Refampin is a drug that is used in the treatment of tuberculosis. In this visual mnemonic, I will teach you an easy way to remember everything you need to know about Refampin for test day. So, let's get started!
Today we're hanging out with a group of boys who are having a water fight. This kid here isn't just using any normal water gun. This is a water rifle and is particularly powerful. This rifle is our symbol for the drug, rifampin, because rifle and rifampin sound really similar, don't they? So just remember this kid's water rifle to remember this scene on rifampin.
Let's start by talking about when rifampin is used. For this water fight, the boys are all in pool tubes out on the water, which is perfect for quickly refilling the water rifles. By the way, here at Pixerize, we use a tube to symbolize tuberculosis. Get it? Tube for tuberculosis?
Rifampin is an anti-tubercular agent, meaning that it is used to treat tuberculosis. The drug interferes with the RNA synthesis of the tubercular bacterial cells. Rifampin is usually used in combination with at least one other anti-tubercular agent. There are a couple of side effects to watch out for with Rifampin. So, let's talk about those next.
This boy here has a mischievous look on his face. And rightfully so. Instead of filling up his water rifle with water from the pond, he is loading it up with a can of orange soda.
This will certainly surprise the others when they are blasted with orange liquid. You can use this orange soda to help you remember that rifampin can cause the harmless side effect of red or orange bodily fluids. In other words, the patient's urine, tears, saliva, and sweat may have a reddish-orange tint.
This side effect is expected and harmless. No need to prioritize this or call the patient's physician on this one. If the patient wears contact lenses, it would be a good idea to advise them to switch to glasses while on rifampin treatment.
Contacts can become permanently discolored from the red-orange tears. Just remember this orange soda. and you'll remember the harmless side effect of red-orange bodily fluids.
Ready, aim, fire! In order to shoot this water rifle, there is a lever on the top that you pull, and the water, or in this case, orange soda, comes flying out. Here at Pixerize, we use a lever as the symbol for liver disease, or hepatotoxicity, because liver and lever sound so much alike, right?
It's the liver lever. You'll also notice that the handle of the liver lever is red as if damaged and inflamed. Rifampin can cause hepatotoxicity, so as the nurse, you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for signs and symptoms of liver damage. This includes things like jaundice, weakness and fatigue, and elevated ALT and AST levels. Rifampin should not be given with other medications that can damage the liver.
Take acetaminophen, for example. Alcohol is also really damaging to the liver, so teach your patient to avoid alcohol, especially while on rifampin treatment. These ducklings here better take cover.
We don't want them getting hurt in the water fight. It looks like they've noticed the water rifle and are swimming away to safety. There sure are a lot of ducklings here. Which reminds me, you can use these ducklings to help you remember that rifampin decreases the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. In other words, there is a higher chance the pill won't work, so you will want to advise women to use additional contraception while taking rifampin.
Otherwise, they might end up with a lot of babies, just like all these baby ducks here. Get it? Just remember all these baby ducks to remember that rifampin decreases the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. That's everything for rifampin. Let's summarize.
Rifampin is an anti-tubercular medication. meaning it is used to treat tuberculosis. It may cause bodily fluids to turn a reddish-orange color, but this is a normal and harmless side effect, so monitor for signs of hepatotoxicity, like jaundice and elevated liver enzymes.
Finally, rifampin can decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives, so teach women to use additional contraception while taking rifampin. All right, I'm gonna head out to avoid getting sprayed by this rifle. But I'll catch you in the next Pixerize the Monarch video. See you later!
I'll see you next time.