With varicose veins, the blood pools within the valves of the blood vessels, causing the veins to expand and swell. The process is accompanied by a color change. Veins, as a rule, on the legs, acquire a purple or blue tint, become noticeable (protrude above the surface of the skin). Varicose veins are considered a cosmetic defect, but some people susceptible to this condition experience physical ailments.
Varicose vein medications relieve the following symptoms:
- pain (particularly when walking);
- swelling;
- feeling of heaviness (or fullness) at the site of the varicose veins;
- seizures (more often at night);
- modification of the skin and the appearance of concomitant pathologies (dermatitis, eczema).
Important! It is impossible to completely cure varicose veins, but various therapeutic methods help to slow down the manifestations of pathology and its further development.
How to recognize the first signs of varicose veins?
To start varicose vein treatment on time, you need to know what symptoms indicate impending disease. There are 6 stages of varicose veins:
- the onset of the disease, which is indicated by edema, heaviness in the legs and night cramps of the muscles of the lower leg, nighttime change in the temperature of the legs: they are hot or cold;
- the first stage is characterized by the appearance of spider veins;
- in the second, thickening of the veins and formation of nodules in them;
- the third adds severe swelling of the legs at night.
The last two stages are the formation of trophic ulcers. The change in color of the skin of the legs in the affected areas should also alert. Take a brown tint. The most successful treatment can be achieved in the initial and early stages. Therefore, at the first symptoms, it is necessary to visit a doctor and start treatment.
The problem of varicose veins is especially serious for pregnant and nursing mothers. The manifestations of the disease greatly worsen the condition and the possibilities of treating it are limited. Therefore, when evaluating drugs for varicose veins, we will pay attention to the possibility of their use during these periods.
Groups of drugs used to treat varicose veins
For the treatment of varicose veins, various types of drugs are used: ointments, creams, tablets, injections. All medicines belong to one of the following groups:
- Disintegrators. Medicines that relieve pain and concomitant symptoms (fever, burning, headache). They also tend to thin the blood. With varicose veins, drugs in this group are often prescribed in the form of tablets or injectable solutions.
- Phlebotonic. They are used in the treatment of chronic varicose veins. Medications increase the elasticity of blood vessels and strengthen their walls, in addition to improving blood microcirculation. With prolonged use, phlebotonics stop the symptoms of varicose veins and prevent further development of the pathology.
- Anticoagulants. Anticoagulant medications. They are used to reduce the visibility of the veins, reduce swelling. They have a predominantly cosmetic effect.
- Antioxidants. They are used to accelerate the flow of fluid, increase elasticity and strengthen blood vessels. Antioxidants help fight the cosmetic manifestations of varicose veins (venous network), but they also have a therapeutic effect.
Also during treatment, the doctor may prescribe decongestants, injections of saline.
Important! In addition to medications, compression stockings are used to combat the manifestations of varicose veins. They can be special stockings or tights that slow down the progression of the pathology.
Disintegrators
Disaggregators or antiplatelet agents should only be used after consulting a physician or for a short time. Medicines in this group thin the blood, so they can cause a number of side effects:
- prolonged bleeding;
- lowering of blood pressure (blood pressure);
- dizziness, malaise.
Important! An absolute contraindication to its use is heart failure (regardless of the stage of the disease).
Taking acetylsalicylic acid alone is dangerous, as side effects can develop (in particular, a sharp decrease in the rate of blood clotting).
Important! Antiplatelet agents, together with anticoagulants, increase the risk of thrombosis, so the use of drugs in these categories separately is recommended.
Phlebotonic
Preparations from the phlebotonic group have a complex effect on the body. With varicose veins, they perform the main therapeutic functions: they increase the elasticity of blood vessels and stabilize the outflow of blood.
Most effective substances in this category:
- Rutoside. It refers to vitamins of group P. The substance is contained in various dosage forms (in particular, in tablets). Rutoside is found in vegetables, fruits, and berries.
- Pentoxifylline. It has a positive effect on blood microcirculation and on its rheological properties (fluidity, viscoplasticity). Pentoxifylline medications also work on the blood vessels to increase their elasticity.
- Hesperidin. Substance that reduces the elasticity of the veins, reduces blood congestion and the permeability of the capillary walls. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
The preparations in this group are extracted from natural compounds. Due to their natural origin, the drugs have minimal side effects.
Anticoagulants
Preparations from the group of anticoagulants have anticoagulant properties. A popular drug in this category is heparin. It is a direct acting drug. It comes in the form of an injectable solution. It is administered intravenously (in especially severe cases) or subcutaneously (as part of complex therapy).
