It is very difficult to imagine modern medicine without antibiotics, which are actively prescribed for various diseases. To date, they are divided into various subgroups and are prescribed depending on the severity of the disease and the category of its pathogen. Among the broad-spectrum antibiotics, Rifampicin stands out, in the instructions for use which gives complete information about the drug. Doctors prescribe this medicine to their patients quite often, so today we are doing a detailed review of it. In it, we consider "Rifampicin", instructions for use, analogues and a list of contraindications.
Brief description of the drug
From the instructions for use with "Rifampicin" you can get quite comprehensive information about this antibiotic. It belongs to the group of semi-synthetic drugs with a wide spectrum of action, to which bacteria develop resistance very quickly. Therefore, it is not prescribed by the attending physicians for a long time, after the medicine is replaced by analogues. "Rifampicin" (instructions for use for it is enclosed in each box without fail) has a large number of them. At the same time, they are produced by both domestic and foreign pharmacists.
The drug in small quantities actively acts on Koch's bacillus, staphylococcus, chlamydia, streptococcus and other types of bacteria. With an increase in the concentration of the drug, it neutralizes Escherichia coli, pertussis, anthrax and the like. As a result of studies, it was revealed that the only bacterium that remains insensitive, judging by the instructions for use, to Rifampicin is Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
It is noteworthy that the drug is equally active inside and outside the cell. It is especially effective in the process of combating breeding bacteria. "Rifampicin" stops their division and does not allow continuing life activity in the human body.
After ingestion of one Rifampicin tablet (not all forms of release of this drug are indicated in the instructions for use), the maximum concentration of the active substance is reached after two hours. In the digestive tract, the capsules are perfectly absorbed and excreted along with urine, sweat and even tears.
It should be borne in mind that storing Rifampicin tablets (this fact is obligatory reflected in the instructions for use of the drug) should be kept away from sunlight. enters into interaction with oxygen, which immediately excludes its further use according to the course prescribed by the doctor.
Release form
Since Rifampicin is quite common, the manufacturer produces it in several forms that are suitable for patients of different ages. Depending on the diagnosed disease, the attending physician not only prescribes the dosage, but also chooses a specific form of the drug. We will list all types of medicines manufactured by pharmacists in our country:
- Capsules "Rifampicin" (instructions for use of this form of the drug are identical to its other types). They have a reddish tint and contain a brownish-orange powder inside the gelatin shell. White blotches are allowed inside. The dosage of capsules can be different, depending on this, the appropriate packaging is selected by the manufacturer. For example, "Rifampicin" with an active substance content of 150 milligrams is packaged in glass bottles of twenty to thirty pieces. Capsules with a marking of three hundred milligrams are packed in packages of one, two and five thousand pieces. You can also find in pharmacies and a 150-milligram dosage in blisters. Each contains ten capsules.
- Rifampicin tablets 150 mg (the instructions for use contain information on a drug of this type in a different dosage: three hundred, 450, five hundred and six hundred milligrams). Outwardly, the tablets are not much different from capsules. They have the same reddish-orange tint and are packaged in different types. For example, the instructions for use with Rifampicin 150 mg indicate that it is available in blisters of twenty and thirty pieces. A higher dosage product can be packaged in cans in a hundred pieces. This happens, judging by the instructions for use, with tab Rifampicin 500 mg. Those to whom a similar dosage is prescribed prefer to purchase immediately a large amount of the drug.
- Powder for injection. From it, experts prepare a solution for intravenous injection. The powder is sold in pharmacies in ampoules and has a reddish tint. Each ampoule is designed for 150 milliliters, in packs of five or ten ampoules. This type of "Rifampicin" is also available in a higher dosage. These bottles are packed in cardboard boxes of five hundred pieces.
- Ear drops. They are available in bottles, each with a volume of ten milliliters.
It is noteworthy that sometimes doctors prescribe "Rifampicin" in the form of suppositories. It is impossible to find them for sale, therefore, there is no instruction for use with Rifampicin suppositories. The fact is that they are made in special pharmacies according to the prescription prescribed by the attending physician.
