HomeAnswersPulmonology (Asthma Doctors)tuberculosisIs it normal to have yellowing of eyes after taking medicines for tuberculosis?

My father suffers with yellowing of eyes after taking medicines for tuberculosis. Is it normal?

Share

The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

iCliniq medical review team

Published At December 25, 2020
Reviewed AtJuly 12, 2023

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My father was diagnosed with PTB (pulmonary tuberculosis) last month. He is 64 years old. When I was a kid, my father used to smoke cigarettes a lot and got addicted to alcohol. He had these habits until 4 months. Now, he has stopped these habits. Now, he is under a treatment called directly observed therapy ("DOTS") in the nearby clinic. He is taking medicines for a month now. But this month, his eyes had become yellow and the right eye's vision has got blurred. I know about my father's eye vision which is found to be clear crystal even if he is old. I asked about the problems faced by the father to the nurse in the clinic. She advised stopping the medicines taken by my father and advised us to go for a check-up with a gastroenterologist. The doctor advised my father to get admitted for understanding the problem more. Because of the COVID pandemic, it is necessary to have a swab test. Before a month, my father did a swab test and it was negative. Today, he did the swab test again and it was negative. Currently, my father is not taking antitubercular medicines. Now, we are taking care of my father by giving him vitamins. He is taking enough sleep and rest now. Vitamin D is given from the sunlight every morning, with milk. He is taking lots of green veggies, and fruits with tons of water. My question is to know whether it is good to stop these medicines taken for tuberculosis. It is a week now that my father stopped taking medicines for tuberculosis.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com. I completely understand your question. Your father is facing a common side effect due to antitubercular drugs. The yellowing of the eyes occurs due to jaundice. It is caused due to three of the four medications that are prescribed for tuberculosis. There is nothing to worry and it is seen in a lot of patients who started taking these medicines. The blurring of vision is very common and a documented side effect of the drug taken for tuberculosis. It is necessary to reintroduce the medications slowly and in steps to find the drug causing jaundice. Once we find the drug causing jaundice, then it is easy to substitute them with another one. The blurring of eyes cannot be neglected and we need to stop taking medicines altogether and consider taking some other drug. Ethambutol is the one that has the least chance to cause jaundice. These problems can be analyzed by the doctor and he will prescribe the alternative drug for the same. Kindly let me know if you have more queries.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Mohammed Abdul Nasir
Dr. Mohammed Abdul Nasir

Pain Medicine

Community Banner Mobile
By subscribing, I agree to iCliniq's Terms & Privacy Policy.

Ask your health query to a doctor online

Pulmonology (Asthma Doctors)

*guaranteed answer within 4 hours

Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. iCliniq privacy policy