Important! The above medications should not be used for bleeding and pregnancy. Also, blood thinners are not recommended for women during lactation (breastfeeding).
Antioxidants
Antioxidant medications are used most often to prevent or reduce the risk of varicose vein progression. These medications are optional.
Additional recommendations
To relieve the painful symptoms of varicose veins, you need to take warm or hot baths, exercise, and go to the bathroom more often. The set of exercises depends on the stage of the disease.
In addition, direct exposure to sunlight (and, in principle, any heating of the area of localization of the pathology) helps varicose veins. But when using this method, it is important to use products with sun protection factor, so as not to accelerate the aging of the skin and increase the risk of developing cancer.
Tablets for varicose veins
Self-medication for varicose veins is the most popular method of therapy. The internet is full of miracle recipes for apple cider vinegar, leeches, and other magical technologies, and our fellow citizens willingly believe this. Varicose veins can now be cured cheaply or even free of charge by certified specialists, but miracle shamans are still very popular. These are probably remnants of the primitive communal system of our ancestors. Only pain can make a person run after a doctor, we will diligently anoint varicose veins without complications with various unpleasant things in the hope that one day they will be resolved.
Medicine for varicose veins
The vast majority of people, choosing between the surgical treatment of any pathology (in our case, varicose veins) and a possible non-invasive treatment, be it capsules, tablets for varicose veins, gels, ointments, herbs and infusions, will choose especiallyfor the latter, from all screens they will spread about its effectiveness and the uselessness of any operation. The amount of information for dumbfounded patients can be judged by the number of advertisements for pills and creams for varicose veins on all federal channels, where happy girls run easily after smearing their healthy legs with a miracle cream or taking miracle pills.
So what to do and take in case of varicose veins?
Before the standard offer of contacting our center, we will inform you about really effective methods that can facilitate the course of the disease.
In this section, we suggest to forget about the terribly effective pills that "help" with varicose veins and to remember the traditional and proven methods.
Massage and bath for varicose veins
Massage, unlike many cheap phlebotonics advertised, is an active treatment method for varicose veins that helps prevent edema, eliminate swelling, lower extremity fatigue, and reduce overall body fatigue.
The Innovative Vascular Center uses all kinds of modern massages, especially for pathologies of the lymphatic and venous systems. One of the exclusive methods is the lymphatic drainage massage technology with bands, which very effectively relieves chronic venous insufficiency.
In chronic venous insufficiency, massage is used to eliminate venous hypertension in varicose veins and post-thrombotic syndrome. The combination of this technology with bands allows you to effectively eliminate all clinical manifestations of the disease.
Therapeutic massage is a very effective remedy for the symptomatic treatment of varicose veins in the legs, but it only provides temporary relief. We use manual lymphatic drainage in patients with severe edema in patients with lymphatic venous insufficiency. There is no need to be afraid of "pulling blood clots" with such treatment, but in case of exacerbation it should not be used.
But the bathroom is a completely different matter: with varicose veins, thrombophlebitis of the lower limbs or post-thrombotic disease, it is very dangerous. Any heat stress can cause the formation of blood clots in deep veins, carried with the bloodstream, with all the consequent consequences. Dehydration in the bathroom causes a "thickening" of the blood. Do not expose yourself to unnecessary risks. Varicose veins from the bathroom will not go away and thrombophlebitis is very possible.
Varicose vein laser treatment
Varicose veins: a disease that does not tolerate deposits in treatment. By not paying proper attention to the course of the disease, a person unknowingly aggravates his situation, which increases the probability of an operation.
Medicine develops day by day and it is good that today there are alternatives to surgical intervention: the treatment of varicose veins with laser.
Laser treatment of varicose veins is the same effective method as surgery, but it is an absolutely painless treatment.Unlike drugs, a particular advantage is their speed. Laser treatment is used in hospitals, beauty salons, when it is necessary to remove a mild degree of varicose veins - spider veins.
First, the doctor injects the patient with painkillers and uses a laser to glue the damaged veins. After such a procedure, the patient must wear compression underwear for a year.
The first results are visible within 5-7 months after laser treatment. Many patients prefer this solution to the problem, because laser therapy, unlike pills and other drugs, is fast, cheap, effective, and does not hurt.
Home remedies to treat varicose veins
Sometimes it happens that due to individual intolerance to any pills and drugs, a person is forced to abandon traditional treatments for varicose veins.No need to be upset, because natural ingredients are included in the same store as creams, ointments, and other preparations.Many harmful chemicals are added on their own.
