Ethionamide Brand Name– Trecator-SC
What is Ethionamide
Ethionamide a structural analog of isoniazid, is a second-line agent in the treatment of tuberculosis.
Ethionamide is used in combination with at least one other antitubercular drug either for disease resistant to rifampin and/or isoniazid or for patients who are intolerant of rifampin and isoniazid.
Patients with disease resistance are at high risk for treatment failure and further disease resistance development. Optimum treatment regimens have not been established for drug-resistant tuberculosis, but drug selection should be based on susceptibility testing results.
An expert in the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis should be consulted. Trecator®-SC (ethionamide tablets, USP) sugar-coated tablets have been reformulated to film-coated tablets and renamed Trecator®.
The new formulation was designed to improve stability. Although the mean systemic exposure is not significantly different, the new film-coated tablet is more rapidly absorbed.
As a result, higher peak ethionamide concentrations may potentially cause patient intolerance when introduced at the same initial dose as the old sugar-coated tablet.
Therefore, patients should be closely monitored and may need dosage adjustments when switching from the sugar-coated tablet to the film-coated tablet.
Indications
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- tuberculosis infection
Side Effects
- abdominal pain
- acneiform rash
- anorexia
- blurred vision
- depression
- diarrhea
- diplopia
- dizziness
- drowsiness
- elevated hepatic enzymes
- goiter
- gynecomastia
- headache
- hepatitis
- hyperbilirubinemia
- hypersalivation
- hypoglycemia
- hypothyroidism
- impotence (erectile dysfunction)
- jaundice
- metallic taste
- nausea
- neuritis
- optic neuritis
- orthostatic hypotension
- peripheral neuropathy
- photosensitivity
- purpura
- rash
- restlessness
- stomatitis
- thrombocytopenia
- visual impairment
- vitamin B6 deficiency
- vomiting
- weight loss
Monitoring Parameters
- blood glucose
- LFTs
- thyroid function tests (TFTs)
Contraindications
- breast-feeding
- diabetes mellitus
- ethanol ingestion
- hepatic disease
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
- hypothyroidism
- pregnancy
Ethionamide is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drug.
Interactions
- Aminosalicylate sodium, Aminosalicylic acid
- Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccine, BCG
- Capreomycin
- Cycloserine
- Ethambutol
- Ethanol
- Isoniazid, INH
- Isoniazid, INH; Pyrazinamide, PZA; Rifampin
- Isoniazid, INH; Rifampin
- Omeprazole; Amoxicillin; Rifabutin
- Pyrazinamide, PZA
- Rifabutin
- Rifampin
- Zalcitabine, ddC
