What to do if joint pain occurs after taking tuberculosis medicine

Although some medicines can alleviate diseases, they will also have certain effects on our bodies. These effects are what we call side effects. For example, some patients who use tuberculosis drugs may find that they have some pain symptoms in their bones and joints. Because different patients have different dosages and physical constitutions, the symptoms of joint pain are also different. So, what should I do if I suffer from joint pain after taking tuberculosis medicine?

Side effects of drugs: The side effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs are more serious than other drugs, and they have to be taken for a long time. Rifampicin: Liver damage, body fluids turn red. Pyrazinamide: liver damage and gout. Isoniazid: peripheral neuritis. The above three drugs will not cause tinnitus or deafness. Anti-tuberculosis drugs, streptomycin are toxic to the auditory nerve!

Tuberculosis is a chronic wasting infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, also known as scabies and "white plague". It is an ancient zoonotic infectious disease. The medicines used to treat this condition are anti-tuberculosis drugs. It is generally believed that there are four different states of bacteria in tuberculosis lesions. Group A is continuously growing and reproducing bacteria, group B is intermittently reproducing bacteria, group C is semi-dormant bacteria in an acidic environment, and group D is completely dormant bacteria. First-line anti-tuberculosis drugs are not effective against bacteria in all metabolic states. For example, streptomycin is completely ineffective against group C bacteria, and only pyrazinamide is the most effective against this group of bacteria. Group B and C tuberculosis bacteria can remain in the body for a long time, and chemotherapy drugs must be used for a sufficient course of treatment to kill them.

The national essential medicines text stipulates a total of 11 types of anti-tuberculosis drugs (including combination drugs). Including isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, sodium para-aminosalicylate, ethambutol, rifapentine, streptomycin, prothionamide, as well as isoniazid rifampicin pyrazinamide, isoniazid rifampicin and isoniazid sodium para-aminosalicylate combination preparations.

Anti-tuberculosis drugs are divided into two categories according to their frequency of use and effectiveness, namely first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs and second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. First-line anti-tuberculosis drugs: isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, and streptomycin. Features: good efficacy, low toxicity; Main applications: can effectively treat most tuberculosis patients. Second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs: Drugs: para-aminosalicylic acid, ethionamide, capreomycin, rifadin, etc. Characteristics: either poor efficacy or high toxicity; Application: used for patients who are resistant to or cannot tolerate first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs.

Whether the method of taking anti-tuberculosis drugs is correct directly affects the efficacy of the drugs. Even for drugs with the same dosage form, the blood drug concentration and peak time obtained will be different due to different methods and times of taking the drugs. Oral anti-tuberculosis drugs are generally best taken once a day on an empty stomach.

The correct way to take rifampicin is to take it on an empty stomach 2 hours before a meal. Controlled studies have shown that the peak blood concentration of patients who eat is 36% lower than that of patients who take the drug on an empty stomach, and the peak time is delayed. Rifampicin is rapidly absorbed when taken orally on an empty stomach, reaching peak blood concentration in 1-2 hours and maintaining effective blood concentration for 8-12 hours. For those who take rifampicin with milk, the blood concentration is close to zero 1-2 hours after taking the medicine, and a lower peak blood concentration appears after 6 hours, while the maintenance time is not prolonged. This will greatly affect the therapeutic effect of rifampicin.

Except for rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol and pyrazinamide are all water-soluble preparations, which are mainly absorbed by the body through the mucosa by diffusion in the small intestine. Isoniazid should be taken on an empty stomach and should be avoided when taken simultaneously with antacids, especially aluminum hydroxide. It is also best to take pyrazinamide all at once on an empty stomach, which is not only beneficial for exerting antibacterial effects, but also beneficial for exerting synergistic effects when used in combination with other anti-tuberculosis drugs. However, since this drug can cause gastrointestinal reactions of varying degrees, those who cannot adapt to it may consider taking it in divided doses.

Taking medication in a single dose means taking the daily dose once at the same time. It is wrong to take the medicine in divided doses, which will make it difficult for the drugs to exert a synergistic effect, or at least the antibacterial effect will be inadequate. Taking isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide together at once is beneficial in killing rapidly growing and multiplying bacteria and is of great significance for the recovery of tuberculosis.

For patients who cannot tolerate gastrointestinal irritation caused by drugs such as rifampicin, the drug can be taken at night before going to bed. This is no different from the average blood drug concentration when taken in the morning on an empty stomach, both of which are above the minimum inhibitory concentration level.