The drug "Karsil" is an effective and inexpensive remedy for the treatment of chronic liver inflammation. The composition includes only a natural component - spotted milk thistle extract. Thanks to this, the results of treatment become noticeable within a month - some patients experience cases of complete recovery. There are not many side effects of this drug, and they are rare.
Composition and description of tablets "Karsil"
"Karsil" refers to antitoxic drugs that clear the liver of toxins (hepatoprotective effect). It is produced only in the form of tablets - there are 80 pieces in one package. The active ingredient is silymarin: it is an extract of the fruit of the spotted milk thistle plant. Each tablet contains 22.5 mg of this component.
The drug is available without a prescription, but it is recommended to consult a doctor before starting therapy. The tablets are stored under normal conditions (room temperature not higher than 25 degrees, moderate humidity). The shelf life is 2 years from the date of production.
Indications and contraindications
The drug is indicated for use in the presence of the following disorders:
- chronic liver inflammation;
- liver damage due to poisoning;
- alcohol intoxication;
- cirrhosis of the liver.
The drug is prohibited for use by children under 5 years of age inclusive, as well as in a state of acute poisoning (for various reasons). Also, use is excluded if you have an individual intolerance to silymarin or other substances included in the tablets.
Glycine and metabolism
The main source of energy in the body is glucose. This process occurs in the mitochondria of each cell using the Krebs cycle. How does glycine work in this case? It influences the activity of all reactions occurring in the Krebs cycle. And if the body lacks oxygen, thanks to glycine it will be used as efficiently as possible. That is, the cells will be able to perform their functions even under hypoxic conditions.
A lack of glycine in the body is observed quite rarely. However, the problems arising from its shortage are very serious. First of all, metabolic processes occurring especially in the cerebral cortex are affected. For all its cells to function normally, a lot of energy is needed, that is, a large number of ATP molecules.
Nervous tissue synthesizes this amino acid in the required quantities, but under increased stress, for example under stress, its production increases several times. How does glycine work in the body under stress? At such moments, an additional dose of this amino acid will not hurt at all, since protective inhibition processes are activated and cellular respiration is simultaneously activated. Thus, glycine helps neurons work better under stress.
How else does glycine affect the body? With the participation of this amino acid, glutathione is synthesized, which is a powerful endogenous antioxidant. Therefore, the drug Glycine is often prescribed if there is a risk of damage to body cells by free radicals.
Glycine is also involved in the synthesis of many compounds:
- the non-protein, iron-containing part of hemoglobin, called hemes;
- conjugated bile acids;
- lipids;
- creatinine;
- coenzymes NAD and FAD;
- peptides.
And yet, one of the main properties of glycine, due to which it is widely used in medicine, is the connection of this amino acid with glycine receptors located both in the brain and in the spinal cord. Glycine reduces the production of amino acids, which have an exciting effect on the body, and at the same time stimulates the synthesis of GABA - gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is the main neurotransmitter of central inhibition in the nervous system. Thus, it becomes obvious that the benefits of glycine for the body are very great.
Side effects
In most cases, taking the drug is not accompanied by any complications. But sometimes side effects are possible:
- allergic reactions (itching, skin rashes);
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- alopecia;
- dyspepsia;
- problems with the vestibular apparatus.
In rare cases, other undesirable symptoms appear, but they quickly disappear after stopping the medication.
"Karsil": instructions for use
The dosage depends on the patient’s age and disease:
- adolescents from 12 years of age and adults, 1-2 tablets 3 times a day;
- children from 5 to 11 years old inclusive - 2-3 times a day in an amount calculated from the ratio of 3 mg of active substance per kilogram of body weight;
- in case of exacerbation of the disease, adults are advised to take double the norm (compared to the standard) 3 times a day.
The general course of therapy depends on the patient’s age, his general condition and the nature of the disease. Typically the duration is 3 months. After this you need to take a break. Subsequent repetition of treatment is discussed with the doctor.
Karsil Forte
Karsil forte is an original hepatoprotector from the Bulgarian pharmaceutical company, the active component of which is the dry extract of milk thistle fruit (silymarin). The liver is the largest organ of the gastrointestinal tract. It contains the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, the formation of vitamins, hormones, and bile acids. In addition, the liver takes part in the processes of biotransformation of toxins and substances foreign to the body, including medications. This organ is under constant influence of certain unfavorable factors, which necessitates its protection, incl. medicinal. In this regard, hepatoprotectors—medicines that increase the resistance of hepatocytes to endogenous and exogenous unfavorable factors—become particularly therapeutically relevant. One of these drugs is Carsil Forte, which contains silymarin in a higher dose than Carsil. Silymarin is a mixture of three flavonoids: silibinin, silicristin, silydianin, extracted from the fruits of the plant Silybium marianum L. (milk thistle). The mechanism of action of silymarin is not yet fully understood. It is known that it combines the following effects: antihepatotoxic, antioxidant, membrane stabilizing. By interacting with aggressive free radicals and converting them into inactive compounds, silymarin is able to eliminate the effects of oxidative stress. The main biotransformation processes take place in the membranes of liver cells, therefore the stabilization of their membranes, achieved through the action of silymarin, leads to normalization of liver function. Silymarin influences metabolic processes and has cell-regulating effects, controlling the permeability of hepatocyte membranes and inhibiting the 5-lipoxygenase pathway. The drug stimulates the synthesis of structural and functional proteins and phospholipids in hepatocytes exposed to the damaging effects of adverse factors, thereby accelerating regeneration processes.
