Question
Is it safe to take TB medication with my ARVs?
14 December 2011. Related: All topics, Complications and coinfections, Southern Africa, Starting treatment, TB.
Hi. I am HIV positive and on ART for 10 months.
My viral load is undetectable and my CD4 count is 180.
Last month I was suffering form breathing problems. Then I went to the doctor and and found fluid in my lungs. They removed that and now they prescribed me TB medicines along with ART.
My ART meds are: Tavin EM (tenofovir and emtricitabine) in the morning; Atazor R (atazanavir and ritonovir (evening).
I also take ZOCOn 150 (1 tab in a weak) and sepmax (one tab afternoon).
My TB medicine is: (1) Ributin150 1 tab alternate day before breakfast; (2) Wysolone 20 after bf for 15 days; (3) Benadon (half tab after bf); (4) pyrazinamide (750 2 tab after lunch); (5) Combutol (1000 1 tab after dinner).
My question is, along with ART medicine, is this combination good for me or is it going to harm me? Please let me know.
Answer
Thank you for your question
I appreciate that it must be difficult for you having to take so many meds at the moment. This will only be for a short time though until the TB is treated.
The TB meds you are taking are recommended for TB. It will therefore not harm you as it is meant to cure the TB. The meds are also routinely prescribed even for people taking HIV meds (called ART), as is your case.
One of your meds, the Wysolone, is or treating breathing difficulties, which is one of the things you mentioned in your email.
Although the TB drugs can be tough and have some side effects, you will only need to take them for about 6 to 12 months, depending on the combination. This is the standard for first line regimen which you are on. It is therefore really important that you take thee meds carefully. This means taking them as prescribed by your doctor.
Missing TB meds can cause drug resistance and even MDR TB (multidrug resistant TB). Treatment for MDR TB is longer and has much nastier side effects, so it is best to adhere to your first line regimen in order to cure the TB and ensure that you don’t develop MDR TB. If you have just started taking the TB meds, you should start to feel better within in 2-3 weeks.
Good luck with completing the remaining meds.
Best wishes.
Further info
TB and HIV coinfection (from the i-Base training manual)
https://i-base.info/ttfa/5-ois-and-coinfections/7-tuberculosis-tb
UK (BHIVA) guidelines on HIV and TB coinfection.
https://www.bhiva.org/TB-guidelines
Hi Ntando, thanks, how are you doing and how is your brother? I am not a doctor, but sometimes TB meds are taken separately for a couple of weeks to minimise the risk of side effects from both treatments. Sometimes this is to reduce the risk and any drug interactions.
If your brother had a low CD4 count, the HIV meds might have made his immune system strong enough to show the TB that was previously not detected.
It is strange to have to stop HIV meds now though, so please ask the doctor to explain why they want or need to do this.
My brother is hiv positive when he found out TB test were run and came nagative, so he started her Hiv treatment and, tablets that helps to prevent TB after three weeks he found out that he have TB doctor said he must stop his ARvs for two weeks
Why?
Hello Matshidi and thank you for getting in touch.
HIV i-Base is a charity about HIV treatment. We are not specialists in TB treatment.
What I can tell you about TB is that it is very important for the medication to be taken as prescribed.
Please inform your doctor for any problems and side effects as they can help with their management.
Missing two days is not the end of the world but please try to take them as they have advised you to do so.
Sweating a lot can mean that your body is still fighting the infection.
So it’s very important to take the medication at the right time.
You can try using an alarm to remind you of the doses or use a pill box to remember to take the right doses at the right time.
Hi I’m on TB treatment for about 2 months now and I skipped 2 days. Is there any possibility that the medication will not work. I am curious because during the day I sweat too much.