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Aflibercept belongs to the group of pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases. The unwanted side effects of drugs often damage the eyes. Let's learn about Aflibercept drug to understand its uses, uses and interactions.
1. Uses of the drug Aflibercept
Aflibercept is on the list of ophthalmic drugs. Cases of macular degeneration are often treated with the drug Aflibercept. Especially, the condition occurs in the elderly with wet, swollen, and edematous manifestations, causing venous occlusion in the center of the retina. If you have diabetes complications can also develop macular edema.
When using the drug Aflibercept, the condition of the eyes is improved, preventing vision loss leading to blindness. The mechanism of action of the drug is to prevent the growth of blood vessels so that the optic nerve is not compressed.
2. Drug dosage and overdose treatment
2.1 Dosage of Aflibercept For each medical condition, the dose and duration of use of Aflibercept are prescribed by different doctors. You need to check to determine the extent of eye damage before using the drug.
Patients with macular degeneration: the first dose you will receive 2 mg of liquid medicine directly. Every 4 weeks, repeat injections are carried out and at the same time train the eye reflexes to see far away. Proceed to move the point of view away in the first 3 weeks to monitor vision. After that, the interval between injections will be extended to 8 weeks / time and keep the same dose. In the case of eye progress but not meeting the set requirements, it is possible to keep the same injection schedule after 12 weeks. Patients with macular edema: Macular edema may occur due to diabetic syndrome or venous edema in the retina. If the cause of venous swelling is determined, 2 mg of Aflibercept is injected into the eye. For patients with diabetes, the first 5 injections will be given 4 weeks apart. Then check and decide to extend the injection schedule every 8 weeks or keep the old injection schedule and monitor. Diabetic ophthalmopathy: This disease is similar to macular edema. Because vision is reduced due to diabetes complications, you need to regularly check and monitor any abnormalities of the body to notify the doctor to adjust the dose accordingly. Young children are at risk for visual impairment. However, this age is often caused by congenital or harmful light exposure to the eyes. Therefore, Aflibercept is generally not recommended for use in young children. 2.2 Treatment of overdose An overdose will cause the pharmacology of the drug to increase sharply. This can be the cause of an unintended side effect that jeopardizes the eye's ability to recover. You need to quickly go to the hospital to check and bring all relevant information such as medical records and previous prescriptions to the doctor. To avoid an overdose, you should always remember when to take the medicine to avoid forgetting to take a double dose to make up for the missed dose.
3. Instructions for using Aflibercept
Aflibercept is injected directly into the eye. Before the injection, the doctor will give you anesthesia to reduce pain. After the injection is completed, the patient will stay for a while at the hospital or clinic for monitoring. If your eyes and vision show no signs of deterioration, you will be sent home.
Each treatment regimen will require a different dose of Aflibercept. The schedule for subsequent injections will range from 4 to 8 weeks. You need to pay attention to the doctor's appointment schedule to avoid delayed injection causing interruption of drug effects. After the injection, be sure to follow your doctor's instructions to avoid eye infections. Dosage should always be maintained, avoiding arbitrarily increased or stopped halfway without the permission of the doctor.
4. Unwanted side effects of Aflibercept
Before injection around the eye is anesthetized, so when the anesthetic wears off, the eye will feel pain.
At first you will feel a bit stuck or something is in the eye causing more tears to come out. When your eyes appear black or red, causing pain and discomfort, you need to call your doctor immediately. To be on the safe side, go to the hospital for a checkup immediately. Some signs of pain in the chest, jaw, left arm with shortness of breath, sweat or nerve effects should also be noted because it may be a side effect of Aflibercept.
Serious eye diseases such as endophthalmitis, retinal detachment are rarely aggravated by the use of Aflibercept. However, when the eyes become sensitive to light, sudden vision changes or painful swelling, you need to get checked quickly. According to studies with the same treatment results, there are very few patients who develop an allergic reaction to the drug. You can tell if you have an allergy if you feel swelling, itching of the head organs or dizziness leading to difficulty breathing.
5. Notes when using the drug Aflibercept
When using the drug, there will be some notes for the group of patients with contraindications. You need to consult your doctor first if you fall into one or more of the following situations:
Have ever had an allergic reaction to one or more of the ingredients in the medicine Have signs of an eye infection or are in poor health Time to take the drug close to the scheduled surgery or tooth extraction Pregnant or breastfeeding After using the drug, vision may remain disturbed for a period of time. This is the downside for the driver. You need to avoid work such as driving or operating machinery to avoid the eyes needing to adjust too much. Any problems you are having such as medical or health problems should be reported to your doctor for careful consideration before using Aflibercept.
6. Some drug interactions of Aflibercept
Interactions can occur when you take many drugs at the same time or eat foods that cause irritation.
6.1 Interactions with Drugs Sometimes side effects of Aflibercept appear because you take it with other drugs. Interactions between drugs will increase the danger to health conditions and reduce the effectiveness of drugs when treating. During the prescribing diagnosis process, you need to provide enough information about the medicines you are taking, including herbs and supplements, and with or without a prescription. Especially eye drops, you should not use them on your own unless your doctor tells you to. Some studies have also found an interaction between Aflibercept and eye drops.
6.2 Interactions with Food Stimulants, alcohol and unhealthy fats should all be eliminated. They affect metabolism and attack the nervous system, causing danger to the eyes while being treated with Aflibercept.
Aflibercept is an intraocular injection administered by a physician. You should carefully check the medicine before injecting. Your doctor will check with you the correct name and expiry date to make sure the new medicine is intact. In addition, your doctor will also allow you to read the instructions for use of the drug in advance to better understand the information and feel secure about the medicine.
With ophthalmic diseases such as macular degeneration, swelling of the veins in the retina, you may be prescribed the drug Aflibercept. Because the drug is injected intraocularly, you will need to pay attention to protect your eyes and maintain healthy living habits to help your eyes recover quickly. After the injection, if you feel uncomfortable or have one of the side effects mentioned above, quickly go to the hospital to check.
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