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(MAC/MAI) Mycobacterium Avium Complex Pulmonary Disease: Join us
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Oct 29 5:15pm | Replies (9350)Comment receiving replies
Thank you so much for welcoming me, Everyone, so grateful!!! At my initial consultation meeting with my Pulm last January, he said he had many bronchiectasis Mac patients but I do not know who they are, so glad I found All of you here. After starting on each of the 3 meds one at a time, the 3rd med, rifampin, I was confused about the dosage and talked to the pharmacist about it. She looked up the meds dosage and told me the med is for TB listed on the World Health Organization but MAC is not mentioned. Is it because MAC is not contagious person to person? The pharmacist told me my doc makes his own treatment plan. <3
Replies to "Thank you so much for welcoming me, Everyone, so grateful!!! At my initial consultation meeting with..."
@afcardieri .. Fillis .. not to worry .. it sounds like you are being given what we call here on our Forum .. the "Big 3"! I am GLAD your Pulmonologist said he has many MAC patients .. MANY do not have a clue! Just read through the back page ..Educate YOURSELF .. that way you can become your OWN best advocate and have serenity about your treatment plan! We are indeed here for you! Hugs to you! Katherine
From my File Cabinet:
ANTIBIOTIC ..STANDARD TREATMENT Standard treatment of MAC recommended by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) is a combination of 3 or 4 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drugs include:
Clarithromycin (Biaxin) or Azithromycin (Zithromax)
Rifampin (Rifadin) or Rifabutin (Mycobutin) + Ethambutol (Myambutol)
Streptomycin (Strep) or Amikacin (Amikin)
The first three drugs are pills/capsules and may be given daily or three times weekly (Monday-Wednesday-Friday).
While taking these medicines, routine laboratory tests to check kidneys and liver along with a complete blood count (CBC) should be performed, at least routinely for the first six months. For extensive or severe disease, or disease that has failed therapy, the injectables or inhaled streptomycin or amikacin are often added for the first 2 to 4 months of therapy.
@afcardieri, you mentioned the World Health Organization lists the meds for TB but doesn't mention MAC or treatment That may be because there is no official approved treatment for NTM or MAC. So docs have resorted to the meds for TB. That was per the doctors at the NTM conference in May ... where I was sitting, I could hear a gasp among people there.
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Yes that is why. MAC is not contagious person to person. Mostly isoniazid is used for TB. I know that, only because two of our Chinese children were treated with that. The dosage for the three MAC drugs is determined by your weight. Hope that answers your question.