Immunomodulators: a reminder for the first-calculator

Types of drugs to enhance immunity

It is recommended to take medications to enhance immunity for the purpose of treatment and prevention during periods of massive spread of viruses and infections - epidemics of influenza, measles, coronavirus. Such products increase the body’s immune barrier and help it quickly produce active antibodies to fight viruses and pathogenic bacteria.

There are several types of effective medications designed to increase and maintain high immunity in an adult or child.

• herbal tablets;
• preparations based on animal ingredients;
• bacterial preparations;
• interferon or nucleic acid preparations.

The choice of immunomodulator depends on the form and severity of the disease. In severe, protracted forms, a sick person may be prescribed complexes that increase immunity in the form of tablets or injections. The duration of taking medications is determined individually.

Calcium gluconate is a pharmacological drug that is calcium salts of gluconic acid and is produced in the form of a liquid solution for intravenous and intramuscular administration. Read more in the article: “Why are calcium gluconate injections prescribed?”

How to boost immunity in adults?

17.03.2021

During the period of viral and colds, search engines often contain queries such as: “prevention of colds in adults” or “what to do to boost immunity.”

Immunity , or immune system , is the body's ability to resist viruses, bacteria and pathological microorganisms. However, this ability is not developed in everyone, and the weakness of the immune system is confirmed by the fact that a person gets colds more than three times a year. Of course, it is easier to prevent any disease than to treat it , so doctors always recommend increasing the body’s resistance to viruses and colds, that is, strengthening the immune system .

Factors that reduce immunity:

1. poor nutrition;
2. unclean water;
3. bad ecology;
4. sedentary lifestyle;
5. lack of sleep and overwork;
6. stress;
7. bad habits;
8. uncontrolled use of antibiotics;
9. infection of the body by parasites;
10. congenital pathologies.

Thus, the immune system is dealt a double blow: from the outside and from the inside. What to do to help the body and reduce harmful effects?

First you need to test yourself: the frequency of colds, the appearance of herpes, skin sensitivity, dull and falling hair, frequent stress, gastrointestinal problems, allergies heart problems , breathing problems, joints and spine , teeth , the presence of cancer, excess weight, frequent use of antibiotics in treatment, presence of parasites. If any of these problems are present, then, undoubtedly, the immune system is experiencing difficulties and is most likely weakened.

to select means to strengthen the immune system individually, taking into account many factors and concomitant diseases, as well as allergic reactions .

Since 90 percent immunity is located in his intestines , the very first thing that needs to be done is to improve its functioning, carry out an anti-parasitic program, and lose excess weight.

Next you need to follow the general principles of increasing immunity.

1. Avoid stress. They have been proven to be the main enemies of reducing the body’s defenses.
2. Eat a nutritious and balanced diet. Include berries, fruits, nuts, vegetables in your diet, not forgetting proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
3. Drink more water to prevent toxins from accumulating. Use filters to clean it.
4. Take vitamins. However, not all synthetic vitamins are beneficial. What is important is the digestibility of one or another element and their compatibility with each other.
5. Temper yourself. Visit the pool, sauna, dry off.
6. Get enough sleep and don’t get overtired. It is important to go to bed and get up at the same time, and sleep at least 7 hours.
7. Ventilate the room.
8. Lead an active lifestyle, do exercises and be outdoors more often.

Herbal preparations used to strengthen the immune system are given by nature itself: echinacea, eleuthero, ginseng, lemongrass, honey, ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic and onion.

All these means are effective in the system, not from time to time, but from year to year. The immune system needs to be strengthened not only during the cold season, but constantly, not forgetting about the emotional state and avoiding stress if possible.

Published in Immunology Premium Clinic

Effective immunomodulators for adults

Immunomodulators, produced in various pharmacological forms - dietary supplements, tinctures, syrups, injection solutions, tablets, capsules and dragees, will help to effectively strengthen the immune system. List of good remedies to improve immune strength:

Immunal for immunity

Immunal is an immunomodulating drug based on purple echinacea juice and a vitamin complex. The drug is available in several pharmacological forms - drops, tinctures or tablets. It increases resistance to various viruses and infections, prevents diseases of the respiratory system.

Immunal in the form of tablets for oral administration is approved for use for children from 4 years of age, drops - from 1 year.

Tincture, tablets and drops of Immunal are prescribed in the complex treatment of tuberculosis infections, rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, infectious lesions of the lungs, and during the rehabilitation period after surgery.

