Costigmin

Uses

In Anesthesia:

• As a pre-operative antimuscarinic agent to reduce salivary, tracheobronchial and pharyngeal sections and to reduce the acidity of the gastric contents.
• As a pre-operative or intra-operative antimuscarinic to attenuate or prevent intraoperative bradycardia with the use of suxamethonium or due to cardiac vagal reflexes.
• To protect against the peripheral muscarinic actions of anticholinesterases such as neostigmine and pyridostigmine, used to reverse residual neuromuscular blockade produced by non- depolarising muscle relaxants.

In Peptic Ulcer:

For use in adults as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of peptic ulcer when rapid anticholinergic effect is desired or when oral medication is not tolerated.

Hyperhidrosis, Sialorrhea, Cerebral palsy.

Neostigmine Methyl Sulphate is used for-

• Reversal of nondepolarising neuromuscular blockade for surgical anesthetic procedures
• The prevention and treatment of post-operative abdominal distention and urinary retention after mechanical obstruction has been excluded.
• Treatment of the systemic control of Myasthenia Gravis when oral therapy is impractical.

Costigmin is also used to associated treatment for these conditions: Curarization therapy, Myasthenia Gravis, Neuromuscular Blockade, Ogilvie's syndrome, Postoperative Urinary Retention, Post-operative intestinal atony

How Costigmin works

Neostigmine is a parasympathomimetic, specifically, a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor. The drug inhibits acetylcholinesterase which is responsible for the degredation of acetylcholine. So, with acetylcholinesterase inhibited, more acetylcholine is present By interfering with the breakdown of acetylcholine, neostigmine indirectly stimulates both nicotinic and muscarinic receptors which are involved in muscle contraction.. It does not cross the blood-brain barrier.

Dosage

Costigmin dosage

For IM/IV administration-

Pre-Anaesthetic Use:

• Adults:0.2 mg to 0.4 mg intravenously or intramuscularly before the induction of anesthesia. Alternatively, a dose of 0.004 to 0.005 mg/kg.
• Children (1 month to 12 years of age): 0.004 to 0.008 mg/kg up. Larger doses may result in profound and prolonged antisialogogue effect which may be unpleasant for the patient.

Intraoperative Use:

• Adults:A single dose of 0.2 to 0.4 mg (or 0.004 to 0.005 mg/kg) by intravenous injection should be used.
• Children: (1 month to 12 years of age) - A single dose of 0.004 to 0.008 mg/kg by intravenous injection should be used. This dose may be repeated if necessary.

Reversal of Neuromuscular Blockade:

• Adults:0.2 mg intravenously per 1 mg neostigmine or the equivalent dose of pyridostigmine.
• Children (1 month to 12 years of age) - 0.01 mg/kg intravenously with 0.05 mg/kg neostigmine or the equivalent dose of pyridostigmine. Supotaria may be administered simultaneously from the same syringe with the anticholinesterase; greater cardiovascular stability results from this method of administration.

For oral administration-

Initiate dosing at 0.02 mg/kg orally three times daily and titrate in increments of 0.02 mg/kg every 5-7 days based on therapeutic response and adverse reactions. The maximum recommended dosage is 0.1 mg/kg three times daily not to exceed 1.5-3 mg per dose based upon weight.

During the four-week titration period, dosing can be increased with the recommended dose titration schedule while ensuring that theanticholinergicadverse events are tolerable. Prior to each increase in dose, review the tolerability of the current dose level with the patient's caregiver.

Glycopyrrolate should be dosed at least one hour before or two hours after meals. The presence of high fat food reduces the oral bioavailability of Glycopyrrolate if taken shortly after a meal

Reversal of the effects of Non-depolarizing Neurormuscular Blocking Agents: The usual dose is 0.5 to 2 mg given by slow intravenous injection over 60 seconds; repeated as required. Total dose should not exceed 5 mg (in exceptional cases). When Neostigmine is administered intravenously, it is recommended that Atropine Sulphate (0.6-1.2 mg) also be given intravenously using separate syringe.

Prevention of post-operative abdominal distention and urinary retention: 0.25 mg intramuscularly or subcutaneously as soon as possible after operation; repeat every 4 6 hours for 2-3 days.

Treatment of post-operative abdominal distention: 0.5 mg intramuscularly or subcutaneously or as required.

Treatment of urinary retention: 0.5 mg intramuscularly or subcutaneously. If urination does not occur within an hour, the patient should be catheterized. After the patient has voided, or the bladder has been emptied, continue the 0.5 mg injection every 3 hours, for at least 5 injections.

