Fenistil® gel
introduction
Fenistil® Gel is a drug in the form of a clear gel manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Novartis. It is used for insect bites, minor burns or sunburn. It does not require a prescription and can therefore be purchased without a prescription. Fenistil® Gel contains the active ingredient Dimetinden, which has an antihistamine effect. This means that symptoms such as swelling, itching, and reddening of the skin will decrease. The treatment is therefore purely symptomatic in order to alleviate the symptoms felt.
Read more on the topic: Fenistil®
Application of Fenistil® Gel
Fenistil® Gel is used for all kinds of skin irritations. For example, symptoms triggered by allergic reactions can be combated. Itching caused by insect bites is also treated with Fenistil® Gel. Applying the gel also makes the stitches swell. Slight burns or sunburn are also suitable for the treatment. The gel cools the affected skin area, reduces redness and provides pain relief. In addition, skin diseases such as hives, chronic eczema or neurodermatitis are treated with Fenistil® gel. Unlike the other forms of application of Fenistil® (e.g. coated tablets, drops), Fenistil® is only applied to the skin.
Read more on the topic: Treatment of rash with ointments and creams
Application of Fenistil® Gel to the baby
The use of Fenistil® Gel in newborns or small children is basically harmless. As the gel is only used locally and on the skin, there can be no systemic effect. This means that the active ingredient is not distributed throughout the body and can cause side effects there. Systemic side effects of overdose in young children can include symptoms such as Drowsiness, decreased breathing, and a dilated pupil. However, as long as you make sure that the gel is not licked off and swallowed in large quantities, these side effects will not occur. If the baby has a known allergy to Dimentinden, the active ingredient in Fenistil® gel, the baby must not be treated with the gel, as this will lead to an allergic reaction.
Also read our topic: Suitable drugs for babies
Areas of application of the Fenistil® gel
Against burns
Fenistil® Gel is a good treatment option for minor burns. It is important, however, that these are only 1st degree burns that should be treated with Fenistil®. Those affected should consult a doctor for burns of a higher degree. A first degree burn does not show any blisters. As soon as burn blisters can be seen, this is called a 2nd degree burn. In the case of first-degree burns, however, you can apply the gel to the burned skin. The Fenistil® gel cools and then calms the burn. The pain, redness, and swelling should also go down.
Read more on the topic: Combustion
For allergies
The Fenistil® gel can be used for allergies. Here again it is important that only the skin can be treated with the gel. Often, allergic reactions lead to rashes and itching. This comes from the body's immune response to harmless allergens. Defense and inflammation mediators, such as histamine, are released here. Since Fenistil® gel acts as an antihistamine, i.e. it blocks histamine, the allergic skin reaction and itching go down when the gel is applied to the affected area.
Read more on the topic: Therapy of an allergy
When the lips are sunburned
If the lips are sunburned, treatment with Fenistil® Gel is also possible. Fenistil® Gel can be used all over the skin, including the lips. Accordingly, there are no known side effects when using the gel on the lips. The cooling and moisturizing effect of the gel is particularly useful in the case of sunburn on the lips, which can be very uncomfortable.
With wasp sting
With a wasp sting, the wasp venom is injected into the skin through the wasp's sting. The poison is a mixture of several substances, among other things the poison consists of histamine. In addition, the body releases histamine as an inflammatory reaction at the puncture site in order to help combat the foreign substances that have penetrated. The histamine causes the puncture site to turn red, swell, painful and itchy. The use of Fenistil® Gel is a good solution here, as it is an antihistamine that blocks the effect of the histamine. This can help relieve symptoms after wasp stings when the gel is applied to the sting.
Read more on the topic: Insect bite - first aid and immediate measures
For hives
Hives, also called urticaria, are manifested in an allergic skin reaction. A flat reddening of the skin is observed, which causes severe itching. The hives are based on an excessive immune response to actually harmless stimuli (also called allergens). The allergens can be insecticides, medicines or food. An important factor is the release of inflammatory mediators and histamine. These substances are responsible for the skin reaction and itching. With Fenistil® Gel you can now limit the effect of the histamine and fight the hives. Here, too, the local application of the gel on the affected regions is a sensible measure.
Against mosquito bites
Similar to wasp stings, foreign substances are injected into the skin in mosquito bites. In the case of the mosquito, this is its saliva, which ensures that the blood does not clot and can be easily sucked off by the mosquito. The proteins in the mosquito's saliva are recognized by our body as foreign and thus potentially infectious and an immune reaction is initiated. Here, histamine is released again, which can be blocked with the use of Fenistil® Gel. This also reduces the itching and swelling at the injection site.
Against sunburn
Sunburn is an acute inflammatory reaction of the skin. This is caused by high exposure to UV rays, which damage the skin. By damaging the skin, inflammatory mediators (e.g. Histamine, prostaglandins etc.) released. This leads to redness and pain when sunburned. If you now apply Fenistil® Gel to the affected skin area, the effect of histamine is limited and the inflammatory reaction is reduced. The gel also moisturizes the skin and cools the affected area.
Read more on the topic: What can you do if you get sunburned?