However, it should not be forgotten that all home remedies are effective only in the initial stage of varicose veins. Traditional medicinal recipes, like traditional medicines, aim to improve blood circulation.
Before effective drugs appeared in the fight against varicose veins, our ancestors used creams, ointments, infusions, homemade lotions made from birch leaves, chestnut, burdock, apple cider vinegar, hops and calendula. These drugs do not treat leg pain worse than many modern drugs and expensive pills.
For example, a natural medicine from infused crushed Kalanchoe leaves was rubbed on the legs for a month, the pain syndrome disappeared, and the venous networks became less noticeable. Such a natural preparation worked quite well and was clearly not inferior to pills.
With pronounced symptoms that bring discomfort and discomfort to everyday life and suspicion of varicose veins in the legs, you do not need to independently prescribe pills and medications. It is recommended to visit a phlebologist who will professionally select an individual remedy for the treatment of varicose veins.
Horse Chestnut
In folk medicine, the first place belongs to the horse chestnut. The effectiveness of the treatment of varicose veins is due to the content of several substances in the plant:
- aescin strengthens the walls of blood vessels, thins the blood and has an antibacterial effect;
- esculin prevents the formation of a vascular network (strengthens capillaries and other small vessels) and blood clots;
- Tannins have the ability to bind proteins and fix them on the vascular wall, thus increasing their strength;
- rutin reduces the permeability of the vascular wall;
- kaempferol helps in tissue regeneration, heals ulcers and has anticancer effects.
The result of the use of home remedies based on horse chestnut is achieved with the course treatment. It is expressed in a decrease in edema, swollen veins, heaviness, itching and the pain disappears. The downside of horse chestnut is the inability to treat it while carrying a baby and breastfeeding. Like any folk remedy, it is just an addition to drug therapy. Effective drugs have been created based on horse chestnut extract.
Apple cider vinegar
Even official medicine recognizes its benefits for the treatment of varicose veins. A large number of useful substances (acids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals) allow you to fight several manifestations of varicose veins at once. The apple cider vinegar application allows:
- normalizes vascular tone;
- increase the elasticity of the skin and avoid the thinning that usually accompanies the disease;
- remove the swelling;
- to increase smooth muscle tone;
- relieve inflammation due to the antiseptic properties of apple cider vinegar.
Commercial apple cider vinegar is not suitable for treating varicose veins. The homemade version is easy to make yourself from fresh apples. There are two possible ways of use: external and internal. For baths, compresses, wrappers, and sprays, concentrated vinegar is used. For oral administration, it must be diluted. The tool can be used only in the absence of a threat of blood clots.
Compression aids
Compression stockings and knee-high stockings account for 50% of the success of varicose vein treatment. Its main objective is to improve the functioning of the venous valve mechanism, the venous-muscular pump and microcirculation, that is, the capacity of the capillaries to absorb extracellular fluid. These goals are accomplished by applying pressure to the muscles at specific locations. There are preventive underwear, there is medical. The more severe the stage of the disease, the more pressure the stockings must exert. The prophylactic is available for free sale, the drug is sold only by prescription.
Healing wound dressings
The late stages of varicose veins are characterized by the appearance of trophic ulcers. This is a serious condition that often requires hospital treatment and nursing care. To help with trophic ulcers, different means are used depending on the condition and stage of treatment. One of them is a healing dressing that helps clean the wound and absorb exudate.
Our review is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation for the use of the above treatments for varicose veins. Only the attending physician can make specific appointments, depending on the patient's condition and the individual characteristics of his body.
Effective medications for preventing thrombosis in varicose veins
Thrombophlebitis is a common complication of varicose veins of the lower extremities, especially during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Low molecular weight heparin is a proven drug for the prevention of vascular thrombi. For the prevention of thrombophlebitis after the treatment of varicose veins in our clinic, tablets are used. The course of treatment with pills is 7 days after the intervention with laser or radiofrequency.
It is better to go for a consultation with a phlebologist, and then as a specialist with a higher medical education, you will conduct a full examination and prescribe the appropriate treatment, including drug therapy (the best tablets for the odious varicose veins), butStill, the most effective cure for varicose veins will be: laser coagulation.
Remember that the best remedy for any disease and even varicose veins is an active and healthy lifestyle. Therapeutic exercises, walks in the fresh air strengthen the venous wall better than any pill. The correct mode of work and rest, the use of an elevated position to relieve tension in the legs, swimming in the sea and in the pool - these measures are the best preventive and curative means. Do not assume that if the package for antistax tablets says "made from grape leaves, " then they are no longer chemical preparations. Why poison yourself with ineffective drugs, if it is impossible to remove varicose veins with their help.