in one sachet, so the use of the drug will be safe if there are no additional contraindications.

In any case, the best way to determine if a child can take Vicks is to visit a pediatrician. He will be able to more competently draw up a treatment regimen.

Instructions for use, dosage

Vicks Antigripp Complex, the price of which allows you to always keep the drug in your home medicine cabinet, is a hot drink. To prepare the solution, pour the contents of one sachet into a mug and fill it with water.

The optimal volume of liquid is 250 ml. At this concentration, the medication works most effectively. It is important that the water is moderately hot. Pouring boiling water over the product is not recommended.

One dose is enough to relieve symptoms for 4-6 hours. If after this time the condition worsens, you can brew another mug of drink. The daily dose should not exceed 4 sachets.

The course of drug treatment is 5 days. If after this period the condition has not improved, you must consult a doctor.

Side effects

Phenylephrine and paracetamol are known to cause allergic reactions in the body. After using the drug, urticaria, a red small rash on the body, bronchospasm may occur. In severe cases, angioedema and anaphylactic shock are observed.

All active ingredients affect the digestive system. As a result, sometimes patients feel discomfort in the stomach area. Stool disorders in the form of diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dry mouth may occur. Phenylephrine rarely provokes anorexia.

Malfunctions of the nervous system are possible. People taking Vicks may develop insomnia, confusion, and dizziness. Side effects are also irritability, agitation, headache.

In some cases, there are also:

• tachycardia;
• hypertension;
• heart palpitations;
• increased blood pressure.

Rarely, after taking the drug, urinary retention, mydriasis, toxic epidermal necrolysis occur.

Overdose

When the drug is taken in amounts exceeding those indicated on the package or recommended by the doctor, intoxication of the body is observed. Moreover, its degree can be different: from mild with a slight overdose to severe with regular abuse of the drug.

In case of deterioration of health, symptoms of poisoning, or simply suspicion of exceeding the norm, it is necessary to artificially induce vomiting and consume a large amount of liquid during the day. It is important to stop taking the drug and, in severe cases, see a doctor.

special instructions

It is not recommended to drive a car or any other type of transport. It is advisable not to drive immediately after taking the drug and wait a few hours, as there is a possibility of symptoms such as dizziness and confusion.

The substances that make up the drug are capable of staining urine pinkish. In addition, during the use of the medication, it is impossible to take tests for the level of glucose and uric acid in the blood, since it significantly distorts the results.

Vicks Antigripp Complex should not be used in conjunction with alcoholic beverages. The price of such interaction with ethanol is severe intoxication, which further aggravates the course of the disease. It is worth refraining from taking the drug while following a diet that involves a low sodium content, since this mineral is present in the composition.

Drug interactions

You can not combine the use of the drug with:

• phenytoin, barbiturates and other drugs that are classified as inducers of liver microsomal enzymes;
• metoclopramide;
• zidovudine;
• diflunisal;
• isoniazid;
• indirect anticoagulants;
• cimetidine;
• phenothiazines;
• thyroid hormones;
• codeine.

The interaction of drugs negatively affects the state of the body. Some of them (phenytoin, barbiturates) lead to severe poisoning with toxic compounds, the risk of which is high even with a small overdose of active ingredients. Others (diflunisal, zidovudine, thyroid hormones) lead to the development of serious diseases.

Analogs

You can replace Vicks with the following drugs:

A drug	Release form	Active substance	Price in rub.
Coldact Flu Plus	capsules	paracetamol, phenylephrine, chlorphenamine	180
Teraflu Extra	powder	paracetamol, phenylephrine, pheniramine	350
Rinza	pills	caffeine, paracetamol, phenylephrine, chlorphenamine	150
Antigrippin-Anvi	capsules	acetylsalicylic acid, ascorbic acid, rutoside	120
Anvimax	capsules	paracetamol, rimantadine, ascorbic acid, loratadine, rutoside, calcium gluconate	210

Terms, conditions of sale and storage

For dispensing funds, a doctor's prescription is not required. Store the drug away from sunlight. The temperature in the place where the medicine is located should not warm up to a temperature above 25^OWITH. It is best stored at room temperature. It is important to ensure that the product is out of reach for children.

The drug retains its properties for three years. After the expiration date, it must be disposed of. You cannot use a medication that is not suitable for use.

Price

The cost of the drug differs depending on the size of the package, the pharmacy and the city where it is located. The average price for a package with 5 sachets is 200 rubles. A pack of 10 sachets will cost 370 rubles.

Vicks Antigripp Complex is a powerful remedy that helps fight colds. It is distinguished by its low cost and fast action, which brings relief within 20 minutes after administration. In this case, it is worth remembering about contraindications and side effects. It is recommended not to abuse the drug and to reduce the course of its use as much as possible.

Author: Olga Eisen

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