To help clear up your TB completely, it is important that you keep taking this medicine for the full time of treatment, even if you begin to feel better after a few weeks. It is important that you do not miss any doses.

Dosing

The dose of pyrazinamide will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of pyrazinamide. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

• For oral dosage form (tablets):
  • For tuberculosis (TB):
    • Adults and children Dose is based on body weight. The usual dose is 15 to 30 milligrams (mg) of pyrazinamide per kilogram (kg) (6.8 to 13.6 mg per pound) of body weight once a day; or 50 to 70 mg per kg (22.7 to 31.8 mg per pound) two times a week or three times a week, depending on the schedule your doctor chooses for you. This medicine must be taken along with other medicines used to treat TB.

Missed dose

If you do miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For pyrazinamide, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to pyrazinamide or to ethionamide (e.g., Trecator-SC), isoniazid (e.g., INH, Nydrazid), or niacin (e.g., Nicobid, nicotinic acid). Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Studies on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals.

Breast-feeding Pyrazinamide passes into the breast milk in small amounts.

Children Pyrazinamide has been used in children and, in effective doses, has not been reported to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults.

Older adults Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing pyrazinamide in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

• Gout (history of) Pyrazinamide may worsen or cause a gout attack in patients with a history of gout

• Liver disease (severe) Patients with severe liver disease who take pyrazinamide may have an increase in side effects