Treatment FAQ

what if i start treatment for tb and i don't really have it can i take medsion at home

by Mrs. Meggie Daniel Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

What is the best treatment for tuberculosis?

The most common preventive therapy is a daily dose of the antibiotic isoniazid (INH) taken as a single daily pill for six to nine months. You are not contagious if you have latent TB. How Is Active TB Treated?

How long does it take to get treatment for tuberculosis (TB)?

This helps your doctor choose the medications that are most likely to work. Getting results of these tests can take four to eight weeks. If you have latent TB, your doctor might recommend treatment with medication if you're at high risk of developing active TB. For active tuberculosis, you must take antibiotics for at least six to nine months.

What should I do if I am having trouble taking TB medicine?

If you are having trouble with tingling and numbness, your doctor may prescribe a vitamin B6 supplement while you are in treatment. It may also be possible to change TB medications if your side effects are serious. If you are taking TB medicine on your own, it's important to get into a routine.

Should I be worried about the cost of TB treatment?

But do not allow cost to be a barrier/obstacle in your way to seek treatment for tuberculosis. I’m even afraid of getting close to people for fear of transmitting tuberculosis to them. Check your state/local health department for free/low-cost tuberculosis treatment options and get it treated immediately.

What happens if you take TB medication without TB?

You have only dormant (sleeping) TB germs in your body, so they are not making you sick. You cannot pass these TB germs to others. Yet—if you don't take medicine to kill the TB germs now, you can get sick with TB disease in the future.

Can TB heal without medication?

Without treatment, LTBI can progress to TB disease. If you have LTBI, you should be treated to prevent developing TB disease. If you have TB disease, you will need to take medicine to treat the disease.

Can you survive TB without antibiotics?

Without treatment, tuberculosis can be fatal. Untreated active disease typically affects your lungs, but it can affect other parts of your body, as well.

How long are you contagious with TB after starting treatment?

If you're diagnosed with pulmonary TB, you'll be contagious for about 2 to 3 weeks into your course of treatment. You will not usually need to be isolated during this time, but it's important to take some basic precautions to stop the infection spreading to your family and friends.

Can TB go away on its own?

Pulmonary tuberculosis frequently goes away by itself, but in more than half of cases, the disease can return.

How long can you live with untreated TB?

Left untreated,TB can kill approximately one half of patients within five years and produce significant morbidity (illness) in others. Inadequate therapy for TB can lead to drug-resistant strains of M.

What is the fastest way to cure TB?

The usual treatment is:2 antibiotics (isoniazid and rifampicin) for 6 months.2 additional antibiotics (pyrazinamide and ethambutol) for the first 2 months of the 6-month treatment period.

What are the 3 stages of TB?

There are 3 stages of TB—exposure, latent, and active disease. A TB skin test or a TB blood test can diagnose the disease.

Is banana good for TB patient?

Calorie dense foods that are nutrient rich can meet up the rising metabolic demands of the TB patient and can also prevent further weight loss. Foods like banana, cereal porridge, peanut chikki, wheat and ragi are quite beneficial for TB patients.

When is the best time to take TB medication?

The medications work best if they are taken all together one hour before, or two hours after, food and preferably with water. Ideally, the medications should be taken at the same time each day. For patients who have nausea, the medications can be taken with light food (eg, dry toast).

Which food is not good for TB patients?

Foods To Avoid Limit intake of refined carbs such as maida and sugar-laden foods as they offer only empty calories devoid of nutrients. Deep-fried foods and junk foods packed with saturated fats and trans-fat would worsen symptoms associated with TB such as diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, and fatigue.

Do I have to quarantine if I have TB?

Individuals who are latently infected with TB pose no risk of transmission; therefore, quarantine is not an appropriate disease control measure for TB.

What is the fastest way to cure TB?

The usual treatment is:2 antibiotics (isoniazid and rifampicin) for 6 months.2 additional antibiotics (pyrazinamide and ethambutol) for the first 2 months of the 6-month treatment period.

Can TB be cured in 3 months?

CDC: TB treatment can now be done in 3 months.

What is the herbal cure for TB?

