Treatment for people with drug-resistant TB
People infected with tuberculosis (TB) bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant need special treatment programs. People with a weakened immune system are more likely to get drug-resistant TB. These include people infected with HIV or people who have had an organ transplant.
Treatment usually involves at least four medicines.1
- A treatment program using four to six medicines appears to be best. The choice of medicines depends on the results of sensitivity testing.
- Most treatment programs involve isoniazid, rifampin, and pyrazinamide, along with one to three second-choice medicines.
- Second-choice medicines used to treat drug-resistant TB usually have more side effects than the first-choice medicines. Second-choice medicines include streptomycin, capreomycin, ethionamide, kanamycin, ofloxacin, para-aminosalicylic acid, and rifabutin.
- It is very important to take every dose of medicine. Therefore, directly observed therapy (DOT) usually is done. During DOT, a health professional watches you take every dose of medicine.
- Treatment is continued until TB bacteria can no longer be found in at least 2, but usually 3 sputum samples taken a month apart. This may take 18 months or longer in people with multidrug-resistant TB.
| Author: | Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS Merrill Hayden | Last Updated: July 25, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Alfred A. Lardizabal, MD - Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine/Tuberculosis Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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