What is rifapentine?
Rifapentine is an antibiotic. It prevents bacteria from multiplying in your body.
Rifapentine is used together with other antibiotics to treat tuberculosis.
Rifapentine must always be used in combination with other antibiotics.
Rifapentine may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking rifapentine?
You should not take this medication if you are allergic to rifapentine, rifabutin
(Mycobutin), or rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rimactane, Rifamate).
Before taking rifapentine, tell your doctor if you have porphyria.
Rifapentine should not be used without other antibiotics. Be sure to take all your
medications as prescribed by your doctor.
Before using rifapentine, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have
liver disease. You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take rifapentine. Your
doctor will tell you if any of your medication doses need to be changed.
FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell
your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
Rifapentine can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a
non-hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent
pregnancy while taking rifapentine.
It is not known whether rifapentine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a
nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a
baby. Rifapentine may cause a red-orange discoloration of breast milk.
How should I take rifapentine?
Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take it in larger
amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.
You may take rifapentine with or without food. Take the medication with food if it
causes stomach upset, nausea, or vomiting.
To be sure this medication is not causing harmful effects, your blood may need to be
tested on a regular basis. Your liver function may also need to be tested. Do not miss any
scheduled appointments.
Take this medication for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may
improve before the infection is completely cleared.
Store rifapentine at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep the bottle
tightly closed.
What happens if I miss a dose of rifapentine?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose,
wait until then to take the medicine and skip the missed dose.
Do not
take extra
medicine to make up the missed dose.
Where can I get more information about rifapentine?
Your pharmacist has information about rifapentine written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of rifapentine?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic
reaction:
hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
-
blood in your urine;
-
pale skin, weakness, easy bruising or bleeding; or
-
fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms.
Less serious side effects may include:
-
red, orange, or brown discoloration of your skin, tears, sweat,
saliva, urine, or stools;
-
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite;
-
stomach pain;
-
headache;
-
joint pain; or
-
mild skin rash or itching.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell
your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the most important information I should know about rifapentine?
You should not take this medication if you are allergic to rifapentine, rifabutin
(Mycobutin), or rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rimactane, Rifamate).
Before taking rifapentine, tell your doctor if you have porphyria.
Rifapentine should not be used without other antibiotics. Be sure to take all your
medications as prescribed by your doctor.
Take this medication for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may
improve before the infection is completely cleared.
Rifapentine can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a
non-hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent
pregnancy while taking rifapentine.
Do not wear dentures or contact lenses while taking rifapentine. This medicine may
discolor certain body fluids (including tears and saliva) with a red, orange, or brown color.
While this is a harmless side effect, it may permanently stain a pair of contact lenses.
What should I avoid while taking rifapentine?
Do not wear dentures or contact lenses while taking rifapentine. This medicine may
discolor certain body fluids (including tears and saliva) with a red, orange, or brown color.
While this is a harmless side effect, it may permanently stain a pair of contact lenses.
Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you
have diarrhea that is watery or has blood in it, call your doctor. Do not use any medicine to stop
the diarrhea unless your doctor has told you to.
What other drugs will affect rifapentine?
Before taking rifapentine, tell your doctor if you are using any of these HIV or AIDS
medications:
-
abacavir (Ziagen);
-
amprenavir (Agenerase);
-
delavirdine (Rescriptor);
-
didanosine (Videx);
-
efavirenz (Sustiva);
-
indinavir (Crixivan);
-
lamivudine (Combivir, Epivir);
-
nelfinavir (Viracept);
-
nevirapine (Viramune);
-
ritonavir (Norvir);
-
saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase);
-
stavudine (Zerit);
-
zalcitabine (Hivid); or
-
zidovudine (Retrovir).
There are many other medicines that can interact with
rifapentine.
Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter
medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by
other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with
you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who
treats you.
What happens if I have an overdose of rifapentine?