How to use Diprospan in ampoules: instructions for using Diprospan injections, composition and analogues of the drug

What is Diprospan

The drug belongs to the group of glucocorticosteroid drugs. The active substance of Diprospan injections is betamethasone disodium phosphate , which ensures rapid therapeutic effect, and betamethasone dipropionate, which helps to prolong the effect of the drug for several weeks.

Today, Diprospan is one of the most effective and popular glucocorticoid drugs , which is used to treat pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. It is used for blockades in pathologies of the spine and various joints.

The drug is produced in transparent glass ampoules in the form of a 1 ml injection suspension. There are 2 packaging options: 1 and 5 ampoules. The kit includes disposable syringes with 2 needles for drawing the medicine from the ampoule and for administration.

Diprospan as a glucocorticoid drug has a powerful anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antiallergic effect. Therefore, the range of its use is quite wide, but in most cases Diprospan is used for joints and the spine.

What does diprospan consist of?

The active component of the injectable glucocorticosteroid are two forms of beta meson: sodium phosphate (2 mg) and dipropionate (5 mg). Available in the form of a solution for injection. One ml of suspension consists of 6.5 mg of active substance and auxiliary components:

sodium chloride;
carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt;
anhydrous disodium phosphate;
nipagin;
benzyl alcohol;
nipazole;
pyoliethylene glycol 4000;
trilon B;
polysorbate 80;
water for injections.

The suspension is packaged in ampoules with a capacity of 1 ml, the liquid is slightly viscous, transparent or yellowish, after shaking it acquires a persistent white color .

Pharmacological action of diprospan

The effect of the drug is its powerful glucocorticoid activity, while the mineralocorticoid effect is practically not expressed. The drug perfectly suppresses the function of the pituitary gland, stops allergic and inflammatory processes , and inhibits immunosuppression.

The drug contains two substances that differ in their speed of action:

Betamethasone sodium phosphate: hydrolyzes and dissolves easily, is absorbed immediately after administration, creates a rapid therapeutic effect. During the day it is eliminated from the body.
Betamethasone dipropionate: the effect of the substance is longer, it is eliminated from the body over 10 days or more.

The crystals of the drug are microscopic, so it can be injected with a thin needle into the smallest joints. It is strictly forbidden to administer the drug intravenously and subcutaneously, only intramuscularly.

Pharmacological properties of the drug Diprospan

Pharmacodynamics. The drug Diprospan is a combination of soluble and poorly soluble betamethasone esters for intramuscular, intra-articular, periarticular, intrasynovial and intradermal administration, as well as for administration directly into the lesion.
Diprospan has high GCS activity and insignificant mineralocorticoid activity. The small size of betamethasone dipropionate crystals allows the use of small diameter needles (up to 0.9 mm) for intradermal injections and injection directly into the lesion. Pharmacokinetics. Betamethasone sodium phosphate is a highly soluble component that is rapidly absorbed from the injection site, which ensures a rapid onset of therapeutic action. Betamethasone dipropionate is a poorly soluble component that is slowly absorbed from the depot created at the injection site and provides a long-lasting effect of the drug.

Indications for use

Disprospan injections are quite actively used for complex therapy and monotherapy of pathologies, in which glucocorticosteroids provide a positive effect. The drug provides tangible clinical results in the following cases:

Diseases of soft tissues, muscular system and musculoskeletal system: radiculitis, osteoarthritis, heel spur, rheumatoid arthritis, spondylitis, bursitis, ganglion cyst, lumbago, fasciitis, exostosis.
Allergic diseases: food allergies, hay fever, urticaria, bronchial asthma, serum sickness, allergic rhinitis and bronchitis, the body's reaction to medications or snake and insect bites, Quincke's edema.
Skin diseases: psoriasis, various forms of dermatitis, neurodermatitis, insulin lipodystrophy, lupus erythematosus, cystic acne, keloid scars, lichen planus.
Systemic diseases: periarteritis nodosa, scleroderma, dermatomyositis.
Blood diseases: lymphomas, leukemias, including acute childhood ones, transfusion reactions.
Impaired functioning of the adrenal glands: adrenogenital syndrome, as well as primary and secondary insufficiency.
Kidney diseases: nephrotic syndrome, glomerulonephritis.
Gastrointestinal diseases: Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac enteropathy.
Other diseases that require treatment with systemic corticosteroids: allergic conjunctivitis, anaphylactic shock, metabolic disorders and others.

Note! Diprospan should not be used independently, without medical prescription. Injections must be administered correctly . Even the slightest discrepancy with the rules of administration can cause serious complications.

