Taking Medications Correctly is an Important Aspect of Treating TB

Tuberculosis is curable with standardized treatment and medication. When TB treatment starts working gradually, the patient will feel better. This is the stage, they will show negligence on taking the prescribed medications.

As per the treatment for tuberculosis, the patient should take medication every day for a period of six months. Upon feeling better, they take medicines irregularly or take inadequate doses. These are the major reasons for the recurrence of the disease. When the patient approaches the doctor for the treatment, the doctor prescribes different dosages of drugs because the TB bacteria becomes immune to the earlier medication.

Irregular medication or unfinished treatment may develop drug resistant TB – MDR and XDR TB:

Patient needs to undergo diagnosis by taking sputum samples to the laboratory to confirm the disease.

• Multi Drug Resistant TB (MDR TB):
  
  

  It is a drug resistant TB i.e., TB bacteria shows resistance to two or more first line anti-TB drugs (isoniazid and rifampin.

• Extensively Drug Resistant TB (XDR TB): TB bacteria are resistant to drugs that are used to cure TB disease and to some of the drugs that are used to treat Multiple Drug Resistant TB.

If the patient has MDR or XDR TB, then he/she should be admitted in the hospital for many months and has to take injections daily for six months or longer.

Tips for following proper treatment:

• Regularly the patient has to take the prescribed dosage of medicine. And it is advisable not to stop medication without consulting the doctor.

• Schedule a time to take medication. Or if you forget to take medicine – it is advisable to take the same day as soon as possible. But never take two doses at the same time.

• Ask someone who are close to you to remind to take medicine or talk with the doctor for pill organizer.

• It is very important that the patient attends all the appointments of doctor. This helps to make sure that the treatment is working and it may reduce the number of drugs you take.

By not making matters even worst, it is advisable that TB patients follow a routine and take medication on time without fail. By doing so, it will help them in getting rid of the disease as soon as possible.

You may also like to read:
Basic Facts on Tuberculosis (TB)
How Does Tuberculosis Spread and How to Prevent the Spread?
Tuberculosis (TB) – Diagnosis and Treatment
Complications of Untreated Active Tuberculosis