How long to take anti-tuberculosis drugs before reducing the dosage

Anti-tuberculosis drugs cannot be stopped at will. If you do so, the patient's condition will be completely aggravated and eventually out of control. Before stopping the medication, you should first make a more accurate assessment of your body and observe your physical symptoms. If there is no other change in the condition, you can gradually stop the medication, but the prerequisite is that your blood pressure and body temperature are at a relatively normal level.

1. The general condition has improved significantly, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is normal, and the body temperature is normal.

2. Urinary symptoms completely disappear.

3. Repeated routine urine tests were normal.

4. 24-hour urine concentration test for acid-fast bacilli, long-term multiple tests have all been negative.

5. Urine tuberculosis culture and urine animal inoculation for tuberculosis bacilli were both negative.

6. X-ray urography shows that the lesion is stable or has healed.

7. No other tuberculosis lesions were found in the general examination.

After stopping the medication, patients still need to emphasize long-term follow-up observation and regular urine tests and urinary tract examinations for at least 3 to 5 years.

1. The first is early medication. At this time, bacteria grow and reproduce vigorously, metabolism is active, and they are sensitive to drugs. The lesions are well supplied with blood, and drugs can easily penetrate and take effect. At the same time, the patient's body resistance is also strong. Early medication can easily control the lesions and is conducive to cure.

2. Combination therapy, generally using 2-3 drugs, can delay the drug resistance of tuberculosis and improve the efficacy. However, for lymphadenopathy or pulmonary tuberculosis with extremely mild lesions, negative sputum bacteria and no symptoms, isoniazid alone can be considered. However, patients with sputum positive, larger lesions and more active tuberculosis require combination therapy. The most effective combination is isoniazid and rifampicin, followed by isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and then isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, streptomycin, or ethambutol. Each option has its own characteristics and must be used under the guidance of an experienced specialist.

3. Adhere to regular medication and sufficient medication time, that is, take the medication in appropriate amounts, regularly, and throughout the entire course. Using a large amount of medicine not only causes waste, but also easily produces toxic and side effects; using an insufficient amount of medicine cannot reach the antibacterial and bactericidal concentration, resulting in poor efficacy and easy to produce drug resistance. The medication for tuberculosis is divided into two periods. The first is the initial stage, when strong drugs are used for uninterrupted treatment to make the symptoms disappear as soon as possible, the sputum bacteria turn negative, and the condition improves significantly. This period takes 3-6 months and is also called the intensive stage. The second is a radical cure, which uses a combination of drugs or a single drug for thorough treatment according to the condition to consolidate the therapeutic effect and prevent recurrence. This period takes about 6-18 months and is also called the consolidation treatment stage.