The standard TB regimen is a six month course of antibiotics but the duration and drugs used may vary according to a patient’s age, type of TB infection, and whether they have been treated before.  Treating TB takes longer than treating other types of bacterial infections because the bacteria that cause TB grow slowly, and die slowly.  The standard six month course of treatment consists of two phases.  The first phase lasts two months and is called the intensive phase.  The second phase lasts four months and is called the continuous phase.