Against herpes
Herpes is a skin condition that in most cases is called Herpes labialis (Cold sore) occurs. It is a viral infection with the herpes simplex virus 1, which remains in an inactive form in the body for life after an infection. In certain situations (e.g. Stress, immunodeficiency) the infection returns and manifests itself in vesicles on the lip. Since it is a viral disease, treatment with Fenistil® Gel is not effective because the gel is an antihistamine and does not fight the viral infection. There is a special cream against cold sores (Fenistyle® Pencivir), which is also manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Novartis. This inhibits the virus from multiplying and thus combats herpes.
Read more on the topic: Cold sores - this is how it is treated correctly!
Active ingredient and effect of the Fenistil® gel
The active ingredient of the Fenistil® gel is called Dimetinden. It is an H1 receptor antagonist. This means that the dimetindene binds to the H1 receptors and so these binding sites are no longer accessible for histamine. When histamine can no longer bind to the receptors, the H1 receptors are not activated either. The H1 receptors have different effects depending on which organ they are found in. In vessels, the activation of the H1 receptors causes an increase in vascular permeability and widening (Dilation) of the vessels. Vascular permeability describes the permeability of the vascular wall of our veins. If the permeability is increased, more fluid escapes from the blood into the surrounding tissue and swelling occurs. This effect is due to the activation of the H1 receptors by histamine. If you now use Dimetinden in the form of the Fenistil® gel, the H1 receptor is blocked and the vascular permeability is reduced again. The swelling then goes down. In addition, the vessels are no longer dilated, so that the reddening and warmth that this causes is reduced. In addition, the activation of the H1 receptor causes itching and an increased sensation of pain. Here the receptor can also be blocked with Dimetinden, so that itching and pain are reduced.
Read more on the topic: Active ingredients antihistamines
Side effect of the Fenistil® gel
The side effects of the Fenistil® gel can be assessed as rather harmless. Occasionally, the area of application may be slightly dry. A slight burning sensation was also occasionally observed. Allergic skin reactions have occurred very rarely, and in individual cases they have spread. You should not apply the gel if you are allergic to the active ingredient or an auxiliary substance. Relevant substances are dimetindene maleate and methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate. The systemic side effects of Demetinden are not to be feared with Fenistil® Gel, as it is only applied locally to the affected skin areas and does not enter the bloodstream.
Drug interactions
Interactions with other drugs are not yet known. As long as you have used the gel as intended, i.e. only applying it to a small area on the skin, you do not have to fear any interactions. The situation is different with the systemic ingestion, for example as drops or infusions, of Dimetinden. Concurrent use of tricyclic antidepressants is a risk factor here. However, since the Fenistil® gel does not work systemically, there are no interactions to be considered. In this regard, it is also advisable not to apply the gel to open wounds, as it will penetrate the bloodstream through it.
dosage
If you have skin symptoms, you should apply Fenistil® gel up to 3 times a day to the affected skin area. The gel should only be applied thinly and then rubbed in gently. Bandages are not recommended for use.
price
The price of the Fenistil® gel is currently between € 3 - € 6 for 20 grams. With 50 grams the range is between approx. € 6 and € 12. 100 grams of Fenistil® Gel can be purchased for between € 11.50 and € 20.
Fenistil® Gel during pregnancy
Pregnant women should not apply Fenistil® Gel extensively to the skin. In addition, it is not recommended to apply it to open skin areas and wounds. The reason for this is that the gel can get into the blood and thus affect the unborn child. When used on small, intact skin areas, however, no undesirable side effects are to be feared during pregnancy either. The use of Fenistil® Gel during breastfeeding has so far been little researched. So far there have been experiments on rats where it has been shown that dimentinden passed from the blood into the milk of the rat and was thus also absorbed by the newborn. On the one hand, however, when Fenistil® Gel is used appropriately, the active ingredient is not in the blood, so that the diminutive does not pass into breast milk. On the other hand, it is questionable whether the experiment on rats can be equated with the effect on humans. In principle, it is again important to only apply the gel over small areas and not on wounds. In addition, the gel should not be applied to the nipple that the child is drinking from.
Read more on the topic: Medication during pregnancy
Can Fenistil® Gel be applied to open wounds?
Fenistil® Gel should not be used on open wounds, as it can enter the bloodstream via the wounds and has a systemic effect there. In particular in newborns and small children, side effects can occur here if a large amount of the diminutive enters the blood. However, since Dimentinden is also used systemically, a low concentration of the active ingredient in the blood is not threatening.
Read about Fenistil drops here.
Fenistil® gel against pain after tattooing
After tattooing, there may be pain and redness on the area of the tattooed skin. Fenistil® Gel can cool and provide moisture, which soothes the skin. The gel can also reduce pain, as the sensitization of the nerve fibers caused by histamine is reduced. There are no known negative effects when used on tattoos.
Fenistil® Gel for tick bites
In the case of a tick bite, the body comes into contact with foreign substances, which is why a local inflammation can develop. This manifests itself in reddening and swelling at the bite site. Here Fenistil® Gel is a plausible treatment method to contain the local inflammatory reaction. It is important to keep an eye on the bite site. If a reddened ring can be observed around the puncture site, which is spreading, one can suspect Lyme disease.
Read more on the topic: Treatment of Lyme disease
