Nitazoxanide, Oral

Amoebicide · Nitrothiazolyl-salicylamide prodrug

Indications

Diarrhoea due to intestinal parasitic infections caused by cryptosporidium parvum and giardia lamblia.

Dosage

Adults: 500 mg every 12 hr with food for 3 days. Children: 1-3 yr: 5 mL (100 mg) every 12 hr with food for 3 days. 4-11 yr: 10 mL (200 mg) every 12 hr with food for 3 days. Above 12 yr: Same as adult dose.

Adverse Effects

Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, headache and nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, anorexia, flatulence, constipation, dry mouth, thirst, asthaenia, fever, pain, allergic reaction, pelvic pain, back pain, chills and fever, flu syndrome. Dizziness, somnolence, insomnia, tremor, hypoesthesia. Discoloured urine, dysuria, amenorrhoea, metrorrhagia, kidney pain, oedema labia. Increased SGPT. Anaemia, leukocytosis. Rash, pruritus. Eye discolouration, ear ache. Tachycardia, syncope, hypertension. Myalgia, leg cramps, spontaneous bone fracture.

Risk Factor (Pregnancy/Lactation)

Pregnancy: No evidence of risk in humans. Lactation: Caution advised or effect undetermined. Precautions: Hepatic or renal disease.

Interactions

Highly plasma protein-bound drugs with narrow therapeutic indices, as competition for binding sites may occur (e.g. warfarin).

Advice to Patient

Take with meals. Shake suspension well before use. Suspension contains sucrose so if you have diabetes, monitor blood glucose level regularly. Contact prescriber if there is severe or constant headache, diarrhoea, stomach pain, vomiting.

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption: Absorbed from the GI tract and is rapidly hydrolyzed to an active desacetyl metabolite, tizoxanide. Metabolism: Via hydrolysis, conjugation and glucuronidation. Time to peak, plasma: Tizoxanide: 1-4 hrs. Excretion: Nitazoxanide: Faeces (2/3rd of dose). Urine (1/3rd of dose). Tizoxanide: Urine, bile, faeces. Tizoxanide glucuronide: Urine and bile.

Compiled by Healify Pharmacy from published drug references. How we compile it →

Always consult a pharmacist or doctor.