General Information
Uses
What should I know before taking this drug
Precautions
Dosage information
Adverse reactions
Storage
Additional information if any
Silver sulfa (Zy. Indon)
Silverine (Bal Pharma)
Sulfadiazine is a prescription drug available from your pharmacy store only with the prescription of a qualified medical practitioner.
Sulfadiazine pronounced as: sul-fa-DYE-a-zeen
Sulfadiazine is an anti infective / antibacterial drug belonging to sulphonamide group of antibiotics.
Sulfadiazine is used for the treatment and prevention of infections in severe burns, bacterial or fungal conjunctivitis, keratitis and other eye infections.
Take Sulfadiazine exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If you do not understand these instructions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.
Take oral dose of Sulfadiazine with meals with one glass of water at regular intervals as prescribed by your doctor. Take lots of oral fluids when on this medication.
Apply the topical cream on the affected area as directed by your doctor.
Do not skip any doses. Continue to take it even when you feel better.
You must complete the entire course of medication to get maximum benefit; else the infection will not clear completely and in due course result in development of resistance.
- Do not use Sulfadiazine if you are allergic to sulpha drugs like glipizide, hydrochlorothiazide, and sulfamethoxazole.
- Always remember to inform your health expert if you are currently taking any OTC or prescription drugs like
- Warfarin( blood thinning drug)
- Cyclosporine(immunosuppressive drug)
- Oral hypoglycaemic drugs esp. sulfonylurea’s
- Diuretics( furosemide)
- Anti convulsants (phenytoin)
- Inform your doctor if you have following medical conditions as Sulfadiazine should be used cautiously in the below mentioned conditions
- Anaemia due to folate deficiency
- Kidney or liver disease
- Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase(G6PD) deficiency
- Porphyrias
- AIDS
Do not use sulfadiazine if you are hypersensitive to sulphonamide group of antibiotics. Breast feeding woman should not use if she is breast feeding infant less than 2 months of age.
Children: Sulfadiazine medication should be used cautiously in infants, children as the risk of side effects is increased in them
Old people: Sulfadiazine medication should be used cautiously in older people as the risk of side effects is increased in them
Pregnant woman: Sulfadiazine belongs to FDA pregnancy category C. This means that sulfadiazine may harm an unborn baby if used during pregnancy but potential benefit may warrant use of the drug in pregnant woman despite potential risks. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or are planning for conception.
Lactating women: It is not known whether sulfadiazine passes into breast milk or if it could harm the baby. Do not take sulfadiazine with out first talking to doctor if you are breast feeding a baby.
Other:
Sulfadiazine is available as tablet, eye drops and topical ointment. Your doctor will prescribe them depending on the severity of the disease.
Use as directed by your physician, your physician prescribes depending on the severity of disease.
Use the complete course of medication as prescribed by your physician even though you feel better after one or two days of usage of medication.
For detailed dosage information, consult your doctor who will prescribe you depending on the severity of the disease.
If it is almost the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not take two doses at same time to cover up the missed dose.
In case of overdose contact your nearest poison control centre or emergency medical centre for immediate care by physician. The overdose symptoms of Sulfadiazine are
- Drowsiness
- Nausea &vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Loss of consciousness
- Headache
Sulfadiazine may causes following side effects like
- Loss of appetite
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Nausea & vomiting
- Dizziness
- Headache
Consult your doctor immediately if notice following symptoms.
- Allergic reaction like swollen lips, hives, difficulty in breathing, rashes. Peeling of skin etc)
- Convulsions
- Severe diarrhoea
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes)
- Extreme fatigue, paleness
- Easy bruising or bleeding
Store sulfadiazine at room temp (15 – 30 degrees C). Avoid excessive heat, moisture or direct sunlight, never store in the bathroom.
Keep it out of reach of children. Make sure that any leftover portion is disposed off safely.
Avoid prolonged sun exposure as Sulfadiazine sensitizes the exposed skin causing burning sensation, rash etc. Use long sleeved clothes, sunscreen lotion (SPF-15) when you go out in sun to avoid photo toxicity.
Antibiotics may cause diarrhoea. Consult your doctor immediately if it is very severe as it could be a sign of new infection or pseudomembranous colitis.
Your doctor may advise you to undergo certain lab test like complete cell count and renal function test periodically when Sulfadiazine is prescribed for long duration.
If you are diabetic taking this medication keep a close watch on your sugar levels as it may cause both hyper or hypoglycaemia.
It is imp to read manufacturing packaging instruction carefully if available and always do not hesitate to consult pharmacist or physician for any information.
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date: Mar14th,09