It is recommended to take the tablets 3-4 times a day, the solution is used in a dosage of 2.5 ml three times a day. If there is no positive result within 10-14 days, you should consult a doctor to adjust the dosage or select another immunomodulator.

Bulbit is an inflammatory process in the duodenal bulb - the part that is located immediately behind the stomach. This condition in most cases occurs with gastritis and gastroduodenitis, which is why it has a similar clinical picture. Read more in the article: “bulbit: symptoms and treatment.”

Immunal can cause side effects in the form of headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, skin rashes accompanied by itching and swelling, a sharp decrease in blood pressure, and bronchospasm.

Timaktide and Timogen for low immunity

Timaktide is a potent immunomodulator based on animal components. The medicine is produced in the form of tablets that must be dissolved under the tongue.

Timaktide is prescribed as an auxiliary drug for infectious, purulent-inflammatory processes. The medication is also used in cases where the patient is contraindicated in herbal remedies.

In most cases, Timaktide is prescribed for severe mental or physical fatigue, frequent stress overexertion, weakness and loss of strength.

The drug is prohibited for use by women during all trimesters of pregnancy, as well as in cases of hypersensitivity to the active components included in its composition. Timaktide should not be taken simultaneously with other immunomodulatory drugs.

Thymogen is an immunomodulator that is available in the form of a liquid solution for intramuscular administration and drops for injection into the nose. Used in the complex treatment of severe viral and bacterial diseases occurring in acute or chronic form.

Thymogen is prescribed before or after radiation or chemotherapy, after a long course of antibiotics, for severe and extensive burns. The drug has a minimal number of contraindications - these include only hypersensitivity to the drug.

Application of Viferon

Viferon is one of the most popular and widespread drugs for quickly increasing immunity in adults and children. The pharmacological agent is highly effective and safe, so it can be used to treat children from newborn age, as well as women during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Viferon is available in the form of ointment and rectal suppositories.

Viferon rectal suppositories are very convenient to use for treating children. The drug is approved for use from birth. But in such cases, Viferon suppositories should only be prescribed by a doctor.

The medicine has only one contraindication for use - hypersensitivity to the active components that make up Viferon. It can cause an allergic reaction, which manifests itself as skin redness and rashes. When using rectal suppositories, swelling, itching and burning may occur at the site of insertion of the suppository.

Application of Anaferon

Anaferon is an effective homeopathic immunomodulator. The product helps fight viral pathogens, which is why it is most often prescribed to strengthen the body’s protective barrier during the flu and seasonal colds.

Anaferon can be used both to prevent the disease and after a person has fallen ill. It forms stable immunity to pathogenic microorganisms that cause disease, cleanses the body of toxins and waste products of bacteria.

Adult patients can use Anaferon classic. A separate drug “Anaferon for children” is produced for children. It is prescribed in the complex treatment of acute and chronic viral infections caused by rotavirus, coronavirus, enterovirus, and the causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis.

Anaferon is highly effective in the treatment of herpes lesions and bronchopulmonary diseases. The main indication for the use of this medication is any condition accompanied by chronic immunodeficiency.

Natural origin

This category includes herbal and homeopathic immunomodulators, as well as interferons. They are used to prevent ARVI in both adults and children, but the age restrictions for each drug are different.

Herbal preparations

Many clients prefer herbal preparations, believing that they are safer than synthetic ones. When requesting immunomodulators based on medicinal plant materials, Pervostolnik can offer echinacea preparations. The composition of Echinacea purpurea root extract includes polysaccharides, lectins, glycoside echinacoside, volatile oils and alkaloids. The complex of active components exhibits antiviral, antimicrobial and immunotropic effects. The immunostimulating properties of Echinacea preparations are provided by three mechanisms:

• activation of phagocytosis;
• stimulation of fibroblasts;
• increased activity of leukocytes [2, 3].

The immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of echinacea have been studied in clinical studies, the results of which are very contradictory. While some studies confirm the beneficial effects of the drugs, others show no difference in the prevalence and severity of respiratory infections between echinacea and placebo [3]. Nevertheless, Echinacea preparations are in great demand and occupy an honorable place among over-the-counter immunomodulators.

Products based on Echinacea purpurea for the prevention of respiratory infections are prescribed to adults and children (over 1 year old) 3-4 times a day. The prophylactic course of Echinacea preparations is at least a week; if necessary, it can be extended to 8 weeks [4].