The composition of the drug
The instructions for use with Rifampicin capsules and its other forms of release always indicate the composition of the product. It is worth considering that this medicine contains many auxiliary components, so when you take it, you need to carefully monitor your condition with the help of regular tests and examinations.
The active substance in all forms of the drug is rifampicin. The dosage is always indicated on the package. The following substances can be considered auxiliary components of tablets and capsules:
- magnesium stearate;
- primogel;
- silicon dioxide;
- gelatin;
- titanium dioxide;
- water;
- dyes.
If we are talking about powder for injection, then this option contains fewer excipients. Usually this:
- ascorbic acid;
- sodium sulfite;
- sodium hydroxide.
In the instructions for use with Rifampicin ampoules, their complete composition is also always indicated by the manufacturer.
Indications for use
Referring to the instructions for use with "Rifampicin" (150 mg and other dosages), you can find out how wide the spectrum of use of this drug. He showed himself perfectly in the fight against completely different diseases. First of all, the drug is prescribed for diagnosed tuberculosis of any form and location. “Rifampicin” is especially effective in the initial stages of infection with Koch's bacillus; it inhibits the reproduction of microorganisms, which significantly speeds up the healing process as part of complex therapy.
Also, often "Rifampicin" is prescribed as an antibiotic for prolonged bronchitis, otitis media and pneumonia. For prevention purposes, the drug is prescribed to people in contact with patients with tuberculosis, or to those who have already undergone treatment for this disease, but are at risk. When biting wild animals, doctors often advise taking "Rifampicin" to prevent rabies. Not always the disease proceeds openly, and an antibiotic will help destroy dangerous microorganisms, even in a latent form.
Very often, the drug is prescribed after the diagnosis of meningococcal infections, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, as well as in the case of gonorrhea and brucellosis. In general, specialists prefer to include “Rifampicin” in the complex therapy for various infectious diseases. At the initial stages, it is prescribed separately, in advanced cases - together with other drugs.
List of contraindications
The instructions for use for tablets "Rifampicin" (150, 300, 450 and 600 mg), as well as capsules always provide their list of diseases in which the drug should not be used. For injections, a number of contraindications are usually different.
If we are talking about tablets and capsules, then it should be borne in mind that patients should immediately stop taking the drug in case of identification of individual intolerance, which can manifest itself as an allergic reaction. A clear contraindication is renal and liver failure. With such problems, the doctor will try to prescribe a different drug to the patient initially.
Also, you can not take "Rifampicin" patients with jaundice. One of the contraindications is pregnancy, lactation and infancy. In all the last cases listed, the doctor can prescribe the drug with the observance of certain precautions and when the benefits of treatment significantly exceed the possible health risks.
If you are prescribed a prescription for Rifampicin injections, then in this case it is necessary to refuse them for diseases of the veins (the drug is always administered intravenously), heart failure, and childhood. Children are almost never given injections of the drug.
Ways to use the drug
Most often, the instructions for use with "Rifampicin" 150 mg in tablets or any other form and dosage do not indicate all the schemes for its administration. Only the attending physician can paint them, so you should not risk your health and prescribe yourself the drug and its dosage, based on vague ideas about its use.
Focusing on everything that we have already written about the drug, it becomes clear that basically it is taken orally or intravenously. Tablets and capsules are taken approximately one hour before a meal. In an extreme case, an interval of thirty minutes should pass between taking the drug and food.
In order to give Rifampicin an injection, the doctor or nurse must prepare an injection. This process takes a considerable amount of time. First of all, the powder in the ampoule is mixed with two and a half milligrams of water for injection. The powder should completely dissolve, and only then it is injected into 125 milligrams of glucose (it should be a five percent solution). When introducing the medicine into a vein, the doctor takes into account that the speed cannot exceed 80 drops per minute.
If you are prescribed suppositories, then they must be administered rectally at night.
It is better to warm the ear drops before use, for this it is enough to hold them in your hand for several minutes. In the process of instillation, the patient needs to sit, in this position the medicine quickly enters the auricle.
A distinctive feature of the drug is the fact that with its regular intake, the risk of side effects is reduced. If you are scheduled to take "Rifampicin" in a day or two, then it is likely that you will experience a number of unpleasant reactions of the body to it.