Diprospan - instructions for use

The method of administration and dosage regimen for Diprospan injections are established individually, taking into account the severity and indications of the patient’s disease. The drug is administered in several ways:

In cases of systemic treatment, intramuscular injections are performed. The injection is injected deep into the muscle with extreme caution. Contact with other tissues can cause their atrophy. The initial dose is 1–2 ml. It is administered once with a break of 2–4 weeks.
Periarticular or intra-articular administration is carried out into the joints. In this case, the dosage depends on the injection site: elbow and wrist joints - 0.5–1.0 ml; knee, ankle and shoulder – 1 ml; hip – 1–2 ml; sternoclavicular, metacarpophalangeal, interphalangeal – 0.25–5.0 ml.
Intradermal administration, for example, into the lower eyelid area through the skin for eye diseases. One milliliter of diprospan injection is a weekly dosage, which cannot be exceeded. Only a doctor can increase the weekly dosage in rare cases.

Diprospan injections are completely painless and no anesthetics are required during their administration. Only a highly qualified surgeon can perform intradermal and intra-articular administration of the drug. Injecting yourself can be fatal.

Reviews about the use of Diprospan

This review will probably be of interest to those people who suffer from allergies to flowers, especially ragweed. I encountered this for the first time at the age of 19, when I just started living in Anapa. There are many people here who suffer from ragweed. It begins to bloom at the end of July, and this is its peak.

My allergy began, as I then thought, as a simple cold. Fever, runny nose, sore throat. I was trying to recover from a cold. But after a week I realized that something was wrong here.

And since I lived in the Urals before and didn’t know about ragweed, and especially about allergies to it, I couldn’t even think about it. But, fortunately, a person was found who would see me and said that it was an allergy.

I used the pills until the end of the year. But the next year I was already fully armed. I read a review about Diprospan, which everyone praised. And when symptoms began to appear in July, I immediately purchased it and had it done.

And everything passed literally in 6 hours. And the rest of the time I didn’t even remember this horror. Only one injection helped with allergies. And after the injection, your nails and hair become simply magnificent!

Maria

Diprospan injections - side effects

The occurrence of side effects is possible with prolonged use of the drug, non-compliance with instructions and exceeding the dosage. Side effects caused by diprospan injections are as follows:

menstrual irregularities;
disturbances in water-salt metabolism processes;
weight gain;
muscle weakness, joint instability, osteoporosis;
arterial hypertension, heart failure;
pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract;
increased sweating, urticaria, dermatitis, delayed wound healing;
convulsions, irritability, headache, depression, increased blood pressure;
a sharp increase in intraocular pressure, glaucoma, cataracts;
anaphylactic reactions and decreased resistance to infections.

Before buying ampoules with the drug, you must carefully study the instructions and consult with your doctor . This will avoid side effects and maintain your health.

Contraindications

Diprospan injections effectively treat many diseases. But along with this, there are cases when doctors do not prescribe the drug to patients:

With increased sensitivity to betamenosis and systemic mycoses.
Intra-articular administration is contraindicated in patients with unstable joints and infectious arthritis.
If the surfaces of the intervertebral space are infected, then diprospan injections are prohibited.
For peptic ulcers, renal failure, diabetes, chicken pox, thrombophlebitis, hypertension, the drug is used with extreme caution.
Considering that the safety of using the drug during pregnancy has not been fully proven, only a doctor can determine its risk or benefit.

special instructions

Diprospan injections cannot be administered subcutaneously or intravenously. Intra-articular administration is possible only in the absence of a septic process. deep intramuscular injections should be

The drug is used very carefully for chronic kidney or liver diseases. If the need to use diprospan arises during the lactation period, then the woman should refuse to breastfeed her child.

When treating with diprospan, you must strictly follow the instructions and completely avoid drinking alcohol, as they increase the side effects.

The therapeutic activity of diprospan decreases and metabolism increases in combination with rifampicin, ephedrine, phenytoin and phenobarbital.

The simultaneous use of diprospan with cardiac glycosides increases the risk of developing arrhythmia, with diuretics - hypoglycemia, with salicylates and anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs, the intensity and development of ulcerative and erosive lesions of the gastrointestinal tract increases.

Warnings and special instructions for use

Diprospan should be used in the smallest effective amounts possible.
The duration of the course of therapy should be as short as possible. The minimum effective amount of the drug is selected by gradually reducing the initial one. Cancellation must be done gradually. Caution must when a patient is diagnosed with functional renal or liver failure.

Psycho-emotional and physical stress may require an increase in the recommended amount of the drug.

The use of increased doses involves monitoring the patient for a year after completion of therapy. The use of GCS can help hide the symptoms of diseases of infectious etiology. In unstable emotional people, Diprospan, according to doctors, sometimes provokes mental disorders.

After performing intra-articular injections, it is necessary to relieve the joint from heavy loads, until the onset of remission of the disease.

How does Diprospan work?

According to the instructions, Diprospan has relatively low mineralocorticoid activity and significant glucocorticoid activity. A modern glucocorticosteroid drug has a pronounced immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effect on the human body. GCS can have a very significant effect on metabolic processes.

After using the tablets inside, the active substance is absorbed quite quickly . During parenteral administration, betamizone sodium phosphate is absorbed and hydrolyzed in a fairly short time, and dipropionate is released and deposited rather slowly.

