Treatment

Treating TB Disease

There is good news for people with TB disease! TB disease can almost always be cured with medicine. But the medicine must be taken as the doctor or nurse tells you.

If you have TB disease, you will need to take several different drugs. This is because there are many bacteria to be killed. Taking several drugs will do a better job of killing all of the bacteria and preventing them from becoming resistant to the drugs.

If you have TB of the lungs or throat, you are likely to be infectious. You need to stay home from work or school so that you don't spread TB bacteria to other people. After taking your medicine for a few weeks, you will feel better and you may no longer be infectious to others. Your doctor or nurse will tell you when you can return to work or school.

Having TB should not stop you from leading a normal life. When you are no longer infectious or feeling sick, you can do the same things you did before you had TB. The medicine that you are

taking should not affect your strength, sexual function, or ability to work. If you take your medicine as your doctor or nurse tells you, the medicine will kill all the TB bacteria. This will keep you from becoming sick again.

Treating TB Infection

If you have latent TB infection (a positive skin test reaction) and you may need to take medicine to keep from developing TB disease. This is called treatment for latent TB infection. There are many treatment options. You and your health care provider must decide which treatment is best for you.

The medicine usually used for the treatment of latent TB infection is a drug called isoniazid or INH. INH kills the TB bacteria that are in the body. If you take your medicine as prescribed, treatment for latent TB infection will significantly reduce your chances from ever developing TB disease.

Most people must take INH for at least 6 to 9 months. Children and people with HIV infection may need to take INH for a longer time.

It is important that you take all the pills prescribed for you so that your treatment for latent TB infection is effective. If you start taking INH, you will need to see your doctor or nurse on a regular schedule. He or she will check on how you are doing.