Indometacin
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Pronunciation | /ɪndoʊˈmɛtəsɪn/ |
Trade names | Indocid, Indocin |
Other names | Indomethacin (USAN US) |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
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Pharmacokinetic data | |
Bioavailability | ~100% (oral), 80–90% (rectal) |
Protein binding | 99%[2] |
Metabolism | Liver |
Elimination half-life | 2.6-11.2 hours (adults), 12-28 hours (infants)[2] |
Excretion | Kidney (60%), fecal (33%) |
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Indometacin, also known as indomethacin, is a
It was patented in 1961 and approved for medical use in 1963.[4][5] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[6] In 2021, it was the 253rd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 1 million prescriptions.[7][8]
Medical uses
As an NSAID, indometacin is an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic. Clinical indications for indometacin include:
Joint diseases
- rheumatoid arthritis[9]
- ankylosing spondylitis[9]
- osteoarthritis[9]
- gouty arthritis[9]
- acute painful shoulder tendinitis[9]
Headaches
- Trigeminal autonomic cephalgias[10]
- Paroxysmal hemicranias[10]
- Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania[10]
- Episodic paroxysmal hemicrania[10]
- Hemicrania continua[10]
- Valsalva-induced headaches[10]
- Primary cough headache[10]
- Primary exertional headache[10]
- Primary headache associated with sexual activity (preorgasmic and orgasmic)[10]
- Primary stabbing headache (jabs and jolts syndrome)[10]
- Hypnic headache[10]
Others
Contraindications
- Concurrent peptic ulcer, or history of ulcer disease
- Allergy to indometacin, aspirin, or other NSAIDs
- gastric sleevepatients
- Patients with nasal polyps reacting with an angioedema to other NSAIDs
- Children under 2 years of age (with the exception of neonates with patent ductus arteriosus)
- Severe pre-existing renal and liver damage
- Caution: pre-existing bone marrow damage (frequent blood cell counts are indicated)
- Caution: bleeding tendencies of unknown origin (indometacin inhibits platelet aggregation)
- Caution: Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, psychotic disorders (indometacin may worsen these conditions)[12]
- Concurrent with potassium sparing diuretics
- Patients who have a patent ductus arteriosus dependent heart defect (such as transposition of the great vessels)
- Significant hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Concomitant administration of lithium salts (such as lithium carbonate)
Adverse effects
In general, the adverse effects of indometacin are similar to those of all other NSAIDs. For instance, indometacin inhibits both
To reduce the possibility of peptic ulcers, indometacin should be prescribed at the lowest dosage needed to achieve a therapeutic effect, usually between 50 and 200 mg/day. It should always be taken with food. Nearly all patients benefit from an ulcer protective drug (e.g. highly dosed antacids,
are less serious and rarely require discontinuation of indometacin.Many NSAIDs, but particularly indometacin, cause
are preferred.All NSAIDs, including indometacin, also increase plasma renin activity and aldosterone levels, and increase sodium and potassium retention. Vasopressin activity is also enhanced. Together these may lead to:
- Edema (swelling due to fluid retention)
- Hyperkalemia (high potassium levels)[13]
- Hypernatremia (high sodium levels)
- Hypertension
Elevations of serum creatinine and more serious renal damage such as acute kidney failure, chronic nephritis and nephrotic syndrome, are also possible. These conditions also often begin with edema and high potassium levels in the blood.
Paradoxically yet uncommonly, indometacin can cause headache (10 to 20%), sometimes with vertigo and dizziness, hearing loss, tinnitus, blurred vision (with or without retinal damage). There are unsubstantiated reports of worsening Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. Cases of life-threatening shock (including angioedema, sweating, severe hypotension and tachycardia as well as acute bronchospasm), severe or lethal hepatitis and severe bone marrow damage have all been reported. Skin reactions and photosensitivity are also possible side effects.
The frequency and severity of side effects and the availability of better tolerated alternatives make indometacin today a drug of second choice. Its use in acute gout attacks and in dysmenorrhea is well-established because in these indications the duration of treatment is limited to a few days only, therefore serious side effects are not likely to occur.
