Cerucal during pregnancy - instructions for use and precautions

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Few people did not suffer from toxicosis in the first weeks of pregnancy. But for some, this unpleasant condition passes quickly and does not cause serious problems, while for others it is such that there is no way to even hear the smell of food.

What to do in the latter case. Cerucal during early pregnancy, about which there are different reviews on the Internet, can be an excellent option. But it is important to take into account various circumstances. This is what we will talk about today.

Causes of toxicosis

With the onset of pregnancy, the hormonal balance changes dramatically, which has a direct effect on the central nervous system. Moreover, the developing fetus constantly releases metabolic products, which also negatively affects maternal health. The placenta, eliminating the symptoms of early toxicosis, appears only at the beginning of the second semester. Therefore, many pregnant women ask whether it is possible to take medications in the first trimester to relieve toxicosis? Pharmacies often offer the popular antiemetic drug Cerucal.

Cerucal during pregnancy: instructions

Cerucal is a drug that blocks receptors located in the stomach and duodenum and transmitting signals to the vomiting center in the brain. Under its action, the brain does not receive information about the irritation of these receptors, therefore, there is no vomiting, the contents of the stomach normally pass into the duodenum and then actively move through the small and large intestines, as expected.

Cerucal is recommended for those who have nausea, vomiting and hiccups of various types, accompanied by weakened activity of the stomach, intestines and biliary tract, constant regurgitation of food, stomach cramps, etc. That is, it is an antiemetic and antihiccup drug.

If the condition is not critical, then patients are prescribed Cerucal in tablets: it begins to act within half an hour. In acute situations, when an attack of vomiting must be stopped urgently, cerucal is administered intravenously (the therapeutic effect occurs after 1-3 minutes) or intramuscularly (in this case, the effect begins to appear after 15 minutes).

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The tablets are taken 30 minutes before meals with water. The dosage should not exceed 3-4 tablets per day, but during pregnancy the dosage is carefully determined by the doctor. The course of treatment can be long if necessary.

What can be used instead of Cerucal

It is quite possible to replace Cerucal with its complete analogues with the same active substance and properties:

• Metoclopramide;
• Metoclopramide Renewal.

They are much cheaper than Cerucal, but are less known as a brand.

Instead of the above remedies, doctors often prescribe drugs based on domperidone:

• Motilium;
• Motilak.

Their advantage is that domperidone practically does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier and therefore does not cause the undesirable effects inherent in metoclopramide. But these prokinetics are only available in tablet form. Therefore, when it is necessary to provide emergency care, Cerucal is still administered. In addition, drugs based on metoclopramide are much cheaper.

Table: Cerucal and analogues

Photo: options for replacing Cerucal

Metoclopramide is a structural analogue of Cerucal

Metoclopramide Renewal is an inexpensive analogue of Cerucal

Motilium causes fewer side effects than Cerucal

Motilak is an inexpensive analogue of Russian-made Motilium

Indications for use by pregnant women in early and late stages

Cerucal during pregnancy is used to eliminate the manifestations of toxicosis. It is also indicated if the patient has attacks of vomiting and nausea of ​​various origins, decreased tone (or its complete absence) of the muscles of the stomach and intestines.

In tablet form, Cerucal is prescribed if nausea and vomiting are caused by motion sickness in transport or taking medications. The drug enhances the peristalsis of the digestive organs and is therefore used before some diagnostic procedures.

Cerucal has a number of contraindications. Its use is prohibited for the treatment of patients with pheochromocytoma, intestinal obstruction, bleeding or perforation in the gastrointestinal tract, prolactin-dependent tumor, epileptic seizures and extrapyramidal motor disorders.

The drug should not be prescribed to pregnant women in the first 12 weeks, nursing mothers, children under 2 years of age, as well as people with hypersensitivity to metoclopramide and sodium sulfite (injection form).

For some concomitant diseases of internal organs, taking Cerucal is possible only under medical supervision. It is used with caution in pediatric practice (up to 14 years).

