Pyrazinamide is a drug for treating tuberculosis. This tool has proven itself and has proven effective. It helps to successfully cure this infectious pathology in the early stages of development. However, the list of side effects of Pyrazinamide is quite extensive. This is a tool for chemotherapy for tuberculosis, which allows you to quickly fight the causative agent of the disease. Taking such an active and potent medication can provoke undesirable effects.
What is the drug
Pyrazinamide acts on mycobacteria that cause tuberculosis. Its active component penetrates the affected areas and fights the infection. The drug enters the body of bacteria and either stops their reproduction, or completely destroys. This remedy is usually used together with other bactericidal and bacteriostatic medicines, as the pathogen develops resistance to Pyrazinamide over time.
The drug is effective for tuberculous lesions of various organs: lungs, bones, urogenital system. It also helps with meningitis caused by mycobacteria. And also the medicine is used in the complex therapy of caseous pneumonia and tuberculoma.
However, when prescribing this medication, contraindications and side effects of Pyrazinamide must be taken into account.
Contraindications
The drug is prohibited for use in the treatment of babies up to 3 years. Therapy of older children is possible only with a child weighing over 30 kg.
During pregnancy, this medicine is prescribed only in cases where the benefit to the expectant mother is greater than the possible risk to the fetus. The product belongs to category C for possible harmful effects on the embryo. This means that animal experiments have shown a negative effect of the drug on the fetus, but no studies have been conducted for humans. If "Pyrazinamide" must be taken during lactation, then breast-feeding should be interrupted.
And also, the drug is contraindicated in case of allergies to its active component, severe pathologies of the kidneys and liver, epileptic seizures, gout and psychotic disorders.
Unwanted effects
When taking medication, negative effects often develop. Not all patients tolerate this drug well. The following side effects of Pyrazinamide in adults and children are possible:
- The drug has a hepatotoxic effect, the appearance of yellowness of the skin, pain in the right hypochondrium, dyspeptic manifestations, bitterness in the mouth is possible. This disorder is called drug hepatitis. Therefore, during therapy, you need to constantly check liver function.
- There may be signs of a deterioration in overall well-being: nausea, weakness, dizziness, fever.
- The medicine affects the formation of uric acid, which leads to gouty attacks.
- "Pyrazinamide" affects hematological parameters. In a blood test, a decrease in platelets, an increase in eosinophils and porphyrins is possible. In a biochemical study, deviations in the level of functional liver samples appear.
- In diabetics, the drug can cause hypoglycemia.
- The medicine can provoke the appearance of joint pain. They can be quite intense. In addition, a rash appears on the skin of the joints.
- The drug negatively affects the peripheral vessels. There is pain in the lower extremities and bulging veins.
- Due to fluid retention in the body, legs and arms swell.
- Pain may occur during urination.
- Some patients complain of minor muscle pain.
- Allergy sufferers have skin rashes, itching and dermatitis.
- In rare cases, such a serious complication as pellagra is possible - vitamin deficiency of nicotinic acid with severe lesions of the skin and nervous system.
All this suggests that Pyrazinamide is a difficult drug that should be used with great care.
The effect of the drug on the children's body
Side effects of Pyrazinamide for children are the same as for adults, but unpleasant symptoms are more pronounced. For this reason, the drug can not be prescribed to babies in the first three years of life, as well as to children with low weight. Most often, the child shows signs of a deterioration in overall health: nausea, vomiting, dizziness. Often the effects of hepatotoxic effects are observed: pain in the liver, dyspeptic symptoms.
To avoid the occurrence of side effects of Pyrazinamide in children, it is necessary to carefully adhere to the prescribed dosage and never exceed it. The required number of tablets is calculated individually, based on the weight of the patient. If the child has unpleasant symptoms after taking the tablets, you should immediately inform your doctor.
Undesirable effects correction methods
With impaired liver function or gout attacks, the drug is canceled. After this, medications are prescribed for the symptomatic treatment of the side effects of Pyrazinamide. A course of therapy is carried out with group B vitamin preparations, nicotinic acid and hepatoprotectors. For joint pain, Prednisone, Diclofenac, and Indomethacin are prescribed.
Overdose
If the recommended dose is exceeded, the side effects of Pyrazinamide sharply increase. The function of the liver and central nervous system is impaired. Nausea, vomiting, manifestations of polyneuritis, hallucinations are observed. It is necessary to rinse the stomach, give the patient an enterosorbent and call a doctor. Subsequently, detoxification treatment, hemodialysis and hepatoprotective therapy are carried out in the hospital.
Precautionary measures
To avoid the side effects of Pyrazinamide, it is necessary to take into account its compatibility with other drugs. Some medicines increase the toxic effect of the drug on the liver. These include:
- anti-TB drug "Ethionamide";
- remedies for gout "Probenecid", "Allopurinol";
- antibiotics: Rifampicin, Ofloxacin, Levofloxacin.
In older people, taking "Pyrazinamide" often causes side effects. Therefore, patients older than 60 years during therapy do tests for liver enzymes and uric acid levels. With serious deviations from the norm in the research results, the drug is canceled.
During treatment with this tool, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, as this dramatically increases the toxic effect on the liver.
Drug tolerance reviews
On the Web, you can find messages and reviews about the side effects of Pyrazinamide. Noting the benefits and effectiveness of this drug for treating tuberculosis, patients report dizziness, drowsiness, redness of the face and a feeling of heat after taking the medicine. Some patients complain of difficulty concentrating. Such phenomena are usually temporary and go away after several days of therapy.
Often there are complaints of joint pain. Many patients experienced negative gastrointestinal symptoms: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite. An unpleasant bitter taste of the tablets is noted. In the reviews you can find recommendations about taking hepatoprotectors to prevent liver disorders. However, you should not use such funds on your own. This can create an even greater burden on the hepatobiliary system. It is necessary to take liver protection products according to indications, and not for the prevention of side effects of Pyrazinamide tablets.
Parents of children with tuberculosis report that the child had vomiting after taking the medicine, as well as dizziness and weakness. Some pediatric TB doctors prescribe the drug with a positive Mantoux tuberculin test. However, this approach cannot be considered true. Indication for the use of "Pyrazinamide" can only be the clinical manifestations of tuberculosis. A positive Mantoux reaction does not always indicate a disease and is not a sufficient basis for the appointment of chemotherapy.