Fenistil: A Remedy For Insect Bites And Hives

Skin care is essential at any time of the year. However, it is especially important on sunny and warm days to protect against insect bites and allergic reactions. Fenistil is a great remedy for all these conditions.

Fenistil is the brand of topical gel. The active ingredient in this gel is dimetindene maleate. This component belongs to the antihistamine group and is used to treat itching accompanied by allergic reactions and insect bites. In this article we discuss this drug and its effect.

How does Fenistil work?

Fenistil is a gel used topically to relieve itching caused by irritated skin. It has local anesthetic effects that reduce the itching caused by, for example, allergies or insect bites.

Adults and children older than one year can use Fenistil. It is therefore the perfect tool to have on hand during outdoor activities or holidays.

Contraindications

As is the case with most types of medication, Fenistil also has a number of situations where it is better not to use it. Consider the following points:

• However, some people are allergic to dimetindene maleate or other ingredients in the gel. Therefore, check the ingredients list and do not use this gel on anyone who is allergic to any of the ingredients.
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should consult a pharmacist or doctor before using Fenistil .

• This medicine is not suitable for children under 1 year of age.

Below we will explain a number of aspects of Fenistil in this article. We will discuss what histamine is and what the mechanism of action of Fenistil is. Then we explain how you can use this gel and what the possible side effects are.

What is histamine?

Before we can delve further into each of those points, we must first fully understand how histamine works. This is a substance produced in our body as a defense mechanism and is directly related to this medicine.

The cells of the body produce the histamine molecule. It belongs to the group of biogenic amines. These are molecules that the body can produce itself when needed.

A biochemical reaction called decarboxylation produces these histamine molecules. This reaction takes place in a molecule called histidine by the enzyme L-histidine decarboxylase.

In addition, this enzyme is also produced by bacteria in our gut flora and comes from food we eat. They are the gut bacteria able to synthesize histidine.

In general, histamine is involved in the local reactions of the immune system. In addition, it helps regulate the normal functioning of the stomach and the neurotransmission system of the central nervous system.

Essentially, the functions of histamine include the following tasks:

• Allergies: histamine intervenes in direct hypersensitivity reactions and allergic reactions. It therefore directly affects both humoral and cellular immune responses. In addition, it acts as the primary mediator for immediate hypersensitivity reactions.
• Neurotransmitter: Histamine can act as a neuromodulator and modulate or regulate responses to other neurotransmitters.
• Cardiovascular regulation: this substance has a vasodilator effect through the interaction of the H1 and H2 receptors, which are distributed in all arteries and in almost all vascular areas. This feature is very important to understand the effectiveness of Fenistil.

• Extravascular smooth muscle: It produces smooth muscle contractions.
• Gastric juices: This molecule helps to promote the secretion of gastric juices and also causes an abundant secretion of acids by the parietal cells.

Mechanism of action of Fenistil

Dimetindene maleate, the active ingredient of Fenistil, interacts with the H1 receptors of histamine. By blocking the binding of histamine to the H1 receptors, the vascular hyperpermeability associated with immediate hypersensitivity reactions is reduced.

At low concentrations, it stimulates the methyltransferase of histamine, which deactivates the histamine present. In addition, when applied topically, dimetindene maleate also has anesthetic properties.

Use and side effects

This gel quickly penetrates the skin and releases its histamine-inhibiting effects within minutes. The effect reaches its maximum after 1 to 4 hours. After topical administration, the absorption of dimethindene maleate is approximately 10% of the applied dose.

Side effects of this medicine may also occur. However, they are usually very mild and only occur where the medicine has been applied. Some possible side effects that may occur include:

• Dry skin.
• Burning sensation of the skin.

• Allergic dermatitis.

Have you ever heard of this gel? If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a pharmacist or your doctor. Remember that you should use it carefully to avoid any side effects.