In what cases is Cerucal prescribed? Indications for use:

• nausea and vomiting;
• lack of muscle tone of the digestive organs;
• dysfunction of biliary tract motility;
• gastroesophageal reflux disease - the release of stomach contents into the esophagus;
• pyloric stenosis - narrowing of the opening between the stomach and duodenum;
• gastroparesis in diabetes mellitus;
• the need to enhance gastrointestinal peristalsis before X-ray contrast examination or duodenal intubation.

Can expectant mothers take Cerucal?

Is it okay to take the drug if you have toxicosis? Nausea, vomiting, hiccups, heartburn are all common symptoms that often accompany early pregnancy. Judging by the instructions, Cerucal is just capable of coping with these manifestations. However, toxicosis does not threaten the health of the mother and child; this is a completely normal phenomenon, which indicates hormonal changes in the woman’s body. You should not risk the fetus and take a dangerous medicine to alleviate the symptoms of toxicosis.

If severe toxicosis accompanies a woman even in the later stages of pregnancy, the doctor may decide to use the drug. Taking pills or injections is done only after a thorough examination; the risk from using the medication should be lower than the threat to the health of the expectant mother and child.

What is a contraindication to the use of Cerucal, except for early pregnancy? The medication cannot be used for the following ailments and conditions:

• pheochromocytoma is a benign hormone-dependent tumor of chromaffin cells of the sympathoadrenal system of the adrenal glands;
• prolactinoma is a benign hormone-dependent tumor of the pituitary gland;
• intestinal obstruction;
• perforation of the gastrointestinal tract;
• bleeding of the digestive tract;
• epilepsy;
• neuroleptic extrapyramidal deviations.

The dose of Cerucal is reduced if the functioning of the liver and kidneys is impaired. This is due to the excretion of metoclopramide through these organs. You should also use the drug with caution if you have high blood pressure and bronchial asthma.

What side effects may occur while taking Cerucal? Their list is impressive, however, if you use the medicine according to your doctor’s instructions, the occurrence of side effects can be minimized.

What are the dangers of an overdose of Cerucal? A pregnant woman will feel drowsiness, irritability, and increased anxiety. Her consciousness will begin to become confused, her blood pressure will rise or, on the contrary, drop. If such symptoms appear, you should immediately stop taking the medication.

How should you use Cerucal? Instructions for use of tablets for adults indicate that you should drink 1 tablet three times a day. The maximum daily dose is 60 g, which corresponds to 6 tablets.

The solution is injected intramuscularly or intravenously, 1 ampoule, which is equal to 10 mg of metoclopramide, three times a day. How long the therapy will last is determined by the doctor, looking at the individual course of the disease.

If a pregnant woman is in the hospital, then instead of injections she is often given an IV with Cerucal. The drug administered through a dropper begins to act much faster - within 2-3 minutes. Such measures are taken if it is urgently necessary to stop an attack of vomiting. The injection begins to act only after 15 minutes, and you will have to wait even longer for the tablet to take effect.

If therapy with Cerucal is necessary, you need to tell the doctor whether the pregnant woman is taking any additional medications, because this drug is not compatible with all medications:

• enhances the absorption of acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, ethanol, diazepam, zopiclone, mexiletine, mefloquine, morphine, cyclosporine;
• reduces the absorption of nitrofurantoin, cabergoline, ketaprofen;
• combination with phenothiazine neuroleptics (Aminazine, Propazine, Levomepromazine) increases the risk of extrapyramidal reactions;
• use together with anticholinergic medications (Cyclodol, Diphenhydramine) reduces the effectiveness of both drugs.

What is the essence of the drug's action?

It should be immediately noted that Cerucal prevents vomiting; it would seem that what could be better for a woman suffering from toxicosis? But here it is important to understand the mechanism of action of the drug.

The main substance is metoclopramide, which blocks the connections that occur between the nerve endings located on the mucous membranes of the digestive system and the brain. Simply put, when food enters the stomach, the brain does not react to it. As a result, no nausea or vomiting.

Indications for taking the medicine are the following factors:

• constant nausea;
• hiccups accompanied by regurgitation;
• passivity of the digestive system.

