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|Rifapentine

RIFAPENTINE (Systemic)†

Some commonly used brand names are:

In the U.S.—

• Priftin

† Not commercially available in Canada.

Category

• Antibacterial (antimycobacterial)

Description

Rifapentine (RIF-a-pen-teen) is used with other medicines to treat tuberculosis.

To help clear up your tuberculosis completely, you must keep taking this medicine for the full time of treatment, even if you begin to feel better. This is very important. It is also important that you do not miss any doses.

Rifapentine is available only with your doctor"s prescription, in the following dosage form:

• Oral
• Tablets (U.S.)

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For rifapentine, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to rifabutin (e.g., Mycobutin), rifampin (e.g., Rifadin), or rifapentine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Use of rifapentine during the last few weeks of pregnancy may rarely result in bleeding in the mother and newborn.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether rifapentine passes into the breast milk.

Children—Safety and efficacy have not been established in infants and children younger than 12 years of age. For children 12 years of age and older, rifapentine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Older adults—Rifapentine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking rifapentine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Alcohol—Alcohol may increase the chance of liver damage if taken with rifapentine

• Antidiabetic agents, oral (diabetes medicine you take by mouth) or
• Chloramphenicol (e.g., Chloromycetin) or
• Ciprofloxacin (e.g., Cipro) or
• Clarithromycin (e.g., Biaxin) or
• Corticosteroids (cortisone-like medicine) or
• Delavirdine (e.g., Rescriptor) or
• Digitalis glycosides (heart medicine) or
• Diltiazem (e.g., Cardizem) or
• Disopyramide (e.g., Norpace) or
• Doxycycline (e.g., Vibramycin) or
• Estrogen-containing oral contraceptives (birth control pills) or
• Fluconazole (e.g., Diflucan) or
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors (medicines for the treatment of HIV infection) or
• Itraconazole (e.g., Sporanox) or
• Ketoconazole (e.g., Nizoral) or
• Methadone (e.g., Dolophine) or
• Mexiletine (e.g., Mexitil) or
• Nifedipine (e.g., Procardia) or
• Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) or
• Quinidine (e.g., Quinidex) or
• Theophylline (e.g., Theo-dur) or
• Tocainide (e.g., Tonocard) or
• Verapamil (e.g., Calan) or
• Warfarin (e.g., Coumadin) or
• Zidovudine (e.g., AZT, Retrovir)—Rifapentine may decrease the effects of these medicines. If you are taking oral contraceptives, this may increase the chance of pregnancy.

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of rifapentine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Alcohol abuse (or history of) or
• Liver disease—There may be an increased chance of side effects affecting the liver in patients with a history of alcohol abuse or liver disease

Proper Use of This Medicine

The treatment of tuberculosis may take months or years to complete. It is very important that you comply with the full course of therapy .

Dosing—The dose of rifapentine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor"s orders or the directions on the label . The following information includes only the average doses of rifapentine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

• For oral dosage form (tablets):
  • For the treatment of tuberculosis (TB):
    • Adults and children 12 years of age and older—600 milligrams (mg) twice a week with an interval of not less than three days (seventy-two hours) between doses. Rifapentine must be taken with other medicines to treat tuberculosis.
    • Infants and children up to 12 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Missed dose—If you do miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. If this medicine is taken on an irregular schedule, side effects may occur more often and may be more serious than usual . If you have any questions about this, check with your health care professional.

Storage—To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

Precautions While Using This Medicine

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits .

If your symptoms do not improve within 2 to 3 weeks, or if they become worse, check with your doctor.

If this medicine causes you to feel very tired or very weak or causes a loss of appetite, nausea, or vomiting, stop taking it and check with your doctor immediately . These may be early warning signs of more serious problems that could develop later.

Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) may not work properly if you take them while you are taking rifapentine. Unplanned pregnancies may occur. You should use a different means of birth control while you are taking rifapentine . If you have any questions about this, check with your health care professional.

Liver problems may be more likely to occur if you drink alcoholic beverages regularly while you are taking this medicine. Also, the regular use of alcohol may keep this medicine from working properly. Therefore, you should not drink alcoholic beverages while you are taking this medicine .

Rifapentine will cause the urine, stools, saliva, sputum, sweat, and tears to turn reddish-orange to reddish-brown. This is to be expected while you are taking this medicine. This effect may cause soft contact lenses to become permanently discolored. Standard cleaning solutions may not take out all the discoloration. Therefore, it is best not to wear soft contact lenses while taking this medicine . Hard contact lenses are not discolored by rifapentine. If you have any question about this, check with your doctor.

Rifapentine can lower the number of white blood cells in your blood temporarily, increasing the chance of getting infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. These problems may result in a greater chance of getting certain infections, slow healing, and bleeding of the gums. Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or a toothpick. Dental work should be delayed until your blood counts have returned to normal. Check with your medical doctor or dentist if you have any questions about proper oral hygiene (mouth care) during treatment.

Before you have any medical tests, tell the doctor in charge that you are taking this medicine.

Side Effects of This Medicine

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:

This medicine commonly causes reddish-orange to reddish-brown discoloration of urine, stools, saliva, sputum, sweat, and tears. This side effect does not usually need medical attention.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor.

Developed: 01/08/1999

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