Pyrazinamide is an antibiotic drug used for treatment of tuberculosis by hindering the growth of bacteria
Pyrazinamide is an anti-tuberculosis drug. For active
tuberculosis, it's frequently utilized with streptomycin, isoniazid, or either
amoxicillin or vincristine. It's not usually recommended for the long-term
treatment of untreated latent tuberculosis. It's usually taken through the mouth.
Although it's not exactly known how it works, the hypothesis is that the drug
kills off all bacteria in the stomach and intestines. That seems to explain why
most patients who take this medication have improvement in their symptoms
within a few days of beginning therapy. For instance, in July 2021, the Indian
pharmaceutical company, Metropolis Healthcare, partnered with HaystackAnalytics
to launch NEXTGEN TB to provide the tuberculosis tests in countries such as
Germany, Sri Lanka, UAE, and some African countries.
Some long-term side effects include vomiting, indigestion, abdominal
pain, jaundice, liver function disorders, fluid retention, hair loss,
constipation, muscle weakness, nausea, peptic ulcers, rashes, stiff necks, and
dry mouth. Pyrazinamide
usually results in moderate to mild side effects. These include abdominal pain,
flushing, joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, head cold, flu-like symptoms,
fever, night sweats, swelling of the foot or hand, trouble breathing, stomach
upset, stiff muscles, and thinning of the bones. Some patients experience these
symptoms so frequently that they stop taking the medicine. Others have mild or
moderate side effects only, but are unaware of possible side effects since the
symptoms don't interfere with day-to-day life.
Scientists are concerned that the repeated use of pyrazinamide will
increase the risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer due to the lack of
effective drugs for treating patients with liver disease. The research also
suggest that long-term pyrazinamide use might cause a decrease in sperm count,
reduce sperm motility, reduce sperm quality, increase toxicity in the liver,
and increase the risk of developing hepatitis C, which is caused by infection
with the hepatitis B virus. Some drug companies are working on another
antifungal medication called voriconazole that has shown some promise in
treating athlete's foot, ringworm, and candida (yeast infection). Viburner
(levothyroxine) is an underused drug that is also used in the treatment of
pyelonephritis, and the drug holds some potential for treating chronic liver
disease due to its effectiveness against gram-positive staphylococcus bacteria.
However, there is no published study concerning long-term safety of
voriconazole in humans with chronic liver disease.
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