Some Drugs Used to Treat Tuberculosis
Drug | Route | Side Effects |
|---|---|---|
First-line drugs* | ||
Isoniazid | By mouth | Liver injury (hepatitis) in 1 person in 1,000, resulting in fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice Sometimes numbness in the limbs (peripheral neuropathy) |
Rifampin (and the related drugs rifabutin and rifapentine) | By mouth | Liver injury, particularly when rifampin is combined with isoniazid (but the effects go away when people stop the drug) Reddish orange discoloration of urine, tears, and sweat Rarely a low white blood cell or platelet count |
Pyrazinamide | By mouth | Liver injury (hepatitis), digestive upset, and sometimes gout |
Ethambutol | By mouth | Sometimes blurred vision and decreased color perception (because the drug affects the optic nerve) |
Moxifloxacin | By mouth | Inflammation or rupture of tendons Nervousness, tremors, and seizures Antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colon inflammation (colitis) |
Second-line drugs† | ||
Aminoglycosides, such as streptomycin, amikacin, and kanamycin | By injection into a muscle | Kidney injury, dizziness, hearing loss (due to damage to nerves of the inner ear), rash, and fever |
Fluoroquinolones, such as levofloxacin | By mouth | Inflammation or rupture of tendons Nervousness, tremors, and seizures Antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colon inflammation (colitis) |
Capreomycin | By injection into a muscle | Side effects similar to those of aminoglycosides (but capreomycin is often tolerated better if treatment is needed for a long time) |
* First-line drugs are usually the first choice for treatment. | ||
† Second-line drugs are usually used when the bacteria causing tuberculosis have become resistant to first-line drugs or when people cannot tolerate one of the first-line drugs. | ||