Symptomatic control of Myasthenia Gravis: 0.5 mg intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Subsequent dose should be based on the individual patient's response.

Neonates: 50-250 micrograms (0.1 to 0.5 ml) every 4 hours.

Children: 200-500 micrograms (0.4 ml to 1 ml) as recommended.

Side Effects

Anticholinergic symptoms (mydriasis, hyperthermia, tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmia), Dry mouth, Dry skin, Anhidrosis, Flushing, Blurred vision, Cycloplegia, Photophobia, Palpitation, Xerophthalmia, Constipation, Urinary retention

Nausea, vomiting, increased salivation, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps (more marked with high doses). Signs of overdose are increased gastrointestinal discomfort, bronchial secretions and sweating, involuntary defecation and micturition, miosis, nystagmus, bradycardia, hypotension, agitation, excessive dreaming and weakness eventually leading to fasciculation and paralysis.

Toxicity

Overdosage of Neostigmine can cause cholinergic crisis, which is characterized by increasing muscle weakness, and through involvement of the muscles of respiration, may result in death. The LD 50 of neostigmine methylsulfate in mice is 0.3 ± 0.02 mg/kg intravenously, 0.54 ± 0.03 mg/kg subcutaneously, and 0.395 ± 0.025 mg/kg intramuscularly; in rats the LD 50 is 0.315 ± 0.019 mg/kg intravenously, 0.445 ± 0.032 mg/kg subcutaneously, and 0.423 ± 0.032 mg/kg intramuscularly.

Precaution

Antimuscarinics should be used with caution (due to increased risk of side effects) in Down's syndrome, in children and in the elderly.

They should also be used with caution in gastro-esophageal reflux disease, diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, acute myocardial infarction, hypertension, conditions characterized by tachycardia (including hyperthyroidism, cardiac insufficiency, cardiac surgery) because of the increase in heart rate produced by their administration, coronary artery disease and cardiac arrhythmias, pyrexia (due to inhibition of sweating), pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Because of prolongation of renal elimination, repeated or large doses of glycopyrronium bromide should be avoided in patients with uremia.

Large doses of quaternary anticholinergic compounds have been shown to block end plate nicotinic receptors. This should be considered before using glycopyrrolate in patients with myasthenia gravis.

It is known that the administration of anticholinergic agents during inhalation anesthesia can result in ventricular arrhythmias.

Lactation: Excretion in milk unknown; use with caution

Asthma, bradycardia, recent myocardial infarction, epilepsy, hypotension, parkinsonism, vagotonia, peptic ulceration. Atropine or other antidote to muscarinic effccts may be necessary (particularly when Neostigmine is given by injection), but it should not be given routinely as it may mask signs of overdose.

Interaction

Decreases levodopa effects. Effects may be enhanced by using drugs with antimuscarinic properties or MAOIs concurrently. May antagonise the Gl effects of cisapride, metoclopramide and dompeidone.

Anti-arrhythmic Procainamide, Quinidine and possibly Propafenone antagonise effect of Neostigmine. Antibacterials, Aminoglycosides, Clindamycin, Lincomycin and Polymyxins antagonise effect of Neostigmine.

Elimination Route

Neostigmine bromide is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract following oral administration

Half Life

The half-life ranged from 42 to 60 minutes with a mean half-life of 52 minutes.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding use

Pregnancy Category B. Animal reproduction studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women OR Animal studies have shown an adverse effect, but adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus in any trimester.

Pregnancy Category C. There are no adequate or well-controlled studies of Neostigmine in either laboratory animals or in pregnantwomen. It is not known whether Neostigmine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproductive capacity. Neostigmine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

Nonteratogenic Effects: Anticholinesterase drugs may cause uterine irritability and induce premature labor when given intravenously to pregnant women near term.

Nursing Mothers: It is not known whether Neostigmine is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions from Neostigmine in nursing infants, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.

Contraindication

Angle-closure glaucoma; myasthenia gravis (large doses of quaternary ammonium compounds have been shown to block end plate nicotinic receptors); paralytic ileus; pyloric stenosis; prostatic enlargement. Anticholinesterase-antimuscarinic combinations such as neostigmine plus glycopyrronium should be avoided in patients with a prolonged QT interval.

Neostigmine is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drug. It is also contraindicated in patients with peritonitis or mechanical obstruction of the intestinal or urinary tract.

Storage Condition

Store in a cool and dry place, protected from light.

Innovators Monograph

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