Flupirtine
About Flupirtine
Flupirtine belongs to a group of 'non-opioid analgesics' medicines used to provide relief from mild to moderate pain and inflammation associated with musculoskeletal pain. Pain is an unpleasant sensation and emotional experience that is associated with damage to tissues. It allows the body to react and prevent further tissue damage. Pain can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). Perception of pain can differ from person to person where from tolerable to non-tolerable.
Flupirtine compromises of 'Flupirtine' that exerts dual effects by relaxing muscles and treating pain. It works by blocking the signals responsible for the sense of pain and inflammation produced at the sites of injury and damage.
Take Flupirtine as prescribed by your doctor. You are suggested to take $ame as long as your doctor has prescribed it after checking your medical condition. Some persons may experience common side effects like dizziness, drowsiness, pruritus (itchy skin), dry mouth and gastric fullness, nausea and muscle tremor. Most of the side effects of Flupirtine do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects are persistent, reach out to your doctor.
Do not take Flupirtine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding unless prescribed by the doctor. Flupirtine may cause drowsiness and dizziness, so drive with caution. Flupirtine should not be given to children as safety and efficacy have not been established. Avoid consuming alcohol and Flupirtine as it could lead to increased drowsiness and dizziness, it might also increase stomach bleeding risk. Do not take other pain killers along with Flupirtine unless prescribed by the doctor. Keep your doctor informed about your health condition and medicines to rule out any side-effects. People with hepatic encephalopathy, myasthenia gravis, any liver problems, tinnitus should not take Flupirtine as it may lead to life-threatening conditions.
Uses of Flupirtine
Medicinal Benefits
Flupirtine is used to provide relief from mild to moderate pain and inflammation associated with muscle pain involving the musculoskeletal system, tension headaches, dental extraction, pain associated with muscle spasm, tumour or cancer pain and pain after trauma-related/orthopaedic surgery and injuries. Additionally, Flupirtine also relieve symptoms of abnormal menses cycle like menstrual period pain, premenstrual syndrome symptoms (PMS) and heavy menstrual periods management in women. Flupirtine exerts dual effects by relaxing muscles and treating pain. It works by blocking the signals responsible for the sense of pain and inflammation produced at the sites of injury and damage. Flupirtine has better tolerability than other pain killers and has low gastric problems (like gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcer and blockage). Long-term use of opioids pain killers leads to side effects like nausea, constipation, sedation, confusion, pruritis, urinary retention, tolerance and dependence which may be experienced with Flupirtine.
Directions for Use
Storage
Side Effects of Flupirtine
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Heartburn
- Dry mouth
- Constipation
- Stomach trouble
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea/vomiting
- Restlessness/nervousness
Drug Warnings
A person dealing with kidney problems, over 65 years of age or taking blood clotting (anticoagulants) medicines should only take Flupirtine after consulting with the doctor. Flupirtine is not recommended during pregnancy as safety and efficacy of Flupirtine is not established. However, your doctor may prescribe Flupirtine for you during pregnancy if he/she feels the benefit to you outweighs the risk. While Flupirtine may pass in the lactating mother's breast milk, it is advisable to take it only if prescribed by your doctor. Flupirtine tends to cause stomach upset. Thus, it is recommended to consume Flupirtine with meals to minimize gastric side effects. If you have a peptic ulcer diagnosis, Flupirtine is best avoided unless prescribed by your doctor. Flupirtine can cause liver injury when taken in large doses. Concomitant use of alcohol is best avoided as it aggravates liver toxicity. Although it is generally a safe medicine to use, it should be avoided in patients with kidney disease as Flupirtine may hurt renal functions. In case you develop diarrhoea or vomiting when taking Flupirtine, consult your doctor about the continuation of Flupirtine as it can increase dehydration and lead to kidney damage. Consumption of alcohol should be avoided during the treatment with Flupirtine as it may lead to increased risk of liver damage. If you have a severe allergy to painkillers or have hepatic encephalopathy, myasthenia gravis any liver problems then don't take Flupirtine as it can cause serious side effects.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interaction: Drugs containing painkillers (nimesulide, paracetamol), blood clotting agents (warfarin), blood pressure-lowering agents (hydrochlorothiazide),anti-epilepsy medicine (carbamazepine), medicines for mania (lithium) should not be taken with Flupirtine as they may interact with Flupirtine.
Drug-Food Interaction: Limit alcohol as it may worsen liver problems.
Drug-Disease Interaction: People with hepatic encephalopathy, myasthenia gravis, any liver problems, or tinnitus should not take Flupirtine as it may lead to life-threatening conditions.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionYou are recommended not to consume alcohol along with Flupirtine to avoid unpleasant side-effects of this medicine.
Pregnancy
unsafeFlupirtine is not recommended during pregnancy as safety and efficacy of Flupirtine is not established. However, your doctor may prescribe Flupirtine for you during pregnancy if he/she feels the benefit to you outweighs the risk.
