Zibutol INH

Isoniazid is an antibiotic used in the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis or TB (a serious infection caused by bacteria that affects the lungs and in certain cases other parts of the body)

Isoniazid is a primary antibiotic used for treatment of tuberculosis. Do not confuse it with chemotherapy or chemo drugs used for the treatment of cancer

Isoniazid is a bacteriostatic antibiotic. It stops or suppresses growth of tuberculosis causing bacteria by interfering with the formation of protective outer covering (cell wall) which is essential for their growth

Yes. Isoniazid is safe if used at prescribed doses for the prescribed duration as advised by your doctor

Isoniazid has very weak inhibitory activity on enzymes monoamine oxidases (MAO); however it is not used as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)

No. The chemical structure and mechanism of action of Isoniazid is different from sulfa drugs

Isoniazid is an inhibitor (decreases activity) of an important liver enzyme system that is responsible for the final processing and elimination of several drugs from the body

There no known serious drug interactions of isoniazid with ibuprofen, paracetamol (trade name: Tylenol), naproxen (trade name: Aleve), amoxicillin or any active drug present in Nyquil or Mucinex. Please inform your doctor about all the medication you are currently taking to avoid interactions that may reduce effectiveness of any treatment or aggravate side effects

Changes in body weight (gain/loss), hair loss, diarrhea or changes in menstruation are not among the known side effects of Isoniazid. You may experience few of these side effects while on multi drug (including Isoniazid) treatment for tuberculosis

You may experience unusual tiredness, constipation or acne while on treatment with Isoniazid. Please inform your doctor about all the medication you are currently taking to avoid interactions that may reduce effectiveness of any treatment or aggravate side effects

Isoniazid has no known interaction with commonly used oral contraceptives (birth control pills). However, multidrug treatment for tuberculosis contains active drug rifampin that decreases the effectiveness of oral contraceptives and hampers birth control.

If your child vomited within 30 minutes of taking Ethambutol, give the same dose again. If vomiting occurred 30 minutes after taking Ethambutol, you need not repeat the dose. If your child vomits again after taking Ethambutol, consult your doctor.

Ethambutol stays for about 24 hours in your system. This duration varies from person to person and maybe different for patients with kidney problems.

Yes, it will work if you had taken proper treatment and got cured when you developed tuberculosis for the first time. If you have any doubt, ask your doctor.

Yes, it is important that you take all the prescribed TB drugs together for the recommended duration, else you will not be cured. A single drug is not prescribed to treat TB because it may increase the risk of developing multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, which is very difficult to treat.

Sometimes it happens that bacteria gets modified in your body and stops reacting to the medicine. As a result, the medicine stops working. This is called drug resistance. Drug resistance is uncommon if Ethambutol is used in combination with other TB drugs.

Yes, Ethambutol can be continued for more than 2 months, depending on your condition and as per your doctor’s advice. If after 2 months, your investigations show that the TB bacteria are still active, you may have to take Ethambutol for 1 more month. In case you are resistant to other TB drugs, you may have to take Ethambutol and other TB drugs (for which you are not drug resistant) for longer than 2 months.

You should consult your doctor and consider stopping the medicine immediately if you develop any vision problems like blurred vision, color blindness or any kidney problems like decreased amount of urine and swelling of your legs and feet. You may even develop liver troubles like nausea, vomiting and yellowish color of skin and eyes. Beware of all these symptoms and consult your doctor immediately.