How should this medicine be used?
Pyrazinamide comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It usually is taken once a day (at the same time each day) or in larger doses twice a week. Pyrazinamide may be taken with or without food. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your pharmacist or doctor to explain any part you do not understand. Take pyrazinamide exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking pyrazinamide,
* tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to pyrazinamide, niacin, ethionamide (Trecator-SC), or any other drugs.
* tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially allopurinol (Zyloprim), colchicine and/or probenecid (Col-Probenecid, Benemid), ethionamide (Trecator-SC), and vitamins.
* tell your doctor if you have or have ever had gout, liver or kidney disease, or diabetes.
* tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking pyrazinamide, call your doctor.
* plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Pyrazinamide may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
What should I do if I forget a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only your regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
What side effects can this medication cause?
Although side effects from pyrazinamide are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
* upset stomach
* fatigue
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
* skin rash
* fever
* vomiting
* loss of appetite
* yellowing of the skin or eyes
* darkened urine
* pain and swelling in the joints
* unusual bleeding or bruising
* difficult urination