In no case should you combine this antibiotic with alcohol, and antacids are also not recommended. If it is impossible to do without such drugs, you need to wait at least four hours after taking the antibiotic.
If you are prescribed a long intake of "Rifampicin", then do not neglect the control of the liver and kidneys. In the first month, analyzes must be taken twice, in the future, one monitoring will be sufficient for a period of thirty days.
Determine the dosage
Judging by the instructions for use and reviews of "Rifampicin", we can conclude that in each case, the doctor prescribes his dosage of the drug. Most often, it is tied to the disease, but sometimes the condition of the patient also affects it.
During the treatment of tuberculosis, an adult should receive four hundred and fifty milligrams of the drug daily. If necessary, the doctor can increase the dosage to six hundred milligrams of the active substance. The maximum allowable rate of "Rifampicin" is one thousand two hundred milligrams per day. However, only the doctor should control the treatment process and vary the dosage. With tuberculosis, the treatment period often stretches for one year or more.
If "Rifampicin" was prescribed for various infectious diseases, the daily intake is usually divided into two to three times. The average dosage is nine hundred milligrams of active substance. If we are talking about injections, then the concentration ranges from three hundred to nine hundred milligrams, which are divided into several injections. The course of treatment in this case does not exceed ten days.
Acute gonorrhea requires a different dosage of Rifampicin. The medicine is taken once a day for two days. The dose should be close to 900 milligrams of the substance.
As a prophylaxis, the drug is prescribed very often. Its dosage in this case ranges around 600 milligrams. It can be divided or drunk in one go.
With otitis media, an antibiotic is injected into the auricle five drops three times a day. In some cases, it is possible to reduce the frequency of administration up to two times.
Pregnancy and lactation: is it worth taking "Rifampicin"
Women in the first trimester should definitely avoid taking this antibiotic. In the subsequent period, the doctor must carefully assess the risk to the mother and fetus. A baby in the womb may experience a number of developmental abnormalities. In the last months of pregnancy, the mother and baby are at risk of bleeding profusely. After birth, the concentration of the antibiotic in the baby’s blood will be quite high, usually it is about thirty-three percent of what is in the mother’s body.
When breastfeeding, the drug penetrates into the milk quite easily and can harm the baby. It is better to refuse to take "Rifampicin" for the period of breastfeeding.
Prescribing a drug to children
Rifampicin is not prescribed for newborns and babies with insufficient body weight. In emergency cases, the doctor may prescribe the drug, but only in combination with vitamin K. This significantly reduces the risk of bleeding.
If the baby was prescribed this drug in connection with the detection of infection with Koch's bacillus, then most often the dosage is calculated based on body weight. However, children under twelve years of age cannot receive more than four hundred and fifty milligrams of active substance per day. A child over twelve years of age can be prescribed a dose of up to 600 milligrams per day. Reception is usually divided in two.
In infectious diseases, the doctor calculates the dosage, focusing on eight to ten milligrams per kilogram of the child’s weight. The course of treatment does not exceed ten days.
Analogues of the drug
Analogues of "Rifampicin" exist domestic and imported. All Russian manufacturers use the same rifampicin as an active substance. Of the most popular tools are the following:
- "Rifampicin-Akos."
- "Rifampicin-Ferein."
- Farbutin.
Analogues of domestic production are available in different forms: tablets and liquid form. Most often, such drugs are prescribed to patients with tuberculosis. Since the disease is treated for a very long time, an addictive effect is quite possible. Therefore, doctors often change the treatment of "Rifampicin" to similar drugs.
Foreign manufacturers send the following drugs of interest to our group to our market:
- Rimpin.
- "Macox."
- "Rimactan."
- "R-ching."
These medicines are available in India and are available and popular. Of the German counterparts can be called "Eremfat." Very often, they even have the instructions for use identical to “Rifampicin”.
Reviews about Russian and foreign medicines of this group are characterized by a mass of positive comments. Patients note that after getting used to the original drug, but the need to continue treatment, analogues are the best option and give a good effect. With prolonged treatment, the doctor can prescribe several types of drugs, changing them once for six months.