Side effects
The side effects that may occur while taking Novalgin® are generally classified according to the frequency of their occurrence. In general, every intake of Novalgin® can theoretically lead to the occurrence of side effects, but these do not necessarily occur in every patient. Occasional side effects are physical reactions to taking Novalgin® that occur in 1 to 10 out of 1,000 patients treated.
These include primarily allergic skin reactions that occur in the form of a violet to deep red, sometimes blistery rash (drug exanthema). These can also be accompanied by symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, burning eyes, running nose and a slight tightness in the chest. In addition, a slight drop in blood pressure is occasionally noticed among those treated.
Overall, all the side effects listed here are generally not life-threatening and can be completely eliminated with therapy. Among the rare side effects are those that can occur in 1 to 10 out of 10,000 patients treated. These include more severe allergic skin and systemic hypersensitivity reactions, in the form of red spotted skin rashes and allergic shock reactions.
Classical warning symptoms include itching, burning and a sensation of heat in the mouth and throat area or on the soles of the hands and feet, as well as difficulty swallowing, narrowing of the lower respiratory tract leading to shortness of breath or painless swelling, often in the facial area (lips, cheeks, forehead or larynx). Rare are also complaints in the gastrointestinal tract, such as nausea, abdominal cramps and stomach ulcers. In addition, the number of white blood cells in the blood may drop.
The very rare side effects (less than 1 in 10,000) include severe, life-threatening allergic shock reactions with circulatory shock and respiratory insufficiency, as well as painkiller-induced asthma attacks and extensive blistering of the skin and skin detachment as part of a severe allergic skin reaction to drugs. Furthermore, the possibility of a severe drop in granulocytes or platelets is a very rare side effect. The latter can become noticeable, among other things, through punctiform bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes.
An acute deterioration in kidney function up to and including kidney failure, as well as inflammation of the kidneys can also be counted among the rare side effects, which can be noticed for example through reduced urine excretion or blood proteins in the urine. Occasionally, psychological side effects also occur, which can manifest themselves in the form of restlessness, anxiety, depression, delusions or delirium. A very rare but more serious side effect of taking Novalgin® is acute agranulocytosis.
This is a disorder in the formation of blood cells in the bone marrow, which results in an absolute lack of a certain type of white blood cells, the granulocytes, which are part of the immune system. Acute agranulocytosis is initially characterized clinically by the symptoms of fever (possibly with chills), localized infections of the mouth, nose, throat and throat (sore throat, mucous membrane ulcerations, difficulty swallowing) and hoarseness, as well as inflammation of the genital and anal areas. Later, the course of the disease can lead to life-threatening sepsis.
It is important to note that agranulocytosis, which is caused by drugs such asB. Novalgin® does not represent a permanent illness, but disappears again without any consequences 1-2 weeks after discontinuation of the painkiller and the symptoms completely return. Due to the severity of this disease, the use of Novalgin® in Germany is controlled by a prescription and thus abuse is prevented.
Due to the fact that agranulocytosis occurs only very rarely, Novalgin® nevertheless offers a high therapeutic safety. Moreover, it is the painkiller among the non-opioids with the strongest pain-relieving and antipyretic effect.