TB bacteria die very slowly. It takes 6 months to a year for the medicine to destroy all of the TB bacteria, longer for multidrug resistant TB. If you have TB, you will need to take several different drugs....The most common drugs used to fight TB are:Isoniazid (INH)Rifampin.Pyrazinamide.Ethambutol.Streptomycin.

How did TB go away?

The Search for the Cure In 1943 Selman Waksman discovered a compound that acted against M. tuberculosis, called streptomycin. The compound was first given to a human patient in November 1949 and the patient was cured.

Is Latent TB Treatment Safe?

As with all medicines, there may be side effects. Some are mild, while others may be more serious. Depending on the treatment you receive, you may...

How Do I Take Latent TB medication?

It is important that you take your medicine regularly and complete the full course, to make sure all TB bacteria are removed from your body.Try to...

I Am Worried About Getting Treated For Latent Tb, but I Don’T Want to Get Ill?

You will receive support throughout your treatment from a doctor or TB specialist nurse. They will talk you through the treatment and answer any qu...

When I Finish My Treatment, Will I Be Free of TB Forever?

If you complete your treatment as prescribed, your risk of developing active TB is much lower. However, it is possible you could breathe in the TB...

How long do you have to take antibiotics for tuberculosis?

For active tuberculosis, you must take antibiotics for at least six to nine months. The exact drugs and length of treatment depend on your age, overall health, possible drug resistance and where the infection is in your body.

What is the test for TB?

Sputum tests. If your chest X-ray shows signs of tuberculosis, your doctor might take samples of your sputum — the mucus that comes up when you cough. The samples are tested for TB bacteria. Sputum samples can also be used to test for drug-resistant strains of TB.

How long does ethambutol last?

If you have drug-resistant TB, a combination of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones and injectable medications, such as amikacin or capreomycin (Capastat), are generally used for 20 to 30 months. Some types of TB are developing resistance to these medications as well.

What test is used to test for tuberculosis?

The most commonly used diagnostic tool for tuberculosis is a skin test, though blood tests are becoming more commonplace. A small amount of a substance called tuberculin is injected just ...

What to do when you make an appointment?

What you can do. When you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance. Make a list of: Your symptoms, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment, and when they began.

What to do if you have a positive skin test?

If you've had a positive skin test, your doctor is likely to order a chest X-ray or a CT scan. This might show white spots in your lungs where your immune system has walled off TB bacteria, or it might reveal changes in your lungs caused by active tuberculosis.

Can a TB test be wrong?

Results can be wrong. The TB skin test isn't perfect. Sometimes, it suggests that people have TB when they don't. It can also indicate that people don't have TB when they do. You can have a false-positive result if you've been vaccinated recently with the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine.

How to get rid of TB in the air?

Put a fan in your window to blow out (exhaust) air that may be filled with TB germs. If you open other windows in the room, the fan also will pull in fresh air. This will reduce the chances that TB germs will stay in the room and infect someone who breathes the air. Remember, TB is spread through the air.

How long does it take for TB to kill?

For TB disease, it takes even longer and at least 6 months for the medicines to kill all the TB germs.

How many people with LTBI will develop TB?

While not everyone with LTBI will develop TB disease, about 5–10% will develop TB disease over their lifetimes if not treated. Progression from untreated LTBI to TB disease is estimated to account for approximately 80% of U.S. TB cases. Some people who have LTBI are more likely to develop TB disease than others.

What does a negative TB test mean?

A negative TB blood test means that your blood did not react to the test and that you likely do not have TB infection. TB blood tests are the recommended TB test for: People who have received the bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) TB vaccine.

How does TB spread?

The TB germs are spread into the air when a person with infectious TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these TB germs and become infected. When a person breathes in TB germs, the TB germs can settle in the lungs and begin to grow.

What is the cause of TB?

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). The bacteria, or germ, usually attack the lungs. TB germs can attack any part of the body, such as the kidney, spine, or brain. There is good news. People with TB can be treated if they seek medical help.

How long does it take to get a second skin test for TB?

You may need a second skin test 8 to 10 weeks after the last time you spent time with the person with TB disease. This is because it can take several weeks after infection for your immune system to react to the TB skin test. If your reaction to the second test is negative, you probably do not have TB infection.

How long does it take to cure TB?

Doctors prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause it. You’ll need to take them for 6 to 9 months. What medications you take and how long you’ll have to take them depends on which works to eradicate your TB. Sometimes, antibiotics used to treat the disease ...

