Pyrazinamide For Treatment of Tuberculosis 1
Pyrazinamide For Treatment of Tuberculosis 1
Pyrazinamide For Treatment of Tuberculosis 1
This leaflet is for parents and carers about how to use this How should I give pyrazinamide?
medicine in children. Our information sometimes differs f
Tablets should be swallowed with a glass of
rom that provided by the manufacturers, because their
water, milk or juice. Your child should not chew
information is usually aimed at adults. Please read this
the tablets.
leaflet carefully. Keep it somewhere safe so that you can
read it again. You can crush the tablet and mix it with a small
amount of soft food such as yogurt, jam or
mashed potato. Make sure your child swallows
It is essential that your child takes all their it all straight away, without chewing.
medicines daily, as explained by the doctor, and
continues until the doctor tells you to stop. Liquid medicine: Measure out the right amount
using a medicine spoon or oral syringe. You
can get these from your pharmacist. Do not use
Name of drug a kitchen teaspoon as it will not give the right
5.0 ml
2.5 ml
Pyrazinamide (PIR-a-ZIN-a-myde) amount.
Brand names: Zinamide
When should the medicine start working?
Why is it important for my child to take this medicine? Your child should start to feel better and have fewer
The bacteria that cause TB are hard to kill. Your child will symptoms after taking the TB medicines for about 2 weeks.
have to take up to four medicines for at least 3-6 months. However, they must continue to take the medicine every
Pyrazinamide is one of these key medicines. It is given for the day until the doctor says to stop treatment. This will be for 2
first 2 months of treatment. months for pyrazinamide and at least 6 months for the other
medicines.
Your child should start to feel better and may not have
any symptoms of TB soon after starting treatment. What if my child is sick (vomits)?
However, you must continue to give the medicines until
your doctor tells you to stop. If you stop too soon, or
•• If your child is sick less than 30 minutes after having a
dose of pyrazinamide, give them the same dose again.
your child does not take the medicines as your doctor
has told you to, the bacteria may not be killed and the •• your child is sick more than 30 minutes after having
If
TB may come back. It is also possible that the bacteria a dose of pyrazinamide, you do not need to give them
will become resistant to the first drugs, which means another dose. Wait until the next normal dose.
that the drugs will no longer work. This may mean that If your child is sick again, seek advice from your GP, TB nurse,
other stronger drugs will have to be used, or the TB may pharmacist or hospital. They will decide what to do based on
no longer be treatable. your child’s condition and the specific medicine involved.
www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk
Version 2, September 2014. © NPPG, RCPCH and WellChild 2011, all rights reserved. Reviewed by: September 2017.
The primary source for the information in this leaflet is the British National Formulary for Children. For details on any other sources used for this leaflet, please contact us through
our website, www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk
We take great care to make sure that the information in this leaflet is correct and up-to-date. However, medicines can be used in different ways for different patients. It is
important that you ask the advice of your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure about something. This leaflet is about the use of these medicines in the UK, and may not apply
to other countries. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group (NPPG), WellChild and the contributors and
editors cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information, omissions of information, or any actions that may be taken as a consequence of reading this leaflet.