Zyloric® is a well-known drug which belongs to the group of urostatics and as a xanthine oxidase inhibitor is able to influence the decomposition of the organic purine bases to uric acid. The active ingredient of Zyloric® is allopurinol. It is used in most cases for the treatment of chronic gout and is one of the most effective drugs in this clinical picture.
Zyloric® is hardly to be excluded from the pharmaceutical market due to its enormous treatment success. Gout is an extremely painful joint disease caused by increased uric acid concentration and the associated storage of crystallized salts and urate in the joints. Zyloric® has an inhibitory effect on the breakdown of the organic purine base to uric acid.
This inhibitory effect is mediated by a reduction of the enzyme xanthine oxidase, which ultimately limits the formation of uric acid. It is precisely this mechanism of action that enables Zyloric® to bring about an enormous reduction in the concentration of uric acid in the blood, which in turn means that less uric acid is available for metabolic processes in the tissue cells. The starting materials (precursors) of the uric acid cannot damage the organism and can be excreted via the kidneys without problems.
In many cases, Zyloric® is used to treat existing hyperuricemia (increased uric acid concentration in the blood) or after an acute attack of gout. In addition, this drug is very successful in the treatment of gout nephropathies or uric acid stones. Zyloric® is used in everyday clinical practice for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases and, due to its high therapeutic success, it is now impossible to imagine the pharmaceutical market without it.
In patients with an elevated uric acid level in the blood (primary hyperuricemia >8.5 mg/dl), Zyloric® can help prevent gout diseases. Since gout is triggered by the increased uric acid concentration and the associated storage of crystallized salts and urate in the joints, gout can be prevented precisely by lowering the uric acid concentration in the blood at an early stage. Zyloric® can also be successfully used in secondary hyperuricemia triggered by various previous illnesses and/or previous medical treatments.
Furthermore, patients with existing urinary nephropathy can be effectively helped by taking this drug. Urate nephropathy is a hereditary disease in which uric acid is stored in the kidney tissue where it is converted to uric acid stones. In most cases, these uric acid stones are deposited in the urinary tract.
In addition, Zyloric® can be used to prevent the formation of calcium oxalate stones. This medication must not be used in patients suffering from renal insufficiency. Likewise during pregnancy and the following quiet time an income of Allopurinol should be done without.
Among the frequently observed adverse drug reactions of Zyloric® are allergic skin reactions, which are characterized by redness, severe itching and blistering. In addition, many patients report the occurrence of nausea and vomiting in connection with taking allopurinol. The formation of important blood cells is also often negatively influenced by the active substance (leukopenia), and pronounced deficiency symptoms can occur during the course of use.
As many patients have developed kidney stones, it is strongly recommended to increase the normal amount of fluid intake during the therapy phase, as a large intake of fluid reduces the risk of kidney stone formation enormously. Other not negligible side effects are damage to the liver and kidney diseases. Zyloric® should therefore not be taken or should only be taken under strict medical supervision in the case of corresponding pre-existing conditions.
The drug Zyloric® can strongly influence the effect of many medications. For this reason, it must be clarified with the treating physician before taking Zyloric® whether and to what extent other necessary medications must be adjusted. Zyloric® enhances the effects of various anticoagulant drugs.
For this reason, special attention should be paid to any necessary intake of Marcumar. During an application of Allopurinol, the daily dose of the anticoagulant must be reduced in most cases. Furthermore, the effect of Probenecid will be increased.Probenecid is a drug which (just like Allopurinol) is used to reduce excessive urea concentration in the blood and therefore plays a major role in the therapy of gout diseases.
Special caution is also advised in patients treated with chlorpropamide, a sulfonylurea used in the treatment of diabetes. The effectiveness of this drug is also enhanced by the simultaneous intake of Zyloric®. Various antiepileptic drugs (especially phenytoin), which serve to inhibit the excitability of nerve cells and can thus be used to treat epilepsy, urgently need to be redosed when Zyloric® is administered.
Although Zyloric® occupies an important position in medicine and has achieved great success in the treatment of gout, side effects cannot be ruled out. When prescribing this drug, the treating physician must always weigh up whether the clinical benefit outweighs the risk of side effects. A possible complication associated with taking Zyloric® is the occurrence of the so-called Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Allopurinol is the most common cause of this disease according to studies. It is a severe drug reaction that manifests itself mainly on the skin, but is rather rare. In the course of the disease, the epidermis detaches from up to 10% of the body surface.