What is the treatment for drug resistant TB?

This means that you will be treated with a combination of second-line drugs, which may be less effective.

What are the best antibiotics for TB?

If several types of medications don't do the job, you have what doctors call “multidrug-resistant TB.” You’ll need to take a combination of medications for 20 to 30 months. They include: 1 Antibiotics called fluoroquinolones 2 An injectable antibiotic, such as amikacin ( Amikin ), capreomycin ( Capastat ), and kanamycin 3 Newer antibiotic treatments, such as bedaquiline ( Sirturo ), ethionamide ( Trecator ), and para-amino salicylic acid. These are given in addition to other medications. The new drug Pretomanid is used in conjunction with bedaquiline and linezolid.Scientists are still studying these medicines.

What is the new drug used in conjunction with bedaquiline?

These are given in addition to other medications. The new drug Pretomanid is used in conjunction with bedaquiline and linezolid.Scientists are still studying these medicines.

What is the drug used for TB?

The new drug Pretomanid is used in conjunction with bedaquiline and linezolid.Scientists are still studying these medicines. A rare and serious type of the disease is called "extensively drug-resistant TB.". This means that many of the common medications -- including isoniazid, rifampin, fluoroquinolones, and at least one ...

How long do you need to take antibiotics for a syphilis?

If you have this form of the disease, you’ll need to take a number of antibiotics for 6 to 9 months. These four medications are most commonly used to treat it:

How long does it take to get better after a syringe?

Based on the results, you’ll take three or four medications for 2 months. Afterward, you’ll take two medications for 4 to 7 months. You’ll probably start to feel better after a few weeks of treatment. But only a doctor can tell you if you’re still contagious.

How long before eating can you take TB medicine?

Try to take your TB medicine at least one hour before you eat food or two hours afterwards. You can eat anything you like, but you should avoid drinking alcohol.

How to know if you have TB?

If you complete your treatment as prescribed, your risk of developing active TB is much lower. However, it is possible you could breathe in the TB bacteria again in future. The chances of this are low for most people, but is useful to know the most common symptoms of active TB so you can see your GP if you have any of them: 1 a cough which lasts for three weeks or longer 2 fever (a high temperature) 3 night sweats 4 weight loss 5 no appetite 6 tiredness.

How many people with latent TB will develop active TB?

About 1 in 10 people with latent TB will develop active TB. And there is no way to know if you will be one of them. It is possible to become ill with active TB many years after you breathe in TB bacteria. Treatment is the only way to remove the TB bacteria from your body.

What to do if you have started treatment?

If you have started treatment, but are still have concerns, remember your doctor and nurse are there to help.

Can you breathe in TB?

However, it is possible you could breathe in the TB bacteria again in future. The chances of this are low for most people, but is useful to know the most common symptoms of active TB so you can see your GP if you have any of them: a cough which lasts for three weeks or longer. fever (a high temperature) night sweats.

Is latent TB shorter than active TB?

Latent TB treatment is often shorter than treatment for active TB, and it involves less medication. These are all good reasons to treat the latent TB bacteria while you are healthy and before they have a chance to wake up.

What is the best treatment for TB?

The most common treatment for active TB is isoniazid INH in combination with three other drugs—rifampin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. You may begin to feel better only a few weeks after starting to take the drugs but treating TB takes much longer than other bacterial infections.

How long does it take to treat TB?

The treatment for this type of TB takes much longer, 20 to 30 months to complete, and you may experience more side effects.

What are the side effects of TB?

While you are in treatment for active TB disease, you will need regular checkups to make sure your treatment is working. Everyone is different, but there are side effects associated with taking the medications, including: 1 Upset stomach, nausea and vomiting or loss of appetite 2 Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet 3 Itchy skin, rashes or bruising 4 Changes in your eyesight or blurred visions 5 Yellowish skin or eyes 6 Dark-colored urine 7 Weakness, fatigue or fever that for three or more days

How to protect yourself from a sneeze?

Until your healthcare provider tells you to go back to your daily routine, here are ways to protect yourself and others near you: Take your medicine exactly as the healthcare provider directed. When you cough, sneeze or laugh, cover your mouth with a tissue. Put the tissue in a closed bag and throw it away.

