What Type of Medicine Treats Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious lung infection. One-third of the world's people are thought to have a dormant tuberculosis infection, according to drug maker Merck; the infection becomes active in 5 percent to 10 percent of them. It is generally treated with antibiotics and other medications, with a cure rate of 95 percent.

Medictions Used to Treat TB

• Isoniazid, also known as Nydrazid, is the main antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis. It can cause numbness of the hands and feet, so it is usually combined with pyridoxine to help eliminate the numbness. It can also cause liver problems.

  Rifampin is another TB medication. It can cause discoloration of urine, liver problems, diarrhea and nausea. Pyrazinamide, another antibiotic, has similar side effects.

  Ethambutol might also be prescribed. Possible side effects include hearing and vision problems.

  These drugs are often combined into one pill in order to make treatment easier. Moxifloxacin is a combination drug that began being used widely in 2007. It not only eases the complication of taking multiple medications several times a day, it helps reduce treatment time from 6 months to 2 months in many cases.

  Anti-inflammatory medications are also used in treating TB. Some widely used ones are etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab. These work much like corticosteroids by strengthening the immune system and boosting the body's ability to fight off infection.

  Some patients are told to use "directly observed therapy" because the regimen of TB treatment is very grueling, and if doses are missed a recurrence might occur. In his approach, medications are given directly by a health-care professional to ensure that they are taken. This often allows the medication to be given for a shorter period, and several times daily rather than daily.

  Some strains of TB have developed a resistance to the usual antibiotics. That requires different medications or stronger doses. Because the TB bacteria die slowly, several alternative medications are given at one time.

  Patients with HIV are often diagnosed with TB as well. They must be carefully treated, as some TB medications can interact with medications for HIV. Patients who are taking antiretroviral substances to treat HIV might need to have the doses changed during treatment for TB.