Antituberculosis Drugs Health Article

Definition

Antituberculosis drugs are medicines used to treat tuberculosis, an infectious disease that can affect the lungs and other organs.

Purpose

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculae, a bacteria that is passed between people through the air. The disease can be cured with proper drug therapy, but because the bacteria may become resistant to any single drug, combinations of antituberculosis drugs are used to treat tuberculosis (TB) are normally required for effective treatment. At the start of the 20th Century, tuberculosis was the most common cause of death in the United States, but was laregly eliminated with better living conditions. It is most common in areas of crowding and poor ventilation, suich as crowded urban areas and prisons. In some areas, the AIDS epidemic has been accompanied by an increase in the prevalence of tuberculosis.

Some antituberculosis drugs also are used to treat or prevent other infections such as Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which causes disease throughout the bodies of people with AIDS or other diseases of the immune system.

Description

Antituberculosis drugs are available only with a physician's prescription and come in tablet, capsule, liquid and injectable forms. Some commonly used antituberculosis drugs are cycloserine (Seromycin), ethambutol (Myambutol), ethionamide (Trecator-SC), isoniazid (Nydrazid, Laniazid), pyrazinamide, rifabutin (Mycobutin), and rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane).

Recommended dosage

The recommended dosage depends on the type of antituberculosis drug and may be different for different patients. Check with the physician who prescribed the medicine or the pharmacist who filled the prescription for the proper dosage. The physician may gradually increase the dosage during treatment. Be sure to follow the physician's orders. Patients who are infected with HIV must usually take larger combinations of drugs for a longer period of time than is needed for patients with an unimpaired immune system.

Some antituberculosis drugs must be taken with other drugs. If they are taken alone, they may encourage the bacteria that cause tuberculosis to become resistant to drugs used to treat the disease. When the bacteria become resistant, treating the disease becomes more difficult.

To clear up tuberculosis completely, antituberculosis drugs must be taken for as long as directed. This may mean taking the medicine every day for a year or two or even longer. Symptoms may improve very quickly after treatment with this medicine begins. However, they may come back if the medicine is stopped too quickly. Do not stop taking the medicine just because symptoms improve.

Because people may neglect to take their medication for tuberculosis, it is common to have tuberculosis centers develop a program of Directly Observed Therapy (DOT.) In these programs, patients come to the hospital or clinic, and take their medication in front of an observer. These programs may be annoying to the patients, but are justified by the risks to public health if tuberculosis germs which have become resistant to drugs were to be spread.

Cycloserine works best when it is at constant levels in the blood. To help keep levels constant, take the medicine in doses spaced evenly through the day and night. Do not miss any doses. If taking medicine at night interferes with sleep, or if it is difficult to remember to take the medicine during the day, check with a health care professional for suggestions.

Do not take antacids that contain aluminum, such as Maalox, within 1 hour of taking isoniazid, as this may keep the medicine from working.