The amazing health benefits of N-Acetyl-l-cysteine or Acetylcysteine

Acetylcysteine is one of the oldest drugs available in the market today. Acetylcysteine is also known as N-Acetyl-l-cysteine. N-Acetyl-l-cysteine is a pharmacological agent. It is mainly used as a mucolytic. This helps in the management of paracetamol overdose. In scientific terms the Acetylcysteine is a simple molecule with the formula C5H9NO3S. It has a molecular weight of 163.19 and a melting point of 109-112 °C.

Health Benefits of Acetylcysteine and mucolytic therapy

Acetylcysteine when inhaled is said to have mucolytic properties i.e. it helps in mucus dissolving. The mucolytic therapy is very useful as an adjuvant in respiratory conditions. This applies especially to cases where excessive and thick mucus production is involved. Many of these excess mucus production problems are commonly known as emphysema, bronchitis, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, amyloidosis and pneumonia. These problems are helped by inhaling Acetylcysteine. Acetylcysteine is also used for post operative care an also as a diagnostic aid and in tracheostomy care.

However there have been studies that have shown that the high dosage of Acetylcysteine may lead to modulation and inflammation in cystic fibrosis. It can also lead to countering the intertwined redox. Excess Acetylcysteine may also cause inflammatory imbalances. However the Acetylcysteine may be used as a mucolytic for less serious cases where excess dosage is not required. Acetylcysteine helps to reduce mucus viscosity as it splits the disulfide bonds linking proteins which are there in the mucus.

Acetylcysteine and overdose of Paracetamol

In cases where there has been an over dose of paracetamol intravenous Acetylcysteine is given as a treatment. In this case of over dose both oral and intravenous Acetylcysteine have been proven to be effective in controlling and healing the problem. However oral Acetylcysteine is not given normally as it is not tolerable by most of the patients due to a very low rate of bio-availability.

Oral Acetylcysteine is rather very unpleasant to taste and has a bad odor this leads to adverse effects like nausea and vomiting. Also some of the people, barely 5%, who are given IV Acetylcysteine, may have allergic reactions like difficulty to breathe or broncho-spasm; there may be a decrease in blood pressure, rash and in some cases nausea and vomiting. In such cases the doe should be stopped as repeated overdoses will lead to the allergic reaction getting worse. Often there are cases where people are given the Acetylcysteine dose even when the toxic level of the paracetamol is not very high.

Acetylcysteine helps by augmenting glutathione reserves which are depleted by toxic paracetamol and get together with glutathione. After this is done they directly bind to toxic metabolites and protect hepatocytes in the liver caused due to paracetamol overdose.

Acetylcysteine as a Nephroprotective agent

Acetylcysteine when had orally also helps in preventing radio contrast-induced nephropathy. This is a form of acute renal failure. There have been studies which have shown that the administration of Acetylcysteine at an early stage can decrease radio contrast nephropathy to a large extent. There have also been studies that show that intravenous and oral Acetylcysteine helps to prevent induced nephropathy. This is possible for patients treated with primary angioplasty. Acetylcysteine continues to be a commonly used medicine given in prescription for acute renal failure.

Acetylcysteine as a mucolytic

Acetylcysteine is a mucolytic or a medicine that destroys and dissolves mucus. Though it is suggested as an inhalation there are IV options for giving the same also. Acetylcysteine is normally suggested for severe lung conditions where the amount of mucus has increased and is making the breathing difficult. Acetylcysteine basically dissolves the mucus to a liquid state so that it can be easily coughed up by the patient. In extreme cases where the patient may be showing allergic reactions to Acetylcysteine the mucus may be removed by suction.

Acetylcysteine is a medicine which should not be taken without medical prescription. It has severe side effects in some cases and should be taken by proper guidance. In cases where the person is suffering from serious diseases the doctor should keep a track of the pervious medical record of the patient before giving medication. The more serious side effects like seizure can be fatal and the doctor should be told of the same immediately.

Acidophilus or lactobacillus acidophilus and its various benefits

We all boast about the many properties of yoghurt but most of us forget the fact that it is made from edible bacteria. No matter how horrible the thought may be but it is a fact that it is made from bacteria. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a part of the many bacteria’s of one the genus Lactobacillus. It is a form of probiotic bacteria. Many probiotic bacteria are beneficial and many are not.