Vinpocetine

Indications

Vinpocetine is used for: Dementia, Cerebrovascular disorders, Stroke

Adult Dose

Oral Adult Tablet: 1-2 tablets thrice daily, the maintenance dose is 1 tablet thrice daily. Parenteral IM Injection: Daily dose of 20-40 mg are to be given until improvement of symptoms is reached (for not longer than 10 days) then oral treatment should be applied. If this regimen fails, infusion treatment should be started. IV Infusion: The daily starting dose is 20 mg in slow drip infusion (2 ampoules in 500-1000 ml infusion solution). This dose can be increased to 1 mg/kg body weight during 3 to 4 days. Treatment should be continued for 10-14 days depending on the tolerance of the patients and the dose should be gradually reduced before discontinuation of treatment.

Child Dose

Renal Dose

Administration

Should be taken with food. Take after meals.

Contra Indications

Parenteral treatment- Severe ischaemic heart disease, severe rhythm disorders and pregnancy. Pregnancy, Lactation.

Precautions

Hypertension or cardiac dysfunction. In the acute stage until the improvement of symptoms parenteral treatment is recommended followed by oral treatment. In chronic cases oral therapy should be applied.

Pregnancy-Lactation

Pregnancy Category: avoid Lactation: avoid

Interactions

Possible decrease in anticoagulation effect with warfarin.

Adverse Effects

Side effects of Vinpocetine : Transient hypotension, tachycardia.

Mechanism of Action

Vinpocetine is derived from vincamine. It increases cerebral circulation and utilisation of oxygen and is used in a variety of cerebral disorders. Shown to inhibit cGMP phosphodiesterase that has may result in increased cerebral blood flow. Reported to have calcium-channel blocker, voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, & acetylcholine release activities.