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Injection

Intrax 500 mg/5 ml Injection

Generic: Tranexamic Acid

Manufacturer: Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Dhamrai Unit)

Therapeutic class: Antifibrinolytic (Haemostatic) Agent

What is Intrax?

Intrax 500 mg/5 ml injection is manufactured and marketed by Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Dhamrai Unit) in Bangladesh. It contains Tranexamic Acid, an antifibrinolytic (anti-bleeding) medicine. Doctors use it to reduce or stop excessive bleeding — most commonly heavy menstrual periods, and also nosebleeds, bleeding after surgery or dental extraction, and other bleeding conditions under medical supervision.

When an injury occurs, the body seals it with a blood clot, and an enzyme system (plasmin) then gradually dissolves the clot. In heavy bleeding, clots may break down too quickly. Tranexamic acid blocks the activation of plasmin, so the protective clots stay in place longer and bleeding slows or stops sooner. It does not thicken normal circulation, but it must be used cautiously in anyone prone to abnormal clotting.

Indications

Intrax is prescribed to control bleeding in situations such as:

  • Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) — one of its commonest uses in Bangladesh
  • Recurrent nosebleeds (epistaxis)
  • Bleeding after tooth extraction, including in people with bleeding disorders
  • Excessive bleeding after surgery, trauma or childbirth (hospital use)
  • Other doctor-identified bleeding conditions, such as selected cases of blood-stained urine after proper evaluation

Heavy or irregular bleeding always deserves a diagnosis first — especially new heavy periods after age 40, bleeding between periods or bleeding after menopause — because the medicine controls bleeding but does not treat its underlying cause.

Dosage & Administration

Doses depend on the condition; common adult patterns:

  • Heavy menstrual bleeding: 1 g (usually two 500 mg tablets) three times daily, started only when heavy bleeding begins, for up to 4–5 days of the cycle
  • Other bleeding: commonly 1–1.5 g two to three times daily as directed
  • Kidney impairment: requires reduced doses — inform your doctor

Take Intrax with water, with or without food. Use it only during bleeding days unless your doctor instructs otherwise — it is not a daily preventive tablet. If heavy periods persist despite two to three treated cycles, return for reassessment rather than simply continuing it month after month indefinitely.

Side Effects

Tranexamic Acid is generally well tolerated. Possible effects:

  • Common: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach discomfort (often improved by dose reduction), headache, tiredness
  • Less common: dizziness, muscle aches, skin rash
  • Serious (stop and seek urgent care): signs of a blood clot — painful swollen calf, sudden chest pain, breathlessness, coughing blood, sudden severe headache, one-sided weakness or slurred speech; changes in colour vision or other visual disturbance; severe allergic reaction with facial swelling or breathing difficulty

Visual changes require stopping the medicine and a prompt eye assessment. Clot symptoms are emergencies — go to hospital immediately.

Precautions & Warnings

Take these precautions with Intrax:

  • Tell your doctor about any personal or family history of blood clots (DVT, pulmonary embolism, stroke, heart attack) before starting
  • Combined oral contraceptive pills already raise clot risk — discuss before using both together
  • Prolonged immobility, long flights, recent surgery, obesity and smoking add to clot risk; mention them
  • Kidney disease requires dose reduction
  • For blood in the urine, use it only after a doctor has evaluated the cause — clots can obstruct the urinary tract
  • If treatment continues beyond the short term, periodic eye examinations may be advised
  • Investigate the cause of abnormal bleeding rather than relying on the tablet cycle after cycle

Drug Interactions

Tranexamic Acid has relatively few interactions, but the important ones concern clotting:

  • Combined hormonal contraceptives (pill, patch, ring) — additive clot risk; use together only after medical advice
  • Clotting-factor concentrates (such as prothrombin complex) — combined use heightens thrombosis risk and is specialist-managed
  • Thrombolytic (clot-busting) drugs — tranexamic acid directly opposes their action
  • Tretinoin (in certain leukaemia treatment) — increased clotting complications reported

Anticoagulants such as warfarin work in the opposite direction; if you are on a blood thinner, any anti-bleeding medicine requires a doctor's coordinated plan. Always disclose your full medication list.

Contraindications

Do not use Intrax if any of the following applies:

  • Current blood-clot disease — deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, recent stroke or heart attack
  • History of venous or arterial thrombosis, unless a specialist decides otherwise with precautions
  • A known strong inherited or acquired tendency to clotting (thrombophilia)
  • Subarachnoid haemorrhage (a specific type of brain bleed)
  • Severe kidney failure
  • History of seizures (particularly relevant to high-dose injectable use)
  • Known allergy to tranexamic acid

Disturbed colour vision during previous use is also a reason not to take it again. When in doubt, ask your doctor before the first dose.

Pregnancy & Lactation

Pregnancy: Tranexamic Acid crosses the placenta, but the available evidence has not shown harm to the baby, and doctors do use it in pregnancy for specific bleeding problems — including, in hospital, for serious bleeding after childbirth. It should nevertheless be taken in pregnancy only on a doctor's explicit advice, never self-administered for spotting or unexplained bleeding, which always needs urgent evaluation.

Breastfeeding: Only tiny amounts reach breast milk — far below treatment doses — and short courses are generally considered compatible with breastfeeding. Tell your doctor you are nursing so the dose and duration can be confirmed as appropriate for you and your baby.

Storage Conditions

Store Intrax in its original pack at room temperature below 30°C, protected from direct sunlight, heat and moisture. Do not keep it in bathrooms or other humid places. Keep it out of the reach and sight of children. Check the expiry date before each course — many women use this medicine only a few days per month, so strips can sit unused for long periods and quietly expire. Do not use discoloured or damaged tablets, and dispose of leftover or expired medicine safely rather than keeping it indefinitely.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start and stop Intrax for heavy periods?

<p>Start Intrax only when the heavy flow actually begins — usually the first day of the period — and continue while bleeding is heavy, typically for three to four days and no more than five days in a cycle. It is not taken throughout the month or as a preventive. Keep a simple record of pad counts and cycle days; if bleeding remains heavy after two to three treated cycles, or if your cycles are irregular, go back to your doctor for reassessment, since conditions like fibroids, polyps or hormonal problems may need different treatment.</p>

Will Intrax stop my period completely or affect my cycle?

<p>No. Intrax reduces the volume of menstrual blood loss — often by around half — but it does not stop the period, shorten or lengthen the cycle, or change your hormones. It is also not a contraceptive and gives no protection against pregnancy. Your period should still come at its usual time; the days are simply less heavy and more manageable. If your periods stop altogether, become unusually light for you or turn irregular while using it, that is not the tablet's expected effect — consult your doctor for evaluation.</p>

Is Intrax safe for me if I previously had a blood clot?

<p>Generally no. A history of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke or heart attack is usually a contraindication, because Intrax preserves clots and could encourage a new one. Tell your doctor about any personal or strong family history of clots, current use of combined contraceptive pills, recent surgery or long immobility before taking it. Safer alternatives for heavy periods exist — including hormonal options and treatment of the underlying cause. If you develop leg swelling and pain, chest pain or sudden breathlessness while on it, stop and go to hospital immediately.</p>

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