Do not let yourself suffer from the meds. I could not take Rifabutin at all, but do beautifully with Rifampin which is the sister. Squawk if one of them is making you sick. They can change it out and they should or get a new doctor. My doctor in Tyler would never have let me suffer or be in bed from the drugs. I read where these poor patients spent a year on the couch. Ridiculous and not necessary.

Phyllis this is Deborah I'm now on my third month of if I ethambutol rifampin Azithro , i'm 57 and originally started taking the rifampin early in the morning only I've changed my routine because I think that's stressful on the body no I take the ethambutol and Azithro with food late morning and then a couple of hours before another middle of the day meal I take the rifampin I don't empty stomach. This way I'm already focused on the day and sufficiently distracted in a conscious way and it tends to stop me from getting anxious at all in reference to the medication side effects . I drink lots of water probiotics and I am very careful not to wear myself out. It's not easy but it's not impossible. Whoever thought I'd be giving these kinds of suggestions Im still being aware of getting needs met and pacing myself I hope it this helps one day at a time. Surround yourself with as much comfort as possible!

Hi Phyllistamara! I have been on these drugs for over 4 months now - started on October 1, 2018. I have had to play around with the times of day that I take them. For me, it works if I take them right before bedtime. I sometimes wake in the night with cramping; but sometimes do not. I think that mostly has to do with what I ate during the day - green salads, fried foods, and dairy products tend to upset my stomach more than others (which is sad because I love green salads!). I try to eat more carbs than I did before - which helps settle my stomach. And drink lots and lots of water.
I also go to the eye doctor and have my eyes checked every 3 months while on the big 3.
So far so good!