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. The most common drugs
used to fight TB are:
* isoniazid (INH)
* rifampin or rifabutin or rifapentine
* pyrazinamide
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 probably 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.