What are the symptoms of TB?

Yellowish skin or eyes. Dark-colored urine. Weakness, fatigue or fever that for three or more days. It is important to tell your doctor or TB nurse immediately if you begin having any unusual symptoms while taking medicine for either preventive therapy or for active TB disease.

Can TB cause liver damage?

TB drugs can be toxic to your liver, and your side effects may be a warning sign of liver damage . If you are having trouble with tingling and numbness, your doctor may prescribe a vitamin B6 supplement while you are in treatment. It may also be possible to change TB medications if your side effects are serious.

Can you get TB from taking too much medicine?

You must finish your medicine and take the drugs exactly as prescribed. If you stop taking the drugs too soon you can become sick again and potentially spread the disease to others. Additionally, by taking the drugs incorrectly, TB germs that are still alive may become drug-resistant, making it harder for you to get better next time.

What does MDR TB mean?

Nw their TB becomes MDR-TB> {Multi Drug Resistant TB }. MDR TB is a particular type of drug resistant TB. It means that the TB bacteria that a person is infected with are resistant to two of the most important TB drugs, isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RMP). Now , if u miss medicine one or two day's. due to some reason.

Why do you leave meds in between?

The main reason- if you leave them in between, you put yourself at risk of being infected to full blown disease. Even more worrisome is you may end of having disease by a resistant strain of TB that needs more meds and longer duration. 7.7K views.

Why do we have to take medication every day?

The thing is, diseases adapt to medication, that’s why you have to take them EVERY SINGLE DAY. To not let the disease get used to the treatment. Because quite frankly, it can adapt real quick, and it mutates causing it to become immune to the effect of pills.

Is it important to take an antibiotic course for tuberculosis?

Missing a single dose won't affect but provided this practise is repeated time and again it's the possible nightmare . Completing antibiotic course is not only important for tuberculosis, it's equally important for all infectious disease .

Can TB drugs kill you?

TB drugs can be viewed as bullets aimed to kill the enemy germs. If you do not shoot at the enemy every day till they are totally destroyed, they will in turn shoot at you and kill you. Rest at peace if you have forgotten to take the medicines for one day; but if this forgetfulness recurs often, you will rest in peace!

Can you get tuberculosis if you skip the quota?

The bacteria causing tuberculosis is notorious for developing resistance and skipping your required quota for the day will help this ‘bug’ achieve that sooner. Maybe a once in a month or two may not cause much harm. But avoid it as much as possible.

How long after taking TB medicine can you stay home?

For the first 2 to 4 weeks after starting the medicines, you may need to stay home to avoid spreading TB to others. Ask your health care provider when it is OK to be around other people. Your provider is required by law to report your TB to the local public health department.

What happens if you don't take your TB medicine?

If you do not take your TB medicines the right way, or stop taking the medicines early: Your TB infection may become worse. Your infection may become harder to treat. The drugs you are taking may no longer work. This is called drug-resistant TB.

What is latent TB?

This means the TB bacteria remain inactive (dormant) in a small area of your lungs. This type of infection may be present for years and is called latent TB. With latent TB:

How long does it take to get rid of latent TB?

Even though you do not feel sick, you need to take medicines to treat latent TB for 6 to 9 months. This is the only way to make sure all of the TB bacteria in your body are killed and you do not develop active infection in the future.

How often should I watch TB patients?

If your provider is worried that you may not be taking all the medicines as directed, they may arrange to have someone meet with you every day or a few times a week to watch you take your TB drugs. This is called directly observed therapy.

Can you take drugs that are not working?

The drugs you are taking may no longer work . This is called drug-resistant TB. You may need to take other medicines that cause more side effects and are less able to remove the infection. You may spread the infection to others.

Is TB contagious?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs, but may spread to other organs. The goal of treatment is to cure the infection with medicines that fight the TB bacteria.

What is the cause of TB?

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease spreads from person to person when someone who is actively infected coughs or sneezes and another person breathes in contaminated droplets.

How do you know if you have latent tuberculosis?

The only way you would know that you are living with latent tuberculosis is via testing: those infected usually will have a positive reaction to the tuberculin skin test. This involves injection of a substance called PPD tuberculin under the skin of your inside forearm.

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