rifampin vs theophylline
According to this portal's Publishing Organization, this page was last reviewed in August 2026 against our methodology. Figures and extracts on this site, including tables above 1,000 rows when the corpus is that large, are the publisher's responsibility.
Side-by-side comparison of rifampin and theophylline. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Quinine Prevention or Management: Avoid concomitant use Decrease AUC by 75%–85% Telithromycin Decrease AUC by 86% Theophylline Decrease exposure by 20% to 40% Effect of Other Drugs on Rifampin Concomitant antacid administration may reduce the absorption of rifampin.
Rifadin
Theo-24, Elixophyllin
Rifampin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights bacteria in your body to treat infections.
Theophylline is a medicine that helps you breathe easier. It treats the symptoms of asthma and other lung problems.
Rifampin treats tuberculosis (TB) and helps eliminate the bacteria that cause meningitis from your nose and throat. It is important to use rifampin only for infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria. This helps to prevent bacteria from becoming resistant to the medicine.
Theophylline treats the symptoms of long-term asthma and other lung diseases. These include emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which make it hard to breathe. This medicine helps to open up your airways so you can breathe easier.
Rifampin works by stopping bacteria from growing and multiplying. It does this by blocking a key enzyme that the bacteria need to make proteins. This helps your body fight off the infection.
Theophylline is a bronchodilator. It works by relaxing the muscles in your airways. This allows more air to flow in and out of your lungs.
- • Heartburn
- • Upset stomach
- • Loss of appetite
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Headache
- • Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- Drug Interaction 970
- Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia And Systemic Symptoms 727
- Nausea 628
- Condition Aggravated 550
- Pyrexia 541
- Dyspnoea 2,273
- Asthma 1,942
- Pneumonia 1,318
- Wheezing 1,306
- Vomiting 1,101
Rifampin can cause liver problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, or stomach pain. Rifampin can also cause blood problems. Tell your doctor if you have unusual bleeding or bruising.
If your theophylline levels get too high in your blood, it can cause serious side effects. These include severe vomiting, irregular heartbeats, and seizures. These can be life-threatening.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Rifampin can make birth control pills less effective, so use other forms of birth control. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
It is not known if theophylline can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is also not known if theophylline passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
How to Read This rifampin vs theophylline Comparison
rifampin is classified in the Rifamycin Antibiotic drug class, while theophylline sits within the Methylxanthine Bronchodilator class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, rifampin has 3,416 submissions while theophylline has 7,940. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to rifampin makes the body clear theophylline faster, which reduces the amount of medicine available to work.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for rifampin or theophylline.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.