Aminophenylbutyric acid (Anvifen): clinical and pharmacological aspects and experience of use in pediatric neurology

Anvifen

Anxious thoughts did not let me sleep, I was constantly worried about my family. The obsessive idea that something would happen to them did not leave them day or night. I lived in constant anticipation of someone's death. She reacted inadequately to phone calls and was afraid to answer, lest she hear the terrible news that something irreparable had happened. And of course, this could not but affect my usual way of life. At work, I stopped coping with my responsibilities in full and made mistakes. For this I received a stick from management, which in turn only aggravated my already bad emotional state. There are two small children at home, always making noise and demanding attention and no help from my husband. Due to his frequent business trips, all domestic problems fell on my shoulders... My life turned into hell, dominated by fear and hopelessness. A friend took me to a neurologist, almost by the hand (I was against it). He conducted an examination, asked me to do a couple of tests, and eventually prescribed me Anvifen. I had to take it 3 times a day, 1 capsule, for 3 weeks. After which I had to visit him again. I have never taken this kind of medication and, to be honest, I didn’t particularly hope that Anvifen would help. But I re-read the instructions. It turned out that the indications for the use of Anvifen are asthenic, anxious-neurotic conditions, insomnia and night anxiety. This is exactly what deprived me of a normal life. I started taking Anvifen on the day of my appointment. I won’t say that my treatment was stressful. I just made it a habit, without fail, after meals, to swallow one capsule and after about 3-4 days I did it automatically. My boss noticed the first positive results about 10 days after the start of treatment. For the first time in recent times, he did not shout at me, but praised me. He even commented that the old me had finally returned. After that, I started to think about it myself, but I’m really not the same anymore. Anxieties subsided, sleep returned to normal, and accordingly my body began to rest. I became collected and organized again. And it even seemed to me that I became more active. And by the end of the treatment, I had already overcome everything that previously seemed like an overwhelming burden (family worries, everyday work) without much effort. Today I only regret one thing, that I did not seek help from a doctor right away, because so many problems could have been avoided...

Anvifen is there, no worries

Elena Bystrova
- Irina Vladimirovna, have you encountered mysterious cases in your practice when patients complained of somatic symptoms, but studies did not reveal serious health problems?
– There is no mystery in this. Indeed, neurology has well described disorders in the development of which a psychogenic factor plays a leading role. They are united by a common term - “vegetative dystonia syndrome”. Typically, people suffering from this syndrome complain of severe headaches, dizziness, dyspeptic disorders, insomnia, depression, memory impairment, high blood pressure, etc. But behind the somatic complaints lie emotional and affective disorders: anxiety, depressive, hypochondriacal. The main risk factor for the development of such a syndrome is the presence of long-term stress. Moreover, we mean both exogenous stresses that arise under the influence of external factors, and endogenous, internal ones. For example, pain itself is also a stress factor. It triggers a chain of compensatory reactions and, in case of insufficiency of adaptive mechanisms, becomes chronic. If a person is unable to adequately withstand stress, a breakdown occurs and anxiety-neurotic disorders arise.

The main risk factor for the development of autonomic dystonia syndrome is the presence of long-term stress.
– Does the tendency to such disorders depend on the psychological make-up of the individual?
- Of course. At risk are suspicious, anxious, impressionable people. Lifestyle also matters a lot - in particular, physical inactivity and bad habits. In addition, as a rule, autonomic imbalance is based on hereditary dysfunction of the autonomic centers of the brain. In addition, the causes of disorders are excessive physical exertion, emotional shock and, of course, diseases: neurological, mental, endocrine, infectious, traumatic brain injury, etc.

– What is the main symptom of most anxiety-neurotic disorders?

– Most patients complain of chronic tension-type headache (CTH). It is this that is regarded as a complex psychophysiological phenomenon, the prevalence of which in adults in our country exceeds 30%. That is, every third person suffers from this symptom. As a rule, it affects people whose lives are associated with frequent stressful situations, which, alas, is not uncommon these days. TTH is not only a medical, but also a social problem, as it reduces performance by 25% and significantly increases the risk of developing anxiety and depression.

– Why do people facing chronic headaches rarely turn to doctors for help, but prefer to treat themselves?

“Unfortunately, either doctors treat their complaints with inattention, or therapy for many years does not bring results. Such patients are usually given diagnoses such as “cervicocranialgia caused by cervical osteochondrosis”, “cerebral vasospasm”, “hypertension of the 1st degree”, “vegetative-vascular dystonia” and “dyscirculatory encephalopathy” in the elderly. They are prescribed chondroprotectors, nootropics, vitamins, muscle relaxants, but these drugs do not have a pronounced effect. Then patients have no choice but to put up with daily headaches and uncontrollably take analgesics.

– What therapy will be effective?

– It has been proven that the leading role in the development of such diseases belongs to stress, which leads to the depletion of the body’s neurotransmitter systems, namely the GABAergic system.
The GABAergic system performs a protective function - it has an inhibitory effect, limits the influence of stress factors on the body. But as a result of prolonged and constant exposure to stress, the GABAergic system is depleted, and it ceases to perform its protective function. It is at this moment that conditions are created for the development of the somatic symptoms described above. And therefore, in treatment, it makes sense to use GABAergic drugs that help the body compensate for the deficiency of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and adapt to stress. may be one of the drugs of choice for such disorders .
The active ingredient of the drug is aminophenylbutyric acid hydrochloride, a derivative of the natural neurotransmitter GABA. Anvifen belongs to the class of daytime anxiolytics that have vegetative-stabilizing and nootropic effects. Anvifen has proven itself in the treatment of anxiety-neurotic disorders, chronic tension headaches and other manifestations of autonomic dystonia syndrome. The drug effectively eliminates anxiety, normalizes sleep, and does not cause drowsiness or muscle relaxation - that is, it is a daytime anxiolytic and stress protector. At the same time, Anvifen is suitable for both young patients and elderly people. The drug has a minimal number of side effects (in particular, it is safe for the gastrointestinal tract) and is well tolerated. By the way, only Anvifen has a unique children’s dosage - 50 mg capsules. This allows it to be prescribed to children from 3 years of age for the treatment of asthenic and anxiety-neurotic conditions, as well as in the complex treatment of stuttering, tics and enuresis.

