Furazolidone (Oral)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jan 17, 2022.

Chemical Class: Nitrofuran

Uses for furazolidone

Furazolidone is used to treat bacterial and protozoal infections. It works by killing bacteria and protozoa (tiny, one-celled animals). Some protozoa are parasites that can cause many different kinds of infections in the body.

Furazolidone is taken by mouth. It works inside the intestinal tract to treat cholera, colitis, and/or diarrhea caused by bacteria, and giardiasis. Furazolidone is sometimes given with other medicines for bacterial infections.

Furazolidone may cause some serious side effects when taken with certain foods, beverages, or other medicines. Check with your health care professional for a list of products that should be avoided.

Furazolidone is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Before using furazolidone

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For furazolidone, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to furazolidone or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Because furazolidone may cause anemia, use in infants up to 1 month of age is not recommended.

Geriatric

Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of furazolidone in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking furazolidone, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using furazolidone with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Amitriptyline
• Amphetamine
• Apraclonidine
• Benzphetamine
• Brimonidine
• Bupropion
• Carbamazepine
• Carbidopa
• Carbinoxamine
• Citalopram
• Clomipramine
• Clovoxamine
• Codeine
• Cyclobenzaprine
• Cyproheptadine
• Desipramine
• Desvenlafaxine
• Deutetrabenazine
• Dexmethylphenidate
• Dextroamphetamine
• Diethylpropion
• Doxylamine
• Duloxetine
• Entacapone