General Information on Rifamate
Rifamate is an antibiotic. It prevents bacteria from spreading in your body. Its generic name is Isoniazid and Rifampin. It is used to treat and prevent Tuberculosis bacteria from multiplying in the body. It treats only the bacteria and not the infection itself. It is not to be taken for treating the common cold or flu.
Rifamate prevents tuberculosis causing bacteria to spread in the body. However, it will not treat a bacteria caused infection. It will only kill the bacteria that are causing infection. Rifamate is administered as capsules, syrup and intravenous infusion. It comes in two strengths; Rifamate 300mg and Rifamate 150 mg.
Rifamate reduces the effectiveness of birth control pills. Before you buy Rifamate, inform your doctor about your allergies or liver disease, if you have.
Side effects of Rifamate
Some major side effects of Rifamate are given below.You must contact your doctor immediately if you witness these side effects before it leads to serious problems.
- Any allergic reaction
- Fever, chills, body ache, flu symptoms
- Joint pain, swelling
- Easy bruising/bleeding, weakness
- nausea, stomach pain, loss of appetite
- clay colored stool, jaundice
- Blurred vision
- abnormal behavior
Do not wear contact lenses during the treatment. Isoniazid and Rifampin can turn your urine, stool, sweat, tear, saliva and even contact lenses to turn red or orange in color. This medicine can harm the unborn baby. Before you buy Rifamate, make sure your doctor knows about all your allergies and medical history, and if you are pregnant.
Dosage of Rifamate
In general, treatment should be continued until bacterial conversion and maximal improvement have occurred. Adults should take 2 Rifamate capsules once a day not exceeding 600mg/day.
Take the medication as prescribed by the doctor. The Rifamate capsule must be taken with water, empty stomach, 1 or 2 hours before or after meals. It must be taken for the full prescribed time even if your symptoms seem to have improved before you completed the medicine schedule.
If you miss a dose and it is almost time for the next dose, then skip it and continue with the normal routine. Do not take 2 doses together. Over dosing could lead to severe side effects like nausea, abdominal pain, tiredness etc. You might also be required to supplemental Vitamin B6 daily during treatment. This stops the numbness caused by low levels of the vitamin.
Interactions
A total of 677 drugs, and 11 diseases are known to interact with Rifamate, of which 49 drug interactions are major, 564 are moderate and 64 are minor. Some of the major drug interactions are given below:
- Anisindione
- Boceprevir
- Caspofungin
- Dabigatran
- Leflunomide
- Maraviroc
- Nelfinavir
Alcohol increases the risk of liver damage during this medication. Food rich in Histamine such as fish or cheese may cause a flushing reaction in some of the patients.The diseases interacting with Rifamate are:
- Colitis
- Hematopoietic Disturbances
- Hepatotoxicity
- Liver Disease
- Porphyria
- Enzyme Induction
- Peripheral Neuropathy
- Hemodialysis
- Renal Dysfunction
