Ethionamide (Systemic)

Brand Names : Trecator-SC

Before Using This Medicine

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 ethionamide, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to ethionamide, isoniazid (e.g., INH; Nydrazid), pyrazinamide, 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 - Ethionamide causes birth defects in rats and rabbits given doses greater than the usual human dose. However, women with tuberculosis (TB) should be treated with medicines to treat TB. If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether ethionamide passes into breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are taking this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.

Children - Although there is no specific information comparing use of ethionamide in children with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected 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 or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of ethionamide in the elderly with use in other age groups.

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. When you are taking ethionamide, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Cycloserine - Use of ethionamide with cycloserine may increase the chance for nervous system side effects, such as convulsions (seizures)

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of ethionamide. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) - Diabetes may be harder to control in patients taking ethionamide

• Liver disease (severe) - Patients with severe liver disease may have an increased chance of side effects