This is potentially serious because it can be difficult to treat and will require a longer course of treatment with different, and possibly more toxic, therapies. If you find it difficult to take your medicine every day, your treatment team can work with you to find a solution. This may include having regular contact with your treatment team at home, at the treatment clinic, or somewhere else that's more convenient.
If treatment is completed correctly, you should not need any further checks by a TB specialist afterwards. You may be given advice about spotting signs that the illness has returned, although this is rare.
Extrapulmonary TB — TB that occurs outside the lungs — can be treated using the same combination of antibiotics as those used to treat pulmonary TB. If you have TB in areas like your brain or the sac surrounding your heart pericardium , you may initially be prescribed a corticosteroid such as prednisolone for several weeks to take at the same time as your antibiotics.
This will help reduce any swelling in the affected areas. As with pulmonary TB, it's important to take your medicines exactly as prescribed and to finish the whole course. Though uncommon in the UK there are strains of TB that are resistant to 2 or more antibiotics. This is known as multidrug-resistant TB. Multidrug-resistant TB requires a much longer course of antibiotics; between 9 to 24 months depending on the strain. Multidrug-resistant TB tends to have less favourable outcomes than standard TB.
Latent TB is where you've been infected with the TB bacteria, but do not have any symptoms of active infection. If you have latent TB and are aged 65 or under, treatment is usually recommended. However, the antibiotics used to treat TB can cause liver damage in older adults.
If liver damage is a concern and you're aged between 35 and 65, your TB team will discuss with you the advantages and disadvantages of taking treatment for latent TB. There is a vaccine against tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is treated with antibiotic medicine. The medicine s your doctor recommends will depend on many factors. These include your age, your health, whether your TB is active or latent, and whether your TB is drug resistant. You will need to take your TB medicine s for months. Your doctor will tell you exactly how and when to take your medicine, and for how long. Take your medicine at the same time every day. This could make your TB harder to treat.
This is called preventive therapy. However, TB drugs can damage your liver. Alcohol and acetaminophen can increase the risk of liver problems. Always check with your doctor before you take any other medicine. Some medicines interact with TB medicines and can cause side effects. While taking these medicines, your doctor may want to monitor you every month. For example, you may need to visit your doctor for tests, to get another prescription, and to check for any side effects or problems.
Call your doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms:. If you have active TB disease, it will take several weeks of treatment before you are no longer contagious. If you develop active TB disease, you may need to be monitored medically for the rest of your life. This could include regular checkups and probably chest X-rays.
This is done to make sure you stay free of TB disease, even after you have taken the full course of TB medicine. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone.
Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.
Pleurisy is a medical condition that affects the lining of your lungs and chest, which can become irritated with…. Chronic bronchitis is bronchitis that…. Visit The Symptom Checker. Read More. High Blood Pressure. High Cholesterol. Sleep Changes in Older Adults. Clostridium difficile C. Kidney Cysts. Home Diseases and Conditions Tuberculosis. Table of Contents. What is tuberculosis?
Home Lungs. Tuberculosis treatment. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page.
Tell your doctor immediately if you experience illness or symptoms Side effects of specific tuberculosis medications Some things to note when taking TB medications Where to get help. Side effects of specific tuberculosis medications The different medications used to treat tuberculosis are associated with specific side effects: isoniazid — may make you feel tired or nauseous or make you lose your appetite.
It can cause numbness or tingling in your hands or feet, but this is rare in well-nourished people. It can also cause inflammation of the liver, so your doctor will regularly check for this with blood tests rifampicin — can reduce the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill and some other medications. It is important to advise the doctor who prescribes your TB treatment about any other medicines you are taking. Women taking the contraceptive pill may need to discuss other forms of contraception with their general practitioner or an advisor at a family planning clinic.
If you have lens implants or wear soft contact lenses, inform your doctor, as rifampicin can stain them. This side effect is harmless so you should not be concerned ethambutol Myambutol — can cause visual problems. Your eyesight will be checked during treatment, but you should stop taking the medication if your vision is affected and call your doctor straight away pyrazinamide — can lead to nausea and a loss of appetite.
It is usually only taken for the first two to three months of treatment. Consult with your doctor if you develop unexplained rashes, fever, aches or joint pains. Some things to note when taking TB medications When taking tuberculosis medications, it is important to be aware of a few basic cautions: Report any side effects to your doctor immediately. Tell your TB doctor about any other medications you are taking.
0コメント