Contents:
- Medical Video: TB and HIV | Infectious diseases | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy
- Many people do not consistently undergo TB treatment
- Various side effects and complications that can occur due to forgetting to take TB medicine
- How can I discipline TB medicine?
- Then what if I have forgotten to take medicine?
Medical Video: TB and HIV | Infectious diseases | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy
TB can be treated with an antibiotic combination that the doctor prescribes. However, it usually requires monthly, even annual, because the nature of the infection is quite serious and easily transmitted. Unfortunately, many sufferers like to forget to take TB medicine. This negligence will not only harm his own health, but also endanger the people around him.
Indeed, what are the consequences of forgetting to take TB medicine?
Many people do not consistently undergo TB treatment
The Ministry of Health sets a minimum standard for the percentage of success of TB treatment nationwide at 90 percent, not much different from WHO which sets a figure of 85% for each country vulnerable to TB.
In fact, the success rate of TB treatment in Indonesia in 2016 was only around 85 percent. This figure actually dropped dramatically from 2008 which had reached 90 percent. The lowest percentage of TB cure occurred in 2013, which was around 83 percent.
One of the factors causing the decline in success rates is treatment that is interrupted, aka inconsistent, including likes to forget to take TB medicine.
Bacteria that cause tuberculosis, Myobacterium tuberculosis,is a type of acid resistant bacteria which is classified as difficult to turn off. Because in the body, they will fall asleep for a long time and not multiply. In fact, most antibiotics actually function when bacteria are active.
For this reason, the treatment must be carried out with high discipline.Usually people who experience this infection are required to drink OAT (Anti TB medicine) continuously for 6-12 months, depending on each patient's diagnosis.
Various side effects and complications that can occur due to forgetting to take TB medicine
If people with TB are not consistently undergoing therapy and like to forget to take medication, they will be at high risk of experiencing various side effects and dangerous complications. For example, the drug no longer works against infection.
This is becausebacteria become resistant or immune to the TB drugs that you currently consume and also later. As a result, the symptoms of TB that you experience are getting worse because the bacteria continue to multiply in the body. Your illness never fully heals.
Not disciplining taking medication also risks the spread of disease to other healthy people. These stronger bacteria can easily move and infect other people's bodies. The people closest to you can contract the same disease in the future if you like forgetting to take TB medicine
How can I discipline TB medicine?
Remember, taking TB drugs regularly will speed up your body's recovery and health. This can be your main motivation for continuing to take medicine on time. If you really have difficulty remembering or making yourself disciplined about this, you can do the following:
- Get used to taking medicine when performing rituals in the morning or evening. At first you may forget often, but try to place your medicine at the dining table, so that every time you have breakfast, lunch and dinner you will see the medicine.
- Make a reminder. You can rely on a gadget to set a reminder hour. This will make it easier for you to remember that you need to take medicine every day.
- Mark your calendar if you have finished taking medication. For example, you are asked to take medication for 6 months. Well, you can take notes on the calendar if you have successfully taken medication on time.
- Ask family to remind. Ask for help from the person closest to you to remind you when it's time to take medicine. You can ask him to be a supervisor to take your personal medication.
Then what if I have forgotten to take medicine?
If you spend a day taking medication, then usually TB drugs can still be consumed as usual the next day. But don't miss it the next day.
Meanwhile, if you forget to take TB drugs for two days or more, then you should immediately contact your doctor to get the best instructions regarding the treatment you are currently taking.
