Can’t tolerate Azithromycin,Any others options

[Homer12]

Hi all, I was recently put on long term Azithromycin but after 3 weeks I’m really not tolerating it very well,For other people who started these antibiotics and couldn’t tolerate them want did your consultant do next ?? Is there another option ? Thanks

[Hidden]

Yes there are other options, you do need to talk with your consultant/doctor about this situation.

Best not to leave it too long before you do and soon as if you have already stopped taking it.

[Patsy164]

I get an upset stomach sometimes but I would rather that than keep getting exacerbations so I put up with it. I try to take it first thing in the morning wait an hour and have breakfast then take my other medication. I have tried having breakfast and taking it with food but it seems to work better for me if I take it first thing. I would definitely speak to your doctor about this and describe your issues with it.

[Hidden]

Hi Homer. As explained in the other thread a week or two ago, there are no other long term prophylactic options, so usually what happens is it’s stopped and you just continue managing exacerbations in the same ways as always. It’s the same as when it doesn’t work for someone. Have you spoken to your team now regarding the issues you’re having and got their advice?

[Homer12 in reply to Hidden]

Yes spoke to both my consultant and doctor,Both have advised me to persevere with them and I am but it’s simply getting worse with every tablet I take,I’m having a yogurt everyday to see if that helps but it’s not,I simply can’t go on giving it another try as it’s worse than a chest infection,I was hoping these Azithromycin would be my the best thing that’s happened to me but it’s had the opposite effect.

[Maximonkey in reply to Homer12]

Hi Homer, please persevere, Azith are miracle tablets and if you can tolerate them they will hopefully help you keep free from infection. Taking one yoghurt per day is not enough, try taking a small portion after every meal, I also would advise you to take Yakult or similar these keep your gut free from infection. Also look at your diet, if you are feel sick the yoghurts should help, if it's your bowel cut down on vegetables and fruit. As I told you earlier it took me 6 weeks for my body to adjust to the Azith so look at this way you are half way there. Hope this helps. Maximonkey

[Joy123 in reply to Hidden]

There are others, I take co-trimoxazole (Septrin). Seems to do the job for me.

[Hidden in reply to Joy123]

There are other long term prophylactic antibiotics that can be taken, but there is nothing else like Zith: it’s primarily used due to its anti-inflammatory action, and your infection status i.e. what you’re routinely growing and what it’s sensitive to, is irrelevant as a result. As a respiratory antibiotic, it actually has a very limited scope of effectiveness, only good against a very small number of bacteria, and no effectiveness at all against many of the really problematic, chronic infections like pseudo, so wouldn’t be of benefit to so many in reducing exacerbations if it’s helpfulness stemmed from its antibiotic action. Other antibiotics are generally used prophylactically long term on the basis of a patient’s microbiological history. You’re usually given a prophylactic regime of something that the bacteria you have (or have previously had) are sensitive to.

[Hidden]

They gave me Doxycycline. Its worth asking if you can try something else.

[Patk1]

I tolrate thm well but have to stop thm if on a 2nd antibiotic.id speak to dr who prescribed thm

[Tinker26]

I take Holland and Barrett acidophilus every day and have not had any problems ,they’re probiotics so worth a try x

[Homer12 in reply to Tinker26]

Thanks,Good idea,I’ll try anything 😊

[MyMystery]

sorry to hear that they do not agree with you, I understand that there are alternatives, before I started I read up on peoples experience but thought I would give azithromycin a go. Fortunately I have had no problems, though I also take omeprozole for another condition, do not know if that helps. Anyway, I have found them a life changer, brought my cough under some reasonable control and no chest infection for nearly 12 months - i take 3 a week, think that is normal dose

[optim278]

Hi Homer12, I've had hardly any trouble with taking Athithromycin, so sorry can't advise you regarding an alternative. I've found it to be effective so far.

[Keem59]

I was told to take probiotics. I seem to tolerate them better now.