Medicine Anvi "Anvifen" - reviews

Vasily
https://sovets.net/16193-anvifen.html#h2_13

The child began to feel sick in the car. It got to the point of nausea and vomiting. I had to go to the doctor for help. He prescribed taking one capsule of Anvifen before traveling. This helps, but the drug cannot be used for a long time. We will have to look for a safer medicine for our son to use on a regular basis.

Tatiana

https://lekotzyvy.com/review.php?id=10847

Advantages: effective drug

Flaws:

drowsiness, excessive irritability

After the last negative events in my life, my health also deteriorated: headaches began, insomnia began to torment me, anxiety and irritability appeared, and I fell into a depressive state. The neurologist prescribed me a comprehensive treatment, where, along with other drugs, she prescribed Anvifen. The drug is a nootropic drug and helps improve cerebral circulation, improves sleep, reduces irritability, etc. I took the drug 1 capsule 2 times a day after meals for a month. At the beginning of the course of treatment, I began to experience side effects in the form of drowsiness and even greater irritability. After consulting with a neurologist about this, I calmed down and continued taking it. It turns out this is acceptable. I noticed an improvement in my condition after 1.5 weeks of taking it: I became calmer, more self-possessed, and my irritability decreased. Taking the drug also affected work - physical and mental activity increased, as a result of which performance increased. My sleep also returned to normal over time: I began to sleep more calmly, woke up less often, and felt rested in the morning. In general, my mood has changed - I have become more optimistic and have faith in the best. I was satisfied with taking the drug; it did its job. You should not take it on your own or self-medicate; the drug is very serious and can lead to a lot of negative consequences if taken uncontrolled.

Dmitry Shirokikh

https://vk.com/topic-92998487_36469644?post=798

At first, at my new job, I took Anvifen, I won’t say that the effect was some kind of magical, like I began to think better, my nerves are steel, and in general, now I’m the king of the world. No, of course that didn’t happen. Anvifen has some kind of calming effect, but even if compared with ordinary valerian, the latter, in my opinion, is even more effective

Yana Akulova

https://vk.com/topic-92998487_36469644?post=972

The doctor advised me against agoraphobia as a sedative; I am very afraid of crowded, noisy places. I feel insecure and it causes me great discomfort in everyday life. I've been wanting to get rid of this for a long time. Actually, at first the doctor advised me to take antidepressants, but I refused, so they settled on the sedative drug Anvifen. At first it seemed that the drug began to work, I seemed to become more confident in myself, and my fear decreased. But then everything returned to its previous place. Apparently I have a serious problem, and therefore I need a serious drug

Elloiza

https://otzovik.com/review_5892911.html

Advantages:

Convenient to take

Flaws:

Not as effective as I would like

I gave the drug to a 4-year-old child, but our problem was poor sleep and some kind of obsessive itching. As soon as the child begins to get nervous, he begins to itch. And at night we could just stay awake and itch.

The neurologist prescribed this drug. Before purchasing, I read information about it and found out that it was an analogue of Phenibut (I didn’t take it, I was afraid of side effects, but I knew that the drug was really “powerful”).

I had high hopes for Anvifen; we had never taken anything like this before.

So, the dosage is 50 mg. The doctor prescribed a course for 1 place, 1 capsule 2 times a day.

...Before taking it, I was sure that the child would not be able to swallow the capsule and would have to sleep off its contents. However, the capsules themselves were quite small in size and a 4-year-old child could swallow them without difficulty.

The instructions contain all the necessary information, although I also read on the Internet that this drug is a safer and more advanced analogue of Phenibut.

So, we drank for a week - no difference, but we continued the course.

After about 2 weeks, I began to notice that the child actually began to sleep a little more calmly. He didn’t wake up as often, and if he did wake up, his period of wakefulness was an order of magnitude shorter.

However, there was another opposite effect: I noticed that the child became more capricious, or rather his historians became more intense than before.

There was no drowsiness as the doctor warned us. Apart from this, I didn't notice anything else.

To be on the safe side, I decided that I would remove the drug gradually, because there is an opinion that such drugs are addictive.

For the last three days of taking it, I gave it not two, but one tablet. Then I simply stopped the course. I did not notice any addiction effects, the child’s behavior did not change.

Result: the effect I was looking forward to was not there. Sleep did not return to normal, but only became slightly better. There seems to be a slight effect, but it’s clearly not enough for us, so I can’t fully recommend the drug.

But I admit that everyone’s body is different and for some the drug will be more effective.

Oleynikova E. A.

https://protabletky.ru/anvifen/

Advantages:

Efficiency and affordability.

Flaws:

Release form.

I use Anvifen in my practice for children with various types of stuttering. The drug works especially well for more complex types of stuttering, such as tonic-clonic. Or when stuttering is combined with hyperkinesis, such as tics, or stereotypies. It is very important that the drug is approved for use in children from 3 years of age. This is the age when stuttering and tics most often debut. I consider the release form to be a disadvantage - capsules. Since a small child cannot swallow the capsule whole. But the instructions do not say about the possibility of opening it.