Drugs Used to Treat Tuberculosis
Drug |
Route |
Side Effects |
First-line drugs* |
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Isoniazid |
By mouth |
Liver injury 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, digestive upset, and sometimes gout |
|
Ethambutol |
By mouth |
Sometimes blurred vision and decreased color perception (because the drug affects the optic nerve) |
Second-line drugs† |
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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, moxifloxacin |
By mouth |
Inflammation or rupture of tendons Nervousness, tremors, and seizures |
|
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) |
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*First-line drugs are usually the first choice for treatment. |
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†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. |
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