What to recommend?

• Echinacea purpurea juice;
• Echinacea purpurea herb;
• Echinacea purpurea extract.

What should the client pay attention to?

Echinacea preparations are contraindicated for autoimmune and systemic diseases - tuberculosis, leukemia, collagenosis, multiple sclerosis and HIV infection [4].

Homeopathic medicines

Despite the fact that low-dose treatment often causes controversy among doctors and scientists, drugs in this group are very popular among consumers. The exact mechanism of action of homeopathic medicines used to prevent respiratory infections is often not described in the instructions for use. The exception is drugs that contain antibodies to human interferon gamma in homeopathic dilutions. According to the instructions, they increase the production of interferons alpha, beta and gamma, and have an antiviral effect against influenza viruses, parainfluenza, enteroviruses and some others [3].

Homeopathic medicines are good because they can be given to young children, pregnant women, lactating women, and everyone else.

Exception: A drug containing antibodies to interferon gamma, histamine and CD4 is prohibited for use in children under 3 years of age. Other drugs have no age restrictions.

What should the client pay attention to?

When dispensing the drug, it is necessary to emphasize that homeopathic remedies should be taken either half an hour before meals or an hour after meals.

Interferon preparations

Well-known immunomodulators of natural origin are preparations of human recombinant interferon alpha-2b, that is, obtained through genetic engineering. According to the instructions, the immunomodulatory effect of drugs in this group is based on the activation of macrophages, natural cells, increased phagocytosis and a number of other mechanisms that increase the immune response [6].

The potential of interferon alfa-2b preparations as a means of preventing or reducing the risk of ARVI infection, as in the case of other immunomodulators, is controversial.

The drugs can be recommended for adults and children in the form of nasal drops (children from 1 year), ointment and gel for topical use (children of any age).

Interferon alfa-2b in the form of suppositories is not used for the prevention of respiratory infections.

What to recommend?

• interferon alpha-2b in the form of nasal drops;
• interferon alpha-2b in the form of an ointment or gel.

What should the client pay attention to?

When dispensing the drug, it is important to remind the buyer of the special storage conditions: interferon preparations are thermolabile and should be stored at a temperature of 2–8 °C.

Herbal preparations

Some of the most powerful and fastest-acting immunomodulators are herbal products. Natural herbs in their composition effectively stimulate the body's protective barrier. The list of the best natural immunomodulators includes:

• Eleutherococcus;
• hawthorn; ginseng;
• ginger;
• Echinacea.

Echinacea tincture is an effective herbal remedy recommended for use during colds, severe fatigue, loss of strength, and frequent stress. The product quickly increases the body's resistance to viruses and pathogenic bacteria. It also has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect against dental infections and genitourinary diseases.

In rare cases, after consuming Echinacea tincture, side effects appear in the form of nausea and digestive disorders.

Echinacea should not be taken by children under 7 years of age or by women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis and cancer are also considered contraindications for use.

Preparations based on animal components

Medicines based on components of animal origin are produced from various parts of pig or cattle carcasses - thymus glands, spleen, bone marrow. The active components have a quick effect on the human body.

Preparations based on animal ingredients are recommended for use in the most severe forms of immunodeficiency - both congenital and acquired. Treatment of men and women with such drugs is carried out only as prescribed by a doctor and under his supervision. Effective drugs based on active substances of animal origin include:

• Splenin;
• Wilosen;
• Thymogen;
• Timactid;
• Timalin.

They are developed on the basis of the thymus gland - the thymus gland of domestic animals, as well as cattle. The main advantage of such medications is their effect on immune forces at the cellular level, which allows their use in the most severe and advanced forms of diseases.

The oldest immunosuppressants

Immunosuppressants differ in their effects on the immune system. The drugs that appeared first have a negative effect on the body. These include methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, etc. In addition, they have the most adverse reactions that are caused by the lack of a selective approach. As a result of their intake, infectious diseases, allergies, and an increased likelihood of malignant tumors may appear. But in some cases they are irreplaceable. Using these drugs, it is worth regularly conducting examinations and taking the necessary tests - this will allow you to identify complications in the early stages.

Bacterial agents for immunity

Bacterial immunomodulators are drugs based on elements of bacterial cells. With regular use of this medication, the body's resistance to pathogens increases. Their action is similar to the action of vaccines - the patient is injected with dead or live, but weakened bacteria, in response to this, active antibodies begin to be actively produced in the human body.