Now you understand that the use of Cerucal is indicated for those mothers who experience severe toxicosis with stomach cramps. In this case, the doctor determines the degree of development of the condition and prescribes treatment accordingly. Most often these are anti-toxicosis pills.

But if a woman feels terrible, vomiting attacks are repeated frequently, and this threatens dehydration of the body, then you need to buy Cerucal in ampoules, it is administered intramuscularly. How long should the treatment last? This is also determined by the doctor, sometimes the course is quite long.

Contraindications for use

Before giving your child a Cerucal tablet or giving him the first injection, you should carefully read the instructions for use. In some cases, the drug may be contraindicated.

If there is an individual intolerance to the components of the drug, the child may develop an allergic reaction after the injection. If the small patient is not yet 2 years old, then the use of Cerucal should be abandoned. Women in early pregnancy are also not recommended to take infusions of the drug.

Solution for injection is contraindicated in persons suffering from:

Doctors may prescribe the drug to patients who have relative contraindications. In this case, taking Cerucal will be justified by the presence of serious indications.

Elderly people (over 65 years of age) can use the drug under the supervision of a specialist. It is not recommended to give injections to women during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. The drug should be administered with particular caution to patients with:

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Is it possible to have cerucal during pregnancy?

Contraindications to taking Cerucal are gastrointestinal bleeding, gastric obstruction, some types of tumors, high intraocular pressure, and, oddly enough, the first trimester of pregnancy: Cerucal can be used only from the 13th week after consultation with a doctor. It is not recommended to take Cerucal during lactation.

Why can’t you take Cerucal in the early stages? The fact is that it strengthens muscle tone in the gastrointestinal tract, which can also affect the tone of the uterus, and in the early stages, increased uterine tone can provoke spontaneous miscarriage. This threat continues later, so Cerucal should not be taken even in late pregnancy without first consulting a doctor. In addition, cerucal stimulates the production of the pituitary hormone prolactin, which promotes the production of human milk and at the same time the contraction of the uterine muscles.

There are cases when early toxicosis becomes unbearable; the general condition of the mother suffers greatly from nausea and vomiting, which can also be the cause of uterine tone. At the same time, the risks for the fetus increase if, due to vomiting, a woman is unable to eat and drink. Then a cerucal can be prescribed.

In the second trimester, cerucal is used with greater confidence, because the threat of miscarriage is significantly reduced. However, you need to know that a side effect of cerucal is stimulation of the secretion of adrenal hormone, which retains fluid and salts in the body, and this can cause gestosis and lead to more serious complications. Other possible adverse reactions include headaches and dizziness, panic attacks, tinnitus, feelings of depression and fatigue; changes in blood pressure and heart rate; dry mouth, diarrhea, or constipation; skin rashes, itching.

As you can see, the drug is far from harmless, and during breastfeeding it is completely prohibited for use. Moreover, pregnant women often suffer from kidney problems, and such conditions increase the risk of developing side effects.

During pregnancy, Cerucal can be used only as prescribed by a doctor. And he must take into account possible contraindications to the use of this drug in the patient.

Especially for beremennost.net — Sandra Berezhnaya

How to use?

Recommendations for the use of Cerucal should be given by a gynecologist. Most often, standard treatment regimens are used:

• If vomiting occurs periodically, it is recommended to take the drug in tablets. The effect of the drug can be noticed within half an hour;
• for severe symptoms and persistent vomiting, injections are recommended. In this case, the therapeutic effect will appear faster, vomiting will stop after about 3-5 minutes if the drug was administered intravenously or after a quarter of an hour if administered intramuscularly;

• if tablets are prescribed, then you need to take one tablet three or four times a day;
• It is recommended to take the tablets with plain water; drinking milk, tea or compote for this purpose is not recommended, this will reduce the therapeutic effect;
• It is forbidden to take Cerucal tablets together with sorbents, for example, activated carbon. If two drugs are prescribed at once, then you need to take them with an interval between doses, the interval should be at least an hour;
• when using injections, the maximum single dose is 2 ml. Up to 12 such doses can be administered per day.