Generic Name (active ingredient): Rifampicin
Brand Name: Rifadin, Rimactan

Rifampicin is an antibiotic with bactericidal effect, a semi-synthetic derivative of natural rifamycin; belongs to the rifamycin group.

How does the medication work?
Rifampicin is an antibacterial drug with broad spectrum, has bactericidal, antituberculosis, and antileprotic properties. Violates the synthesis of RNA in the bacterial cell. It is effective against extra-and intracellularly located microorganisms, especially quickly reproducing extracellular pathogens.
In low concentrations, Rifampicin is effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Brucella spp., Chlamidia trachomatis, Legionella pneumophila, Rickettsia typhi, Mycobacterium leprae, Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant strains, Staphylococcus epidermidis, streptococci, in high concentrations - against some Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, Neisseria meningitidis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is also active against Haemophilus influenzae (including those resistant to ampicillin and chloramphenicol), Haemophilus ducreyi, Bordetella pertussis, Bacillus anthracis, Listeria monocytogenes, Francisella tularensis, Clostridia difficile and other gram-positive anaerobes.
Rifampicin is no efficient in the treatment of Mycobacterium fortuitum, representatives of the Enterobacteraceae family, nonfermentative gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp., Stenothrophomonas spp.).

When Rifampicin is prescribed?

• Tuberculosis (all forms) - as part of a combination therapy
• Leprosy
• Infectious diseases caused by susceptible microorganisms (in cases of resistance to other antibiotics and as a part of the antimicrobial combination therapy, after exclusion of the diagnosis of tuberculosis and leprosy)
• Brucellosis - a part of combination therapy
• Treatment of meningococcal carriers

What should I know before taking Rifampicin?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to Rifampicin

Do not take Rifampicin if any of the below conditions apply to you:

• jaundice
• recent infectious hepatitis
• lactation
• chronic renal failure
• severe pulmonary heart disease
• infants

Before taking Rifampicin, tell your health care provider about any other medicines you take or if you have any of the following disorders:

• pregnancy

If you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or breastfeed, you should take Rifampicin only under a strict control of your doctor. Rifampicin belongs to a pregnancy category C meaning that it may have a teratogenic effect on the unborn baby (as tested in animals). This medicine passes in small amounts into the breast milk. Use only when there are no safer alternatives.

How to take Rifampicin:
Rifampicin is available in the forms of capsules, lyophilisate for solution for infusion, lyophilisate for solution for injection, coated tablets

Dosage of Rifampicin is prescribed individually by physician.

Take the entire amount of Rifampicin prescribed by your doctor, even if you feel better before the end of the treatment. If you stop taking medication too early, symptoms may return.
If you missed the scheduled dose, take the medication as soon as you remember, but skip the dose if it is almost the time for the following dose. Do not take two doses at once.

What are the side effects of Rifampicin?
Rifampicin may cause the following side effects:

• digestive system: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, erosive gastritis, pseudomembranous enterocolitis, hyperbilirubinemia, hepatitis
• allergic reactions: urticaria, eosinophilia, angioedema, bronchospasm, arthralgia, fever
• nervous system: headache, decreased visual acuity, ataxia, disorientation
• urinary system: hepatic necrosis, interstitial nephritis
• other: leukopenia, dysmenorrhea, porphyria induction, myasthenia gravis, hyperuricemia, gout exacerbation

If you experience any side effect that last long or becomes bothersome, please inform your doctor as dose adjustment or treatment discontinuation may be required.

Which are Rifampicin overdose symptoms?
If you overdose Rifampicin, seek immediate medical attention. Overdose symptoms include: pulmonary edema, lethargy, confusion, convulsions

Which other medicines may affect Rifampicin?
Rifampicin may interact with the following groups of drugs:

• oral anticoagulants
• oral hypoglycemic drugs
• birth control
• glucocorticoids
• anti-arrhythmic agents
• benzodiazepines
• sex hormones
• sulfanilamides
• anticonvulsants
• anesthetics
• tricyclic antidepressants
• anti-asthmatic drugs
• some antibiotics
• antimycotics
• immunosuppressive drugs
• beta-blockers
• slow calcium channels blockers
• ACE inhibitors
• H2-histamine blockers
• antacids
• opiates
• anticholinergic drugs

For a complete list of possible interactions ask your doctor or pharmacist. Before taking Rifampicin, let your doctor know what other medicines, including OTC, you currently take.

How should I store Rifampicin?
Store the medicine in a dry, dark place at temperatures not above 25 ° C (77 F).