Before using Rifater, you must know all about the risks and complications associated with it. Together with your doctor, you can decide whether the medication will do you more goods than the harms.
Here are some factors to be considered before deciding to use this medicine:
Allergies
Inform your doctor about the allergies you have, such as to this medication, other medications, or to foods, dyes, or preservatives.
Pediatric
Using this combination in children and teenagers below 15 years is not recommended.
Geriatric
It may be used in elderly after assessing risks and benefits of the use.
Pregnancy
The pregnancy category of this product is C for all trimesters, meaning that due to lack of sufficient studies, it’s not clear if this combination is safe for use in pregnancy.
Breastfeeding
It may be used in a nursing mother after assessing risks and benefits of the use.
Drug Interactions
Taking two medicines together can be harmful due to possible interactions. In other cases, even if there is a possible interaction between two medicines your doctor may advise you to take them together after adjusting the dose or issuing precautions. Here is a list of the medicines which in general are not recommended to be used with rifampin.
Inform your doctor if you are using any of these medicines:
- Atazanavir
- Darunavir
- Fosamprenavir
- Ritonavir
- Saquinavir
- Tipranavir
- Voriconazole
Though usually not recommended, your doctor may decide, after adjusting dose or frequency of one or both medicines, to use this medicine with any of the following medicines:
- Acetaminophen
- Afatinib
- Amiodarone
- Amprenavir
- Atovaquone
- Bedaquiline
- Brexpiprazole
- Bupropion
- Carbamazepine
- Clozapine
- Cyclosporine
- Dabigatran
- Delavirdine
- Domperidone
- Donepezil
- Doxorubicin
- Efavirenz
- Eliglustat
- Etravirine
- Everolimus
- Fosphenytoin
- Glimepiride
- Indinavir
- Itraconazole
- Ketoconazole
- Lamotrigine
- Ledipasvir
- Levodopa
- Linagliptin
- Mycophenolate Mofetil
- Nevirapine
- Nifedipine
- Nimodipine
- Palbociclib
- Panobinostat
- Phenytoin
- Piperaquine
- Pitavastatin
- Posaconazole
- Quinine
- Sirolimus
- Sorafenib
- Tacrolimus
- Telithromycin
- Temsirolimus
- Tolvaptan
- Vilazodone
- Vincristine
- Vinflunine
- Vortioxetine
- Zidovudine
Rarely and only when absolutely needed, this medicine may be used with the following medicines even if using them together may put you at risk of certain side effects. In such cases, you may have to take the adjusted dose or change the frequency of intake.
- Acetyldigoxin
- Aminosalicylic Acid
- Atorvastatin
- Betamethasone
- Bexarotene
- Buspirone
- Carbamazepine
- Carvedilol
- Chloramphenicol
- Chlorpropamide
- Citalopram
- Clarithromycin
- Clofibrate
- Desogestrel
- Diazepam
- Dicumarol
- Diltiazem
- Disopyramide
- Disulfiram
- Doxycycline
- Enalapril Maleate
- Ethinyl Estradiol
- Ethionamide
- Fluconazole
- Fosphenytoin
- Gliclazide
- Haloperidol
- Levonorgestrel
- Levothyroxine
- Linezolid
- Losartan
- Mefloquine
- Mestranol
- Metformin
- Methadone
- Morphine
- Moxifloxacin
- Nisoldipine
- Norelgestromin
- Norethindrone
- Norgestimate
- Norgestrel
- Phenytoin
- Pioglitazone
- Propafenone
- Raltegravir
- Rofecoxib
- Rosiglitazone
- Sertraline
- Simvastatin
- Tamoxifen
- Theophylline
- Triazolam
- Valproic Acid
- Warfarin
- Zidovudine
Other Interactions:
Taking your medicine together with certain foods or items such as alcohol or tobacco may cause undesirable interactions. Talk to your doctor to know if using this medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco is safe. AVOID high-tyramine foods such as beer, aged cheese, smoked meats, fermented pickles, sauces, and soybeans.
Medical Problems
Inform your doctor about the following conditions, if any:
- Alcoholism in the past: Daily alcohol intake while taking this medicine increases your risk of hepatitis.
- History of diabetes
- Porphyria: Use cautiously.
- Acute or severe liver impairment: Do not use this medicine.
To use Rifater properly, you must follow all instructions given by your doctor. Here are some points to consider:
- Follow your doctor’s instructions about the use of any medicine.
- Never discontinue or skip the dose of any antitubercular medicines without consulting your doctor. Doing so can make the TB microorganism resistant to treatment. Remember that TB treatments last for months.
- Take this medicine on an empty stomach. If doing so upsets your stomach, take it with a meal. You may also take aluminum-free antacids to help your upset stomach.
- Take daily doses of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) if recommended by your doctor. Vitamin B6 helps to fight against some side effects of isoniazid.
Dosing
For best results, follow your doctor to know what amount of medicine you should take in a single dose. The doses of a medicine can differ according to the conditions for which it is being prescribed. Remember your doses can differ. Consult your doctor if you have anything to ask. The doses of tablets are:
For the treatment of tuberculosis
- Adults and teenagers above 15 years and weight 55 kilograms (kg) or more: 6 tablets in a day.
- Adults and teenagers above 15 years and weight 45 to 54 kg: 5 tablets in a day.
- Adults and teenagers over 15 years and weight 44 kg or less: 4 tablets in a day.
- Teenagers and children below 15 years: Not recommended.
Missed Dose
Take your missed dose once you remember but avoid it if it’s time to take your next dose, and follow your normal dosing schedule. Avoid taking double doses to make up for the missed dose.
Storage
- Store in a closed container at room temperature.
- Keep away from heat, moisture, and direct light.
- Do not freeze.
- Keep away from children.
- Discard any unused or expired medicines.
Make sure you meet with your doctor in using Rifater to avoid unwanted potential side effects.
Consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following side effects:
More common:
- Balance problems
- Dark urine
- Decreased appetite
- Continuous nausea and vomiting
- Numbness or tingling, burning sensations in the limbs
- Painful joints
- Excessive tiredness
- Yellowish eyes or skin
Less common:
- Chills
- Breathing problems
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle and bone pain
- Red skin
- Tremors
- Rash
Rare:
- Blood in urine
- Blurry vision
- Inability to see
- Seizures
- Marked reduction in frequency of urination or urine volume
- Depression
- Mood alterations
- Abnormal bleeding or bruising
Mild and non-serious side effects usually go away on their own without requiring medical intervention. You may also ask your doctor to learn more about how you may prevent or reduce the side effects.
Talk to your doctor if the side effects persist or worry you, including:
More common:
Less common:
You may also have reddish-brown urine, stool, saliva, sputum, sweat, and tears during this treatment. This is normal and usually harmless.
The side effects of the medicine are not limited to the ones listed above. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any side effects that are uncommon or worry you. To report side effects to the FDA, contact at 1-800-FDA-1088.