Hi all, currently in hospital (day 2) and just been seen by the dr doing the rounds. He said that the haemophilius bugs in my chest will always be there and will have to be managed with prophylactics and treatment doses of antibiotics which is news to me….I thought I had come into hospital to clear the bug with IVs!!
Secondly, we’ve been discussing Azithryomycin as a potential prophylaxis and he said that it will make you gain weight, as much as 2 stone in a 3-4 month window?! Is this true as again, news to me!
Thanks in advance xx
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Sorry to hear you’re in hospital and hoping things will improve for you soon. My hubby is in Azithromycin and hasn’t gained weight because of it. No idea what the doctor means by that. Xx
Been on azithromycin since 2012 never heard anything about putting weight on. I have put weight on and lost it .I dont think it had anything to do with azithromycin, more about periods of inactivity due to infections etc and lack of a exercise. Could it have been steriods he was talking about ??
Where do they get their ideas from! I took azith for 5 years and never put on an ounce. Much as I would have liked to. I think that he is getting his haemophillus mixed up with his pseudomonas. Haemophillus can be a pest and can keep coming back enough to need treatment. I had it a lot when I was younger. It was effectively knocked on the head before big bully pseudomonas came in. Pseudo does lurk in the lungs once it is there, even if the numbers are not enough to show up in a lab test.
I was shocked when he said it. Especially when he said you’ll need to prepare your friends and family for your weight gain 😱 shocking really. He’s thankfully going to liaise with my usual consultant and hopefully she will talk some sense into him but my goodness
What a stupid thing to say. I can’t understand why he would want to upset you by giving you totally spurious information. I think that it is a power thing. Unfortunately I have come up against too many of these badly trained doctors on the wards in my 73 years of having bronchiectasis. They spurt things out because, little that they know, they think that you, the ignorant patient will not know otherwise. They have more than once come up against a shock with me. Instead of putting yourself through the stress of arguing with him, just do what I do and take your advice only from the consultant whom you trust. When you get out of hospital, whether or not this Dr puts you on to azith, get in touch with your consultant’s secretary. Tell them that you are concerned that the doctor who treated you didn’t have the knowledge or experience of your consultant and that you need a meeting with her to form an ongoing plan. Can she fit you in? These secs are very nice and I find that I get direct contact with my consultant through hers. Your consultant is going to want to know what the ward doctors have been doing and decide for herself what you need anyway. Good luck. Take no notice of the ignorant doc but make sure that you get the right ongoing treatment.
I will do, thank you for your advice. I believe he is going to liaise with her on my treatment today but would love her to pop her head onto the ward if she could. Maybe she’ll be back in on Monday. He was quite a mature dr too which is what was so concerning if he’s passing incorrect information on xx
Many mature doctors have very little knowledge or experience of bronch and sadly, are resistant to learning. I am wondering if he got azithromycin ( an antibiotic) mixed up with a steroid, which could cause weight gain. Hopefully your consultant will put him right but if not, do not let him coerce you into anything that you aren’t happy with.
That is absolutely incorrect.azithromycin is a commonly used prophylactic antibiotic with some anti inflammatory benefits for lungs too.it doesn't put weight on
With all due respect, I don’t think your dr has got it right. I’ve been on Azithromycin for about 8 years. I didn’t gain weight, nor did I have any chest infections, until the beginning of this year when I was taken off Azithromycin so that one of my Rheumatoid Arthritis drugs could be changed. I got pneumonia and was in hospital for 7 weeks, which shows how good Azithromycin is.
I have had Azithromycin once for a COPD Flare - I will never forget being in bed puking for near a week, what bugs me, it seems to work but no use to me,
I agree - Sulph drugs are OK for me, I was 15 when I had my first, it worked - Azithromycin made me really sick, when I go in ot to hospital, I tell them I am allergic. xx
So sorry to hear you're in hospital. I have had Azithromycin prophylactically since September last year and it's worked really well. Not heard about weight gain before and I haven't put on weight. Hope that helps
I have bronchiectasis and a bronchoscopy confirmed in 2020 or, thereabouts, that I have haemophilus. I was put on azith, which kept me infection free till last December when I got covid. In January I went down with a nasty chest infection. Funnily enough both times I was only coughing up white sputum. I wonder if it is possible for haemophilus to give up and go away. PS I have put on about half a stone since I became ill but I think that inactivity accounts for that.
Hi I would be interested in what happens with your Haemophilus Influenzae infection- I had IV antibiotics to clear an infection but a year later it’s back. So is the managing it part correct?
I will be asking when I hopefully see my regular constultant tomorrow on rounds. It’s all a lot slower at the weekends. I grew HI in October last year and it’s not gone with multiple rounds of oral antibiotics and 2 lots of IV Tazocin at home. So they brought me in for more intensive IVs, I’m really hoping it will clear the bug as no one likes spending time in hospital and being away from my family has been awful (daughter only 4 but she’s taking it like a champ) xx
Yes I ve been reading up on nebulising with saline solution to keep it under control but havnt had chance to speak to a Consultant about it yet. Hope you’re home soon .
Unfortunately, you can be colonised with Haemophylis Influenzae, not everyone for sure, but it is normally associated with people with more severe bronchiectasis. I am colonised with Pseudo, and I am very susceptable to HI and Aspergillous Fumigatus. I have been on Azithro 250 mg three days a week for a long time, I do gain weight, and lose it. The gain is because of Pred and being hospitalised many times with accompanying lack of movement, I have not heard of Azithro causing weight gain. Good luck with your hospital stay, and it being successful. Bless you, the following link explains it more clearly; bmcpulmmed.biomedcentral.co...
I`m yet to witness a weight gain with Azithromycin.....if only. It has been a wonder drug for me tho to help manage an underlying Pseudomonas infection. I would have to be admitted for 2 weeks IV antibiotics if not for the Azithromycin. Hope you get the treatment you need, and that they explain clearly what and why etc. It helps to be kept properly informed.
I had best winter for a few years until I caught RSV in March which I mistook for a chest infection, My GP surgery , who have been great for years, managed to let this develop into full on exacerbation, complicated by reception staff blocking access to a GP. I`ve since had worst 3 months of my life. Just finishing 14 days of Ciprofloxacin and have to decided to change surgery as the reception staff at my "trusty" surgery of 40 years have attempted to euthanise me since March.
I've been on azithromycin and prednisolone for several years now, and I must admit that I have gained a couple of stone. My consultant who is really down to earth said that some drugs may make you more hungry but it was putting to much food in my mouth was the cause of the weight gain.He doesn't beat around the Bush.
Best wishes - I'm the same weight now as when I started prophylactic azithromycin 5 yrs ago. It was a shock to me as well that IV treatment would probably need repeating but, honestly life does go on! If you're unhappy with your medical team, it may be worth doing what I did and try and get a referral to another hospital, I did.
hi all! Little update for you, I’m still in hospital day 8 and desperate to get home to my family however the IV antibiotics seem to be working well and hopefully I can finish the course off at home with the support of the OPAT team. I’m being put onto Co-amoxiclav as a prophylactic after this treatment has finished purely because it’s one on the only ones safe during pregnancy. We have been trying for a second baby for a little while and I’ve been told to avoid Azithromycin for now. Hopefully one to use in the future! Thanks all for your ongoing support xx
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