The effect of silymarin is also determined by its antioxidant effects and ability to improve microcirculation. Clinically, this is manifested in the improvement of objective symptoms and the general well-being of the patient, in the normalization of functional liver parameters (bilirubin, transaminases, gammaglobulin). This leads to a decrease in the number of patient complaints related to digestive dysfunction. Patients with poor digestion due to liver disease report increased appetite and weight gain. The degree of absorption of Karsil Forte is low. The same can be said about her speed. The drug is reabsorbed after the active component is released into the intestine (so-called enterohepatic recirculation). Karsil Forte does not accumulate in the body. When studying one of the flavonoids of silymarin, silibinin, its maximum concentrations are observed in the liver, the minimum amounts in the heart, kidneys, lungs and other organs. The half-life of the drug is 6 hours. It is excreted from the body mainly with bile (about 80%) and in small quantities with urine (about 5%).
Carsil forte is available in capsules for oral administration. For adults and children over 12 years of age with severe liver dysfunction, the drug is prescribed 1 capsule three times a day. For moderate and mild liver damage, the dose of Carsil Forte is 1 capsule 1-2 times a day. The drug can also be taken for prophylactic purposes: to prevent chemical intoxication of the liver, it is prescribed 1-2 capsules per day. The duration of the medication course in all cases should be at least three months.
special instructions
"Karsil" is used mainly to restore liver function. But the treatment will not give a lasting effect if the patient does not adjust his lifestyle. It is necessary to completely avoid alcoholic beverages, fried, and too fatty foods. It is advisable to prepare a diet in consultation with your doctor.
If patients have hormonal imbalance (concomitant diseases: in women: uterine fibroids, endometriosis, uterine or breast carcinoma, in men - prostate carcinoma), tablets can only be taken in consultation with a doctor. This is due to the fact that silymarin has an estrogen-like effect.
It is also important to keep in mind that the tablets contain wheat starch as an additional component, so patients with celiac disease should not take it. Another excipient is lactose. If the patient has sugar intolerance, use is also excluded.
In rare cases, while taking Karsil, jaundice develops. In this case, therapy is immediately suspended and a doctor is consulted.
Attention!
"Karsil" is also used to treat kidney problems in dogs, cats and other pets. For calculation, take 3 mg per kilogram of live weight.
Karsil
Karsil is an original hepatoprotector based on silymarin. The latter is a mixture of four flavolignans, of which silibinin is of greatest therapeutic importance, causing the antioxidant effect of the drug. The role of oxidative stress in the development of diseases of internal organs, including the liver, has been confirmed by a number of studies. The formation of aggressive forms of oxygen (peroxides, superoxide radicals) is a routine phenomenon in the process of tissue respiration, but the concentration of these substances increases significantly against the background of alcohol intoxication, various types of liver damage, the presence of an inflammatory focus, lack of antioxidants, oxygen starvation, and exposure to certain medications. Excessive formation of free radicals causes damage to organelles and cell macromolecules. If there is a focus of inflammation in the liver, free radicals are produced by the cells of the inflammatory infiltrate. The accumulation of reactive oxygen species is the leading pathogenetic pathway of liver cell damage under the influence of exo- and endogenous toxins, as a result of which cell membranes are damaged and the cell is destroyed. Carsil transforms free radicals into non-toxic compounds, interferes with the process of lipid peroxidation, thereby preventing further damage to hepatocytes. The antioxidant properties of the drug determine the presence of anti-inflammatory, membrane-stabilizing and antitoxic effects. In damaged liver cells, karsil activates the synthesis of proteins and phospholipids, as a result of which the permeability of cell membranes decreases and their condition stabilizes. The main processes of biotransformation take place in the membranes of hepatocytes, and therefore the stabilization of these membranes ensures the normalization of liver function. In addition, silymarin does not allow toxins into the cell, for example, the poison of the toadstool. This is achieved by blockade of transport systems that carry toxins across the membrane. The suppression of the activity of the phosphodiesterase enzyme caused by silymarin inhibits the breakdown of cAMP, which leads to a decrease in the content of calcium ions inside the cells and inhibition of the process of activation of phospholipases mediated by them.
The therapeutic effect of Karsil was shown in experimental models of liver damage by carbon tetrachloride: the administration of the drug was accompanied by a significant decrease in cytolysis and cholestasis due to the antioxidant effect of silymarin. Milk thistle flavonoids have the most distinct therapeutic effect in alcoholic liver disease. In addition to its antioxidant activity, silymarin inhibits the production of acetaldehyde. The administration of Karsil at 420 mg per day for six months was accompanied by a number of biochemical changes, which indirectly indicate the strengthening of the antioxidant cellular potential. Thus, with initially reduced values, the activity of the enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase increased significantly, and the concentration of substances containing sulfhydryl groups increased. Along with this, a decrease in the content of compounds exhibiting oxidizing properties was noted.
Karsil is available in the form of dragees. For adults and children over the age of 12 years with severe liver damage, 4 tablets are prescribed 3 times a day (a total of 420 mg of Karsil per day). For moderate and mild liver damage, 1-2 tablets 3 times a day are prescribed as maintenance treatment. The prophylactic dose of the drug is 2-3 tablets per day. The duration of taking Karsil in all cases should be at least 3 months. The optimal time to take the drug is before meals. When using Carsil, estrogen-like effects of silymarin may occur. In this regard, patients with hormonal abnormalities (uterine fibroids, endometriosis, carcinoma of the prostate or breast, ovaries, uterus) should take the drug with extreme caution. Patients with celiac disease should be informed about the presence of wheat starch in the composition of Karsil. Another excipient included in Karsil - glycerol - in high doses can cause headaches or dyspeptic disorders.
