Common Uses

Favipiravir was reprocessed in order to fight the symptoms of covid-19. This medicine was initially used as an antiviral against many other viral infections like influenza. You can successfully cure both type A and type B influenza by administering Favipiravir 400 mg. Approved by the Drug Controller General of India DCGI, Favipiravir 400 mg can be used for quick improvement in patients who are suffering due to the virus.

Did you know that the Favipiravir 400mg was first used to treat patients in Wuhan, where covid-19 had generated from? Thus, when the coronavirus began to spread rapidly, it was given approval for being used in countries like Italy, Kazakhstan, Japan, Russia, Moldova etc.

Favipiravir can also be used to treat fatigue, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, nasal congestion, etc.

Dosage & Directions

However, it is risky to use medications like Favipiravir without having proper knowledge about the right dosage and direction of the medicine.

As per NCBI, the drug has to be administered twice from the first day of a 14-day quarantine after positive test results. It has been prescribed to take 1800 mg on the first day. After that, patients can begin to take 800 mg twice a day for the next 14 days.

It is necessary for patients to ensure that they take Favipiravir at the same time every day to ensure its effectiveness. One good side of taking this med is that you can administer it with or without an empty stomach. Keep in mind that in no way should the tablet be broken to treat patients.

Precautions

There are certain precautions that patients must take before using Favipiravir for treating coronavirus. Pregnant women, for example, should not use this drug as it can kill embryos. According to the doctors, the patient has to take the best contraceptive available in order to prevent pregnancy during the use of the drug.

This medication is not to be used on children. People affected by Covid have to be careful about any hypersensitivity that they may have with any of the components of the drug. Moreover, Favipiravir should only be administered when the symptoms are similar to those of influenza.

Doctors also suggest that users strictly eliminate any sort of sexual intercourse during the treatment for Covid-19. They should abstain for a total of seven days before and after the treatment has ended.

Contraindications

The medicine should be strictly avoided by patients who have existing renal or hepatic issues. The drug can cause problems with renal impairment, hepatic impairment, pregnancy as well as breastfeeding.

Possible Side Effects

Every drug has its own set of side effects regardless of the amount of good it can do to you. Although Favipiravir is effective in treating patients who are Covid positive, it still has certain side effects which you should know of before using it.

One of the side effects includes swelling on parts of the body, asthma attack, miscarriages, muscle pain, gastrointestinal upset, allergic dermatitis and hay fever.

Drug Interaction

When mixed with theophylline, the amount of Favipiravir increases in the body. Other than that, if the drug is paired with pyrazinamide, then the renal tubule absorbs uric acid. In case of a mix with Famciclovir, active components of famciclovir are reduced due to Favipiravir. If you have paired the medication with repaglinide, the repaglinide levels increase without interaction. As for sulindac, it conversely decreases upon interaction.

Missed Dose

It is imperative that you never miss your regular dose of Favipiravir 400 mg for treating Covid 19. This is a medication that needs to be taken as per the prescription provided by the doctor. In case of a pause in the dosage, you should consult your doctor immediately so they can guide you on what to do next.

So that you do not end up missing doses, you can keep it in a place where you can keep the medicine in front of your eyes. This way you will be reminded knowingly or unknowingly to take the medicine to recover from coronavirus.

Another trick for this would be to take the meds at the same time of the day every day. This way you will be forming a habit and will not tend to forget about taking proper doses.

Overdose

Although all the symptoms of overdose are not known yet, the most common ones include vomiting, decreased locomotor activity and decreased body weight. Induced repeated toxicity can cause a reduction in the number of red blood cells in the body. It might also cause increased aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, etc. In some cases, it can even cause toxicity of the testis.

Storage

It is extremely essential to abide by storage guidelines when storing Favipiravir 400 mg. In fact, this applies to every medication because how you store the medication affects the condition of it greatly. And you would want to follow these instructions so that the medicine remains intact throughout usage.

For patients undergoing treatment for Covid 19 with Favipiravir 400 mg, you have to ensure that you place the medication in a secure place that is at room temperature. You might also want to keep it out of the reach of children as it can turn out to be lethal for them.

Disclaimer
We provide only general information about medications which does not cover all directions, possible drug integrations, or precautions. Information at the site cannot be used for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. Any specific instructions for a particular patient should be agreed with your health care adviser or doctor in charge of the case. We disclaim reliability of this information and mistakes it could contain. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other indirect damage as a result of any use of the information on this site and also for consequences of self-treatment.