For the past 12 years I’ve worked with a lot of immigrant families providing therapy services at day care centers and Head Start facilities. I was recently required to have a Mantoux test because homevisting of medically fragile children has been added to my list of duties. It was positive but my chest X-ray was clear. My doctor is recommending that I start on a 9-month course of this drug, “If any of my family members had a reaction like yours, I’d force it down their throat.”
I don’t want to take this drug because I think the chance of developing TB is less than the chance of my liver getting messed-up. The doctor assured me that I am not contagious and can return to working with immunosuppressed children. Has any one been in a similar situation and opted out of the drug regimen? Could my workplace force me to start drug therapy before allowing me to return? Have you ever known anyone who developed hepatitis or other problems due to the treatment?