People should undergo regular physical examination to detect edema and signs of central nervous side effects. Blood pressure checks will reveal development of hypertension. Periodic serum electrolyte (sodium, potassium, chloride) measurements, complete blood cell counts and assessment of liver enzymes as well as of creatinine (renal function) should be performed. This is particularly important if Indometacin is given together with an ACE inhibitor or with potassium-sparing diuretics, because these combinations can lead to hyperkalemia and/or serious kidney failure. No examinations are necessary if only the topical preparations (spray or gel) are applied.
Rare cases have shown that use of this medication by pregnant women can have an effect on the fetal heart, possibly resulting in fetal death via premature closing of the Ductus arteriosus.[14]
In October 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required the drug label to be updated for all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to describe the risk of kidney problems in unborn babies that result in low amniotic fluid.[15][16] They recommend avoiding NSAIDs in pregnant women at 20 weeks or later in pregnancy.[15][16]
Mechanism of action
Indometacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), has similar mode of action when compared to other drugs in this group. It is a nonselective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2, the enzymes that participate in prostaglandin synthesis from arachidonic acid. Prostaglandins are hormone-like molecules normally found in the body, where they have a wide variety of effects, some of which lead to pain, fever, and inflammation. By inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins, indometacin can reduce pain, fever, and inflammation.[9] Indometacin mechanism of action, along with several other NSAIDs that inhibit COX, was described in 1971.[17]
Additionally, indometacin has recently been found to be a
Besides, indometacin has logarithmic acid dissociation constant pKa of 3 to 4.5. Since the physiologic body pH is well above the pKa range of indometacin, most of the indometacin molecules will be dissociated into ionized form, leaving very little un-ionized form of indometacin to cross a cell membrane. If the pH gradient across a cell membrane is high, most of the indometacin molecules will be trapped in one side of the membrane with higher pH. This phenomenon is called "ion trapping". The phenomenon of ion trapping is particularly prominent in the stomach as pH at the stomach mucosa layer is extremely acidic, while the parietal cells are more alkaline. Therefore, indometacin are trapped inside the parietal cells in ionized form, damaging the stomach cells, causing stomach irritation. This stomach irritation can reduce if the stomach acidity is reduced, as the GI side effects from NSAIDs are generally reduced by decreasing stomach acidity.[9]
Indometacin's role in treating certain headaches is unique compared to other NSAIDs. In addition to the class effect of COX inhibition, there is evidence that indometacin has the ability to reduce cerebral blood flow not only through modulation of nitric oxide pathways but also via intracranial precapillary vasoconstriction.
Prostaglandins also cause
Indometacin readily crosses the placenta and can reduce fetal urine production to treat polyhydramnios. It does so by reducing renal blood flow and increasing renal vascular resistance, possibly by enhancing the effects of vasopressin on the fetal kidneys.
Other modes of action for indometacin are:
- it inhibits motility of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, similar to colchicine
- it uncouples oxidative phosphorylation in cartilaginous (and hepatic) mitochondria, like salicylates
- it has been found to specifically inhibit MRP (multidrug resistance proteins) in murine and human cells[22]
Nomenclature
Indometacin is the
, and formerReferences
- FDA. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b c Brayfield A, ed. (14 January 2014). "Indometacin". Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference. London, UK: Pharmaceutical Press. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ^ "TGA Approved Terminology for Medicines, Section 1 – Chemical Substances" (PDF). Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government. July 1999. p. 70.
- PMID 14056924.
- ISBN 9783527607495.
- hdl:10665/345533. WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02.
- ^ "The Top 300 of 2021". ClinCalc. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Indomethacin - Drug Usage Statistics". ClinCalc. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ S2CID 205160729.
- ^ S2CID 24393617.
- S2CID 5553768.
- ^ "INDOMETHACIN". Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB). National Library of Medicine's TOXNET. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- PMID 4002013.
- S2CID 6798504.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "FDA Warns that Using a Type of Pain and Fever Medication in Second Half of Pregnancy Could Lead to Complications". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Press release). 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b "NSAIDs may cause rare kidney problems in unborn babies". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- PMID 5284362.
- PMID 31680861.
- PMID 9876886.)
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