Treatment of Sleeping Sickness

Treatment overview

Start medical treatment of sleeping sickness as soon as possible once diagnosed. Your healthcare provider will base your treatment on whether you have East or West African sleeping sickness. Treatment also depends on your stage of infection—specifically, whether the parasite has entered your central nervous system yet.

Hospitalization is usually necessary for treatment. Your follow-up care may require a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) every six months or sooner, if symptoms appear, for two years.

Treating East African sleeping sickness

The drugs used to treat East African sleeping sickness are not commercially available in the United States. Physicians can consult with CDC's parasitic diseases staff to obtain these drugs.

First stage

Your provider will prescribe medication as indicated for the first stage of East African sleeping sickness, which may include Suramin or possibly fexinidazole.

Second stage

Your provider will prescribe medication as indicated for the second stage of East African sleeping sickness, which may include Melarsoprol or possibly fexinidazole.

Treating West African sleeping sickness

First stage

There are drugs available in the United States to treat the first stage of West African sleeping sickness.

Depending on your age and weight, your healthcare provider will prescribe pentamidine or fexinidazole.

Second stage

Treatment for the second stage of West African sleeping sickness depends on your age and severity of infection.

Your provider will prescribe either nifurtimox eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) or fexinidazole.

Recovery

After treatment, your healthcare provider should monitor you for two years. If your symptoms return, your provider should test you for the parasite that causes African sleeping sickness.