“Fast” passage of GCS is excreted in a metabolized form in the urine throughout the day, and “slow” passage remains in the body for up to two weeks, which creates a prolonged effect of the suspension.

The level of whey protein with steroid hormone conjugation can reach 63.5%. The process of biologically active compound biotransformation takes place in the liver.

Possible side effects from Diprospan

When using Diprospan, the following side effects may occur:

if the patient has a predisposition to chronic heart failure;
allergic reactions;
as a result of high protein catabolism, loss of muscle mass;
arterial hypertension;
loss of calcium and potassium;
formation of myopathy;
weight gain;
formation of edema;
inflammation of the pancreas;
osteoporosis;
dyspeptic disorders;
ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract;
dermatitis;
atrophy of the skin;
dysmenorrhea or menstrual irregularities.
convulsions;
slow regeneration process;
high nervous excitability;
euphoria;
adrenal insufficiency;
states of depression;
high need for insulin in diabetes;
development of steroid genesis and diabetes mellitus;
hyperemia of the skin on the facial area;
delayed sexual and physical development in children.

What substitutes for Diprospan exist?

When choosing analogues that can replace diprospan injections, you should pay attention to the diseases from which the patient suffers. There are several analogues of diprospan:

Flosteron. This is a complete substitute for the drug and has a completely identical composition: 2 mg of betamethasone sodium phosphate and 5 mg of betamethasone dipropionate. According to the instructions, flosteron has the same properties and acts instantly. The validity period ranges from 10 to 30 days. Flosteron is produced by domestic manufacturers and its cost is much lower. Sold in ampoules with a capacity of 1 ml.
Celeston. The spectrum of therapeutic action of the drug is quite wide. Betamethasone is the main active ingredient. The drug should be used only under medical supervision. It is not advisable to suddenly stop using it; the dosage should be reduced gradually.
Betaspan. Betamethasone sodium phosphate is the main active ingredient. It is used as part of complex therapy, as well as separately. Indications are similar to diprospan. Pharmacological form – solution for injection.
Dexamed. The main component is dexamethasone. Has immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects. Before use, be sure to read the instructions.
Prednisol. Quite a profitable analogue of diprospan, one of the cheapest drugs. Release form: solutions for intramuscular or intravenous administration. The active ingredient is prednisolone in the form of sodium phosphate.

Both diprospan and any of its analogues are potent drugs. In addition to therapeutic therapy, they have certain contraindications and cause side effects. The selection of hormonal drugs cannot be done independently. Only a qualified specialist, based on the results of the examination, will correctly determine the method of treatment and prescribe the necessary medications.

Interaction with other drugs

GCS may reduce the therapeutic effect of drugs containing salicylic acid due to a decrease in their plasma concentration. The use of anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs simultaneously with hormonal drugs can cause ulcerative lesions of the intestinal and gastric tract.
This drug may slow down the absorption of growth hormone . The effectiveness of Diprospan injections decreases when GCS is used simultaneously with medications such as Phenobarbital, Ephedrine, Rifampin or Phenytoin.

The use of indirect anticoagulants may require adjustment of the amount of the drug. The use of steroid drugs with diuretics increases the likelihood of hypokalemia.

Interaction with alcohol . Diprospan in combination with ethyl alcohol can lead to exacerbation or the appearance of peptic ulcers.

Drug overdose . During treatment with Diprospan, side effects from one injection do not appear. Negative consequences are likely if the required dose is significantly exceeded against the background of diabetes mellitus and glaucoma, as well as with erosive and ulcerative infections of the digestive organs.

In case of severe overdose, you need to monitor the patient’s condition and feedback. Sometimes symptomatic therapy may be necessary.

Use of Diprospan during lactation and pregnancy

When prescribing GCS, pregnant women need to assess the ratio of the likely risk for the unborn baby and the expected positive effect for the mother.
After birth, babies whose mothers used Diprospan should undergo examination in order to prematurely identify possible adrenal insufficiency.

Mothers who need to take a course using this glucocorticosteroid must interrupt breastfeeding their child.

Using Diprospan for children . For adolescents and children (only those who have reached three years of age!) Diprospan can be prescribed, in particular, for the treatment of bursitis and the treatment of joint diseases.

For young children, the amount of the drug is determined taking into account 16–240 mcg of glucocorticosteroid suspension per 1 kg of weight. Children who receive immunosuppressive doses should avoid communicating with friends who have infectious diseases, especially typical for this age (chicken pox, measles, etc.).

Shelf life and storage conditions

According to the instructions, Diprospan dosage forms must be stored at room temperature, in a place shielded from light .
Keep away from children. The drug must not be frozen! The shelf life of Diprospan is 2 years from the date of manufacture.

Many patients and doctors are satisfied with the speed and durability of the positive effect from using the drug Diprospan. But it should be noted that the effect will depend not only directly on the drug, but also on the type of disease and its complexity, the presence of concomitant diseases and the medications used in their treatment.

In each individual case, the effect of Diprospan and the body’s response to it will be different. This must be taken into account during therapy, especially long-term therapy.