The length of time tuberculosis (TB) lasts depends on whether it's active or latent TB.
- Active TB usually requires a course of antibiotics for 6 months. This is because some forms of TB are resistant to certain antibiotics, so several different antibiotics are used.
- Latent TB usually requires antibiotics for 3 to 6 months.
If you have TB but do not have symptoms (latent TB), you usually need to take antibiotics for 3 to 6 months. Treatment for active TB must be administered completely within 70 days from treatment initiation. If this target is not met, the patient should be considered to have interrupted treatment.
In some cases, TB treatment can take 20 to 30 months to complete. This is often the case for more complex or resistant forms of TB and may lead to more side effects.
