TB Treatment
Latent (Sleeping) TB Treatment
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Latent TB Pathway
Finding & Treating TB Early: Benefits for YouFinding & Treating TB Early: Benefits for Loved Ones
Identifying Concerns & Supports
Supporting the Person
See Intro to TB Treatment or Incentives for more information on Supporting the Person through TB treatment.
Remember! Latent TB treatment is not mandatory, but it is encouraged. Sometimes people have a lot going on in their lives and it is better for them and their treatment to start at another time.
Latent TB Antibiotic Treatment
There are now two kinds of ‘standard’ antibiotic treatments for Latent TB offered in Nunavik:
The TB team will talk to the person about the best treatment option based on their individual situation. Sometimes there are other antibiotic treatments (not mentioned here) that might be offered to someone who has Latent TB.
RIF ‘Standard’ Latent TB Antibiotic Treatment
1 antibiotic
Rifampicin (RIF or RMP)
Taken DAILY at home (AA).
A person will need to get a refill every couple of days or couple of weeks.
Usually 120 total doses (about 4 months).
Missed doses - Missing some days of RIF pills a few times isn’t usually a big deal. We still want to encourage people to take their pills every day so they don’t have ‘leftover’ TB germs that could ‘wake up’ and cause Active TB.
3HP ‘Standard’ Latent TB Antibiotic Treatment
2 antibiotics (higher dose) plus a B6 vitamin
Rifapentine (RPT)
Isoniazid (INH)
Taken WEEKLY (DOT – the person should try to come on the same day every week).
Usually 12 doses (about 3 months)
Missed doses - If someone misses the day they’re supposed to come, usually it’s okay for them to come 1 or 2 days later. Because the person is only taking pills once a week, it is very important for them to come to take their pills. Missing doses in a row or missing more than 2 doses of the total can mean the person might not be fully treated for TB.
3HP is a newer treatment for TB in Nunavik.
It is a good option for some people, but not a good option for others (like pregnant women, people on certain medications, children under 2, Elders over 65 or people with a risk of liver problems).
Each dose of 3HP has many pills. Because it is many pills, people who take 3HP need to be careful about certain side effects.
It is best to talk to doctor/nurse if someone is interested in 3HP.
Example conversation with someone who is starting the standard 4-month RIF (RMP) Latent TB treatment:
Support
Part of Sleeping TB treatment is taking the pills, yes, but it’s also about us, the TB team, helping to make the treatment as easy as possible for you. That’s a big reason why we’re talking together today, you’re not alone in this!
Once we’re all on the same page about what the antibiotic treatment looks like, we can talk more specifically about things you think might help you and what the clinic can do for you.
Antibiotics
So, moving on to the antibiotics. You talked with the nurse about taking the 4-month RIF treatment, right?
The antibiotic is normally very good at killing all the TB Germs and very safe. There are some side effects to treatment but usually people can take treatment without many reactions to the antibiotics.
You would take 1 antibiotic called rifampicin or RIF for short.
You’ll take one packet of pills every day at home and only need to come to the clinic for refills and monthly evaluations. We’ll work together to find refill days that work best for your schedule.
If you take the antibiotics every day, you’ll be finished in about 4 months. It’s important to try and take your pills every day but you don’t need to stress if you miss one day.