Tuberculosis Medicine - Pyrazinamide

What is Pyrazinamide?

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an antibiotic medicine used to treat tuberculosis disease (TB). PZA is used in combination with other TB medicines to treat TB. This medication kills or stops the growth of the bacteria that causes TB.

Things to remember when taking this medicine:

• Take your medicine at the same time every day or as instructed by your doctor.
• PZA may be taken with or without food.
• Do not stop taking your medicine unless your health care professional tells you to do so.
• If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible, but never take two doses at one time.
• If you are taking other prescription or over-the-counter medicines, please discuss these with your health care professional to help avoid any serious drug interactions.
• Tell your health care professional if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast feeding. If you become pregnant while taking PZA, call your health care professional.
• Do not drink alcohol while taking this medicine. You could damage your liver.
  If this is not possible, limit your intake to one to two drinks per week.
• Store PZA in a cool, dry place, out of reach of children.

Side effects to watch for:

• Most people have no problems while taking PZA.
• Some common side effects include:
• upset stomach or loss of appetite,
• swollen or painful joints, and
• skin rash.

If you have any of the following more serious side effects, stop taking the medicine and call your health care professional:

• nausea or vomiting
• stomach cramps
• very dark urine
• yellowish skin or eyes
• fever for three days or more
• fatigue or feeling very tired
• loss of appetite

Special Precautions:

PZA can cause a build-up of uric acid in the body which can cause a gout attack (accumulation of uric acid in some joints, causing pain) especially in people with a history of gout or in the elderly.

Caution is recommended in individuals with the following health problems:

• kidney disease,
• history of gout, or
• diabetes management may become more difficult while taking PZA.

Remember:

You must keep your appointment at TB clinic, KFL&A Public Health or your doctor's office, to be monitored regularly while on this medicine.

Call KFL&A Public Health at least two weeks before you need more medicine.
Arrangements will be made for a refill of your prescription. All TB medications are free of charge.

If you have questions or concerns, please call KFL&A Public Health at 613-549-1232 or 1-800-267-7875, ext. 1287.

Revised: 2011-07-27