Breast Feeding
cautionWhile Flupirtine may pass in the breast milk of lactating mother so, it is advisable to take it only if prescribed by your doctor.
Driving
unsafeIn some cases, Flupirtine may cause dizziness and drowsiness. So if you observe such symptoms immediately stop the intake of Flupirtine.
Liver
unsafeIt is advised to consult with a doctor as this medicine can not be used in persons dealing with liver problems.
Kidney
cautionA person dealing with kidney problems should take Flupirtine only after consulting with a doctor.
Children
unsafeFlupirtine not recommended for children under 12 years of age.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Rest well, get plenty of sleep.
- Massages can also be helpful.
- Avoid freezing and hot temperatures.
- Stay hydrated, drink plenty of water.
- Avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes, instead, wear loose garments.
- Mild exercises such as jogging and walking are helpful for muscle stretching.
- To avoid developing pressure sores, change your position at least every two hours.
- Hot or cold therapy can help treat pain. Apply an ice-pack or hot-pack on the muscle for 15-20minutes.
- Do not go for heavy exercise as it may increase your joint pain in arthritis. Instead, you can do stretching, low impact aerobic exercise like walking on a treadmill, bike riding and swimming. You can also strengthen your muscle strength by lifting light weights.
- Include more glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, vitamin D, calcium-enriched supplements. Besides this, turmeric and fish oils can help in reducing inflammation in the tissue.
Special Advise
Persons taking Flupirtine may have false-positive results for urobilinogen, bilirubin and urine protein on urine test strips. So tell your lab assistant that you are taking Flupirtine.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Pain is a symptom triggered by the nervous system, causing uncomfortable sensations in the body. Pain can be dull or sharp. It can be described as a stinging, throbbing, sore and pinching sensation. Pain can occur frequently, or it can be consistent. The tolerance of pain can vary from person to person. Pain can be acute or can occur for a longer duration, it can be localized or can be overall. The common causes of pain are cramps, headache, muscle strain, arthritis or bone fractures. Pain can help diagnose a person's condition to know any underlying problems.
FAQs
Flupirtine is used to provide relief from mild to moderate pain and inflammation associated with musculoskeletal pain.
Flupirtine can be stopped if it is advised for short-term pain relief only. In the case of long term usage, it is advised to continue as advised by your doctor.
This medication must be taken every day or as prescribed by your doctor in order for it to benefit you.
Flupirtine is used to relieve menstrual (period) pain, symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and management of excessively heavy periods. Take only as prescribed by the doctor
Do not take Flupirtine if you are planning for pregnancy as Flupirtine might make it more difficult to get pregnant.
It is a medical condition, which causes painful periods (severe uterine pain during menstruation). During heavy menses, the abdominal cramps can be treated by taking OTC (over the counter) pain relievers like ibuprofen naproxen or flupirtine. However, before the intake of any pain reliever always consult a doctor.
A person dealing with kidney problems, over 65 years of age or taking blood clotting (anticoagulants) medicines should only take Flupirtine after consulting with the doctor. A person with liver problems (like hepatic encephalopathy), gall bladder problems (like cholestasis), muscle problems (like myasthenia gravis), chronic alcoholism and biliary cirrhosis should avoid use of Flupirtine, unless prescribed by a doctor.
Persons taking Flupirtine may have false-positive results for urobilinogen, bilirubin and urine protein on urine test strips. So tell your lab assistant or doctor that you are taking Flupirtine before undergoing these diagnostics tests.
It is advised to avoid taking Flupirtine with medications containing paracetamol or carbamazepine as it can increase the sedative or muscle-relaxant properties of the medication.
Flupirtine may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dry mouth, dizziness, heartburn, loss of appetite or constipation. If these side effects persist or worsen, please consult your doctor.
Although some clinical studies suggest that Flupirtine is beneficial in the treatment of fibromyalgia, it did not get any official regulatory approval for this condition. Fibromyalgia is a disease characterized by musculoskeletal pain, depression and fatigue (overtiredness).
Both Flupirtine and paracetamol help in relieving pain but they work in completely different ways. Compared to single drug use, pain relief is better when paracetamol is used with Flupirtine. However, both can cause liver toxicity, thus liver function monitoring is very important when these medicines are taken together.
Yes, Flupirtine causes liver toxicity. Therefore, it is contraindicated in patients with an underlying liver disease.
Flupirtine can be used for the pain relief associated with osteorthritis and pain following orthopedic surgery. It is especially useful for patients who are unable to take NSAIDs due to the risk of NSAID-induced gastritis.
There have been case reports that Flupirtine causes green discoloration of urine. However, this is not frequently observed. If you experience this symptom, inform your doctor.
Flupirtine is not approved for the treatment of epilepsy. However, some animal studies have shown a beneficial effect of Flupirtine for treating epilepsy and this effect is still being investigated.
Yes, you can experience withdrawal symptoms once you stop using Flupirtine such as tremor, sweating, and mood swings with long term use of Flupirtine. If you have these symptoms, inform your doctor.
