Furazolidone

Uses

Furazolidone is a drug for the treatment of infectious diarrhea.

For the specific and symptomatic treatment of bacterial or protozoal diarrhea and enteritis caused by susceptible organisms.

Furazolidone is also used to associated treatment for these conditions: Dysentery, Infectious diarrhea

How Furazolidone works

Furazolidone and its related free radical products are believed to bind DNA and induce cross-links. Bacterial DNA is particularly susceptible to this drug leading to high levels of mutations (transitions and transversions) in the bacterial chromosome.

Toxicity

Reactions to Furoxone have been reported including a fall in blood pressure, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, and a vesicular morbilliform rash. Other adverse effects can include a brown discoloration of the urine; hemolysis can occur in G6PDH-deficient patients. The drug has a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory effect and should never be given concurrently to individuals already taking MAO inhibitors.

Food Interaction

[Major] CONTRAINDICATED: Foods that contain large amounts of tyramine may precipitate a hypertensive crisis in patients treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

The mechanism is inhibition of MAO-A, the enzyme responsible for metabolizing exogenous amines such as tyramine in the gut and preventing them from being absorbed intact.

Once absorbed, tyramine is metabolized to octopamine, a substance that is believed to displace norepinephrine from storage granules.

GENERALLY AVOID: Alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of MAOIs.

Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and
MANAGEMENT: In general, patients treated with MAOIs or other agents that possess MAOI activity (e.g., furazolidone, linezolid, procarbazine) should avoid consumption of products that contain large amounts of amines and protein foods in which aging or breakdown of protein is used to increase flavor.

These foods include cheese (particularly strong, aged or processed cheeses), sour cream, wine (particularly red wine), champagne, beer, pickled herring, anchovies, caviar, shrimp paste, liver (particularly chicken liver), dry sausage, salamis, figs, raisins, bananas, avocados, chocolate, soy sauce, bean curd, sauerkraut, yogurt, papaya products, meat tenderizers, fava bean pods, protein extracts, yeast extracts, and dietary supplements.

Caffeine may also precipitate hypertensive crisis so its intake should be minimized as well.

At least 14 days should elapse following discontinuation of MAOI therapy before these foods may be consumed.

Specially designed reference materials and dietary consultation are recommended so that an appropriate and safe diet can be planned.

Patients should be advised to promptly seek medical attention if they experience potential signs and symptoms of a hypertensive crisis such as severe headache, visual disturbances, difficulty thinking, stupor or coma, seizures, chest pain, unexplained nausea or vomiting, and stroke-like symptoms.

Patients should also be counseled not to use MAOIs with alcohol, and to avoid hazardous activities requiring complete mental alertness and motor coordination until they know how these agents affect them.

Furazolidone Drug Interaction

Moderate: ramipril, ramipril, sotalol, sotalolUnknown: everolimus, everolimus, antihemophilic factor, antihemophilic factor, amoxicillin, amoxicillin, aspirin, aspirin, sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim, entecavir, entecavir, coagulation factor ix, coagulation factor ix, acetaminophen, acetaminophen

Furazolidone Disease Interaction

Major: colitisModerate: alcoholism, G-6-PD deficiency

Elimination Route

Radiolabeled drug studies indicate that furazolidone is well absorbed following oral administration

Half Life

10 minutes

Innovators Monograph

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