Bacterial agents include:

• Ribomunil;
• Lycopid;
• Imudon;
• IRS-19.

Ribomunil is a medicine in the form of capsules for oral administration. Most often prescribed in the complex treatment of colds and ENT diseases. The medication is approved for use during pregnancy, as well as for children over 5 months.

In rare cases, Ribomunil may cause side effects such as stool upset, nausea and increased body temperature.

Lykopid - increases the body's protective barrier and helps in the treatment of viral, infectious and inflammatory diseases. Contraindications include pregnancy and lactation.

Imudon is available in the form of tablets intended for absorption under the tongue 5-6 times a day. The medication is recommended for use in dental diseases of an infectious-inflammatory nature. The medicine is approved for use in children over 3 years of age.

Interferon preparations

Interferon-based drugs are highly effective in both acute and chronic diseases of an infectious-inflammatory nature. They contain protective proteins that block the development of the infectious process. Such medications act on the body at the cellular level, increasing its protective properties and helping to actively fight the disease.

Effective interferon-based drugs include:

• Viferon;
• Anaferon;
• Interferon.

Interferon-based products not only improve immunity, but also eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of colds - soreness, redness and swelling of the throat, lacrimation, weakness, loss of strength and increased body temperature.

Interferon-based medications are approved for use in children over 3 years of age. In some cases, with excessively weakened immunity, the doctor may prescribe interferon to children after 1 year. In such situations, the dosage of the medicine is selected individually, depending on the age and general health of the child.

What are immunosuppressants?

Immunomodulatory drugs and immunosuppressants were created to suppress the pathological activity of the immune system when it begins to fight against the body's own cells or against the tissues of another person after an organ transplant. As a result, autoimmune diseases and conditions after tissue and organ transplantation are the two main indications when these drugs should be used.

These medicines should not be used for self-medication. A person without medical education will not be able to correctly determine the indications for use, and will also not be able to select the most suitable medicine in terms of composition, set the required dose and frequency of administration. All this is determined for each person individually and only an experienced doctor can cope with this.

Immunosuppressants have a huge number of side reactions, so it is impossible to do without constant medical supervision.

Nucleic acid preparations

Nucleic acid-based drugs are stimulants that are interferon inducers and help enhance acquired immunity in adults and children. Nucleic acids are divided into natural and artificial.

Common nucleic acid preparations:

• Sodium nucleinate
  - is a mixture of nucleic acids obtained from yeast;
• Poludan
  - this medication is based on a complex of polyuridyl and polyadenylic acids;
• Derinat
  - the pharmacological action of this medication is based on DNA elements obtained from the milt of sturgeon fish.

Nucleic acid preparations are available in the form of tablets for oral administration, as well as dragees intended for resorption. They quickly eliminate pain and sore throat, runny nose, swelling of the larynx and other unpleasant symptoms of colds.

Vitamin complexes

An important addition to immunomodulatory therapy are vitamins and dietary supplements, which also contain micro- and macroelements. Multivitamins effectively normalize physiological, metabolic and biochemical processes in the body, strengthening the immune barrier and increasing its level, as well as improving the body's resistance to viruses and infections.

Effective vitamin complexes:

• Alphabet During the Cold Season;
• Vitrefor;
• Vitacap;
• Centrum;
• Gerimaks;
• Vitrum;

• Doppelhertz Active;
• Multitabs;
• Supradin.

Multivitamin complexes are intended for long-term use and do not provide quick results. Depending on the general health of a person, the duration of a vitamin course can range from 1 to 12 months.

In addition to vitamin complexes and dietary supplements, tablets or injections of B vitamins - pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, riboflavin, nicotinic acid or thiamine - can be prescribed.

Such drugs effectively stimulate metabolic processes in the body, improve the functioning of the central nervous system, and increase resistance not only to viruses and infections, but also to stress.

Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases are a prime example of when the body harms itself. First of all, tissues and organs are negatively affected. This leads to the following diseases:

• Lupus erythematosus;
• Vasculitis;
• Rheumatoid arthritis.

Sometimes local diseases appear, as a result of which a specific organ suffers:

• Liver;
• Thyroid;
• Nervous system;
• Pancreas.

Most often, such diseases are associated with heredity. But even in this case, you can live a long life without complaining of serious illnesses.

For autoimmune diseases, they can use either old medications that affect the entire body at once, or take more modern medications that have a local effect.