Q: My father who is 75 years has been recently diagnosed with bone TB and has been put on treatment with AKT4 kit and Mobizox and Ocid. I want to know the side effects of AKT4 and for how long this medication needs to be taken? Also, please advise for what are the medicines Mobizox and Ocid for?

A:AKT-4 is appropriate and would need to be continued for a very long period, possibly up to 9 months. The side effects are clinically acceptable and in any case less important than treatment of tuberculosis. Ocid is the brand name of a medicine called omeprazole. It is generally taken for treatment and sometimes prevention of acidity. It is a relatively safe medicine. Mobizox is the brand name of a Fixed-Dose Combination (FDC) that contains three medicines: diclofenac sodium, paracetamol and chlorzoxazone. It is a pain killer and I cannot see any role of this medicine in your fathers case; in fact it will add to side effects. Please see our general comments on FDCs. Fixed-Dose Combinations (FDCs): Medicines are discovered individually and are supposed to be taken separately. A huge number of irrational, illegal combinations of drugs are being sold in India; quite a few without mandatory approval of the Drugs Controller General, India (DCGI). Except in a few cases (such as TB medicines), it is always better to take medicines separately so that dosage can be adjusted and side effects monitored.