Lanol ER is an anti-inflammatory drug that is used commonly to treat mild to moderate pain and fever in many disease conditions. It is the most commonly used medication to treat pain and fever the world over. It is enlisted in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of essential medicines which includes the most effective and safe medications required for a health system.
Uses and Benefits of Lanol ER:
Lanol ER can be used effectively to relieve symptoms in many disease conditions
- Fever – Lanol ER can be used in the recommended dosage to bring down fever in all age groups. It has excellent anti-pyretic qualities. The pharmacological actions do not extend to inflammation and it is not good as an anti-inflammatory agent. The drug offers temporary relief of fever only and does not treat the underlying cause. Hence a thorough investigational work-up by Physician is important if fever persists despite completing a course of Paracetamol. Fever and lethargy arising after immunisation called post-immunisation pyrexia can also be effectively treated with this drug.
- Pain – Lanol ER is used extensively to treat mild to moderate pain. This type of pain is frequently seen associated with all types of headache, toothache, backache, abdominal cramps due to menstrual periods, seasonal flu, common cold, etc.
- Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease of the joints affecting elderly patients. According to the American College of Rheumatology, Paracetamol is recommended for treating pain due to arthritis of hip, knee or hand that does not improve with weight loss or exercise. Paracetamol is good in relieving pain but has no anti-inflammatory activity like NSAIDs. It has no effect in bringing down redness, swelling and inflammation of the joint but is preferred over aspirin and tolerated better by patients.
- Low backache – This is a common symptom among middle-aged and elderly age group people and in young age group after strenuous activities like lifting heavy boxes or bending and working for long hours. Strain to muscles of the lower back is most frequently encountered and Lanol ER can be used to treat this symptom. In fact, The American College of Physicians and The American Pain Society recommend paracetamol as the first-line of treatment in patients with low back-ache.
- Headache – Tension headache and migraine headache respond well to first-line treatment with paracetamol. Paracetamol with caffeine is recommended by several medical organizations around the world and by the German Society of Neurology as first-line therapy for tension and migraine headaches.
- Other Conditions – Paracetamol is used to treat pain due to dental caries or dental procedures in patients who cannot tolerate other NSAIDs or Aspirin due to increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding or ulceration. Paracetamol is also used to relieve postpartum pain, muscular pain due to strenuous exercise or injury and ear pain.
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Side Effects of Lanol ER:
Lanol ER is generally well tolerated. Different individuals react differently to the drug and hence minor side effects may occur. These include
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Redness of skin
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling of face
- Sudden onset of large blisters on the skin
- Sudden onset of discolored spots or elevations on the skin
- Severe widespread rash on the skin
- Uncontrollable itching and redness of the skin with peeling of the skin
- Sudden swelling of vocal cords with an inability to breath
- Decreased white blood cell count in a routine haemogram
- Decreased neutrophil count in a routine haemogram
- Decreased platelet count in a routine haemogram
- Acute liver failure symptoms
- Abnormal liver function tests
- Excessive nausea
- Excessive vomiting
- Persistent abdominal pain
- Pallor
- Anorexia
- Excitement
- Delirium
- Liver damage leading to encephalopathy, cerebral oedema, hemorrhage, hypoglycemia and death
The above-mentioned minor side-effects are usually transient and disappear when the drug is discontinued.
Very rarely, adverse side-effects may occur in certain susceptible individuals.
The patient should be immediately taken to the nearest emergency care unit if the following are encountered:
The list is not conclusive and may include other possible side effects for which a doctor should be consulted.
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Common Dosage of Lanol ER:
The drug is best taken after consultation with a registered medical practitioner.
For adults, Lanol ER can be given in doses of 500mg – 1 g every 4-6 hours. A maximum of about 4g only can be given in one day. Administration of the drug more than the recommended dosage causes severe toxicity.
Symptoms of overdosage include:
The dose is adjusted in chronic alcoholics, known G6PD deficiency, chronic malnutrition, and in patients with severe hypovolemia.
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Composition and Nature of Lanol ER:
Each tablet of Lanol ER contains 650 mg of Paracetamol/Acetaminophen.
Paracetamol is an analgesic and antipyretic. After oral ingestion, the drug is rapidly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. It is primarily metabolized by three distinct metabolic pathways in the liver. The final end products are excreted through the kidney.
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Precautions and Warnings – When to Avoid Lanol ER?
The consulting physician should be informed about the previous health condition of the patient along with present health condition and drugs currently taken, whether allopathic or alternative medicine therapy. This is very important because the physician adjusts the dose according to the condition of the patient and may be able to warn about possible side effects to look for in specific conditions.
Caution is required in patients with liver diseases, kidney diseases, or abnormal liver and kidney function tests. Since Paracetamol is primarily metabolized in the liver and kidney, a compromised liver or diseased kidney cannot effectively get rid of the by-products of paracetamol metabolism and may lead to exaggerated side effects and poor patient tolerance.
Though no adverse effects have been recorded, Lanol ER use in pregnancy and lactation should be done after consultation with a general physician or obstetrician.
Lanol ER is seen to interact with a few other medications like Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, Sodium nitrite, Prilocaine, Leflunomide, etc. Patients taking these drugs need to inform their doctor who will offer advice on dose adjustments.
Substitutes of Lanol ER:
- Sumo L
- Ibibull
- Fevridol
- Doliza
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How Lanol ER works?
Mechanism of Action of Lanol ER
The analgesic action of Lanol ER is by peripheral blockage of generation of pain impulses. It results in antipyresis by inhibiting the hypothalamic heat-regulating center. Paracetamol/Acetaminophen appears to act by reducing the quantity of cyclo-oxygenase which needs to be oxidized in order to function as inflammatory mediators. Thus its weak anti-inflammatory activity is related to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis in the CNS. It also acts by modulating the endogenous cannabinoid system within the central nervous system.
