Sibelium is a selective calcium entry blocker. It is available as oral red and grey capsules containing 5mg flunarizine. Sibelium is a selective calcium antagonist. It prevents cellular calcium overload by reducing excessive transmembrane calcium influx. Sibelium has no effect on contractility or conduction of the heart.
Sibelium is well absorbed from the gut, reaching peak plasma levels within 2 to 4 hours and reaching steady state at 5-6 weeks. After extensive hepatic metabolism, the drug and its metabolites are excreted through the faeces via the bile. The mean terminal elimination half-life is about 18 days. Plasma protein binding is 90%.
What is Sibelium Used for? – Sibelium Indications
Sibelium is used as a prophylaxis of classic (with aura) or common (without aura) migraine. It is also indicated for the symptomatic treatment of vestibular vertigo, due to a diagnosed functional disorder of the vestibular system.
Don’t Take Sibelium if…
Sibelium Dosage in Migraine Prophylaxis
Starting Dose:
Treatment is started at 10 mg daily (at night) for patients younger than 65 years of age and at 5 mg daily for patients older than 65 years. If, during this treatment, depressive, extrapyramidal or other unacceptable adverse experiences occur, administration should be discontinued. If, after 2 months of this initial treatment, no significant improvement is observed, the patient should be considered a non-responder and administration should also be discontinued.
Maintenance Treatment
If the patient responds satisfactorily and if a maintenance treatment is needed, the dose of Sibelium should be decreased so that each week the patient has 5 days treatment at the same daily dose and 2 successive drug-free days.
Even if the prophylactic maintenance treatment is successful and well tolerated, it should be interrupted after 6 months and re-initiated only if the patient relapses.
Sibelium Dosage in Vertigo
The same daily dose should be used as for migraine, but the starting treatment should not be given longer than needed for symptom control, which generally takes less than two months.
If, however, no significant improvement is observed after one month for chronic vertigo or after two months for paroxysmal vertigo, the patient should be considered a non-responder and administration should be discontinued.
Sibelium Over dosage
On the basis of the pharmacological properties of Sibelium Capsules, sedation and asthenia may be expected to occur. A few cases of acute over dosage (up to 600 mg in one intake) have been reported and the observed symptoms were sedation, agitation and tachycardia. Treatment of acute over dosage consist of charcoal administration, induction of emesis or gastric lavage, and supportive measures. No specific antidote is known.
Leave A Comment