Indications
Acute infectious diarrhoea including travelers diarrhoea, Diarrhoea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D), Hepatic Encephalopathy (H.E.)
Therapeutic Class
Miscellaneous Antibiotics
Pharmacology
Rifaximin is a non-aminoglycoside semi-synthetic antibacterial derived from rifamycin SV. It inhibits bacterial RNA synthesis by binding to the bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and has antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Dosage & Administration
Acute Infectious Diarrhoea including Travelers’ Diarrhoea: 200 mg three times daily for 3 days.Diarrhoea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D): 550 mg three times daily for 14 days.
Hepatic Encephalopathy (H.E.): 550 mg twice daily
Interaction
Although In vitro studies demonstrated the potential of Rifaximin to interact with cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4), a clinical drug-drug interaction study demonstrated that Rifaximin did not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of midazolam. An additional clinical drug-drug interaction study showed no effect of Rifaximin on the presystemic metabolism of an oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and norgestimate. Therefore, clinical interactions with drugs metabolized by human cytochrome P450 isozymes are not expected.
Contraindications
Rifaximin is contraindicated in patients with a hypersensitivity to Rifaximin, or any of the Rifamycin antimicrobial agents, or any of the components of this preparation.
Side Effects
Common side effects are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, flatulence, headache and dizziness.
Pregnancy & Lactation
Pregnancy Category C. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Rifaximin should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus.Use in Lactation: It is not known whether Rifaximin is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for adverse reactions in nursing infants from Rifaximin, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
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