Rifamycin

Rifamycin is a prescription medication used for the treatment of Traveler’s Diarrhea caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) that is not complicated by fever or blood in the stool. 

• Rifamycin is available under the following different brand names: Aemcolo, rifamycin SV MMX

Common side effects of Rifamycin include:

• Constipation, and
• Headache

Serious side effects of Rifamycin include:

• Hives,
• Difficulty breathing,
• Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat,
• Severe stomach pain, and
• Diarrhea that is watery or bloody.

Rare side effects of Rifamycin include:

• None 

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors.
• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights.
• Serious heart symptoms include fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in the chest; shortness of breath; sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, or passing out.

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems that may occur because of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Adult dosage

Tablet, delayed release

• 194 mg

Traveler’s Diarrhea

Adult dosage

• 388 mg (2 tablets) orally two times a day for 3 days.

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See “Dosages”

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist first.

• Rifamycin has no noted severe interactions with any other drugs.
• Rifamycin has no noted serious interactions with any other drugs.
• Rifamycin has no noted moderate interactions with any other drugs.
• Rifamycin has no noted minor interactions with any other drugs.

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your healthcare professional or doctor for additional medical advice, or if you have health questions or concerns.

Contraindications

• Known hypersensitivity to rifamycin or any of the other rifamycin-class antimicrobial agents.

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Rifamycin?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Rifamycin?”

Cautions

• Not effective for diarrhea complicated by fever and/or bloody stool; discontinue use if diarrhea gets worse or persists above 48 hours; consider alternative antibacterial therapy.
• Consider Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) in all patients who present with diarrhea following antibacterial drug use; CDAD can occur over 2 months after antibiotics are discontinued.
• Prescribing rifamycin without proven or strongly suspected bacterial infection or a prophylactic indication is unlikely to provide benefit to the patient and increases the risk of the development of drug-resistant bacteria.
• Owing to minimal systemic rifamycin concentrations observed, clinically relevant drug interactions are not expected.

Pregnancy and Lactation

• There are no available data regarding use in pregnant women.
• Systemic absorption in humans is negligible following oral administration; not expected that maternal use results in fetal exposure.
• Lactation
  • There is no available data regarding the presence of human milk.
  • Systemic absorption in humans is negligible following oral administration; exposure to breastfed infants through breastmilk is expected to be negligible.
  • The development and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for the drug and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child or from the underlying maternal condition.