Misoprostol
Misoprostol is a tablet taken to prevent stomach ulcers in people using anti-inflammatory painkillers, listed here as Cytotec in 100mcg and 200mcg strengths.
What misoprostol tablets are for
Misoprostol is taken to stop ulcers forming in the stomach and upper gut of people who use NSAIDs — the anti-inflammatory painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen. Those medicines are valuable for arthritis and long-term pain, but they lower the natural prostaglandins the stomach lining relies on, and months of use can wear the lining down. Misoprostol restores that protection and reduces the amount of acid the stomach produces. It is usually chosen for people who have had an ulcer before, or who need to stay on an NSAID for a long time.
How misoprostol works
It is a man-made version of prostaglandin E1, one of the substances the stomach lining makes itself. Two things follow. The cells that pump out acid slow down, and the lining steps up its output of mucus and bicarbonate (an alkaline fluid) that keeps acid off the tissue underneath. Antacids neutralise acid already in the stomach; drugs such as omeprazole switch acid production off; misoprostol works on the lining's own defences instead. Taken regularly, it holds the stomach surface together while the NSAID continues.
How to take misoprostol tablets
The usual pattern is one tablet four times a day, after each meal and at bedtime, with food in your stomach. Meals do two jobs here: they fit the doses around the day, and they soften the cramping and loose stools the tablets can cause. Misoprostol only protects while it is in the body, so the four doses need to be spread evenly and taken every day. If one is missed, carry on with the rest of the day's schedule rather than bunching doses together.
Worth knowing before you order: misoprostol is not for use in pregnancy. It can cause miscarriage, premature labour and birth defects, and treatment for women of childbearing age is started on the second or third day of a period, after a negative pregnancy test.
Side effects to expect
Diarrhoea is the one most people notice, often in the first couple of weeks, along with stomach pain or cramping, nausea, wind, indigestion, headache, vomiting and constipation. Taking each tablet with food helps, and for many people the loose stools settle as the body adjusts. Vomiting blood, or passing bloody or black tarry stools, points to bleeding in the stomach or gut and needs urgent treatment.
Cytotec 100mcg and 200mcg
The misoprostol product here is Cytotec, a tablet in 100mcg and 200mcg strengths, in the Digestive Health range. Both are ordinary swallow-whole tablets and both follow the same four-times-a-day pattern; the two strengths are not a mild-to-strong scale, they are simply the sizes the tablets are made in. Keep the tablets in their original pack, somewhere dry and out of the sun, and out of reach of children.
Sources
- Misoprostol: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Stomach ulcers | healthdirect — Healthdirect Australia
Where can I buy Misoprostol in Hong Kong?
Misoprostol can be ordered online with delivery to Hong Kong. The range here is generic Cytotec, also sold as Misoprostol tablets, in 100mcg and 200mcg tablets. Every order arrives in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing on the outside about what is inside.
What is the price of Misoprostol?
The misoprostol product has its own price per pack, shown on its page in HKD or your selected currency; larger packs usually cost less per unit.
Can I buy generic Cytotec in Hong Kong?
Yes, generic Cytotec is listed as 100mcg and 200mcg tablets and contains Misoprostol. It is also sold as plain Misoprostol tablets, in the same two strengths and form.
What is another name for misoprostol?
Cytotec is a brand name of misoprostol. Here, misoprostol can be bought online as generic Cytotec. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is Cytotec the same as misoprostol?
Yes. Cytotec is a brand name and misoprostol is the ingredient inside it, so the two names describe the same tablet. The listings on this page are Cytotec tablets in 100mcg and 200mcg, which is why searches for either name land in the same place.
Can I take misoprostol with ibuprofen or other painkillers?
That is exactly what it is for. Misoprostol is taken alongside the NSAID — ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac or aspirin — not instead of it, so the painkiller can carry on working while the stomach is protected. If you also use antacids, choose ones without magnesium, which can make diarrhoea worse.
What strength of misoprostol do people usually take?
For ulcer prevention the standard adult dose is 200mcg four times a day, with meals and at bedtime. If that strength brings diarrhoea that will not settle, 100mcg four times a day is the usual alternative. Both strengths come as the same tablet and follow the same routine.
Can I drink alcohol while taking misoprostol?
Alcohol does not interact with misoprostol directly, but it irritates the stomach lining and adds to the bleeding risk that comes with long-term NSAID use. If you are taking these tablets because your stomach needs protecting, heavy drinking works against that.