Indication
Doxofyl (Doxophylline) is used to treat asthma, COPD and bronchospasm.
Dosage And Administration
Adults: 400 mg once daily in the evening. On the basis of clinical response the dose may be increased to 3 tablets daily (not more than 1200 mg/daily) Elderly Patients: 200 mg two or three times daily Children (above 6 years of age): 6 mg/kg body weight twice daily, i.e. if bodyweight is 15 kg, 90 mg twice daily.
Side Effects
Doxophylline rarely causes serious side effects, however possible side effects are similar for taking excess amount of caffeine. These include: nausea, vomiting, headache, upset stomach and heartburn.
Contraindications
Doxophylline is contraindicated in acute myocardial infarction. It is also contraindicated in patients with hypotension, in lactating women 8 patients who have shown hypersensitivity to its components.
Drug Interactions
Doxophylline should not be administered together with other Xanthine derivatives. Toxic synergism with ephedrine has been documented for Xanthines. Like other Xanthenes, concomitant therapy with Troleandomycin, Lincomycin, Allopurinol, Cimetidine, Propanolol and anti-flu vaccine may decrease the hepatic clearance of xanthenes causing an increase in blood levels. No evidence of a relationship between Doxophylline serum concentrations and toxic events have been reported.
Precautions
The half-life of Xanthine derivatives is influenced by a number of known variables. It may be prolonged in patients with liver disease, in patients with congestive heart failure and in those patients taking certain other drugs like Erythromycin, Troleandomycin, Lincomycin, Allopurinol, Cimetidine, Propanolol and anti-flu vaccine. In these cases, a lower dose of Doxophylline may be needed. Phenytoin , other anticonvulsants and smoking may cause an increase in clearance with a shorter mean half-life. In these cases higher doses of Doxophylline may be needed.
Use in Pregnancy & Lactation Animal reproduction studies indicate that, Doxophylline does not cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant animals or can not affect reproduction capacity. However, since there is limited experience in human during pregnancy, Xanthines should be given to pregnant women only if clearly needed. Doxophylline is contraindicated in nursing mothers.
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