Azithromycin long term use for bronchiectasis

Hi, I was eventually diagnosed 5 years ago and was given numerous drugs to take including azyth, I take mon, wed, fri. Been fine on them with no side affects but I dont know what they do or if they do me any good because have always took them with my other medication, obviously doing me no harn though, good luck xx

I use them , mon wed fri and have no side effects but you do have to look out for any hearing problems x

Afternoon.

Yeah I take them Monday Wednesday and Friday 500mg, since December 2013. Been fine.

Kim xx

hi swimmer ive been taking azithromycin mon,wed and fri for 2 months now and haven't had any problems with them.

tam

helloI too have not been on here of late, I take 250mg of Azithromycin every day, at first I did get a muffled sound in my ear (liking to having water in it ) so was taken off as a precaution, had an hearing test done, and syringed, everything was fine, so resumed taking them, everything been fine so far.

I'll have to mention the hearing problem to my consultant next time I see her. I've been on Azith three days a week since 2012, and didn't have any problems with it. But recently I've been having the same sensation as poeticlady. When I first get up my hearing is OK, but it builds up during the day. Very strange. The only time I don't take it is when I'm in hospital on IVs.

Hi Swimmer

My consultant suggested I try Azithromycin three days a month but I had to I stop due to severe stomach cramps and wind. I should possibly have tried again but never fancied it.

Best wishes

Pilch

I have been taking 250mg Azith daily for a few years now with no noticeable side effects and a definite reduction in chect infections. Hope it works for you. Liz

Hi.

I have had two periods on azi three days a week (Mon, Weds, Fri) for 9 months, with a summer break then back on over the winter. i know some people cannot tolerate it, but It has been a brilliant drug for me. Not one noticeable side effect at all, and best of all no cough. I do mean literally no cough at all for almost all of the time, and no return of the cough during the summer break. they seem to reduce mucus production as well as fighting infection. Consultant has now taken me off them for the time being until the bronchiectasis flares up. He thinks there is no point taking a drug, which may have harmful effects - liver function was mentioned as a slight risk to me - if it is not needed.

I don't think antibiotic resistance is an individual thing, particularly if you have an illness that will benefit. It is you who we need to keep the antibiotics for, and the problem is the profligate use of them for non-bacterial illness or even worse the use of them in animal feeds.

Monkey.

My son takes it, and has done for about 7 years. When he first started taking it he felt sick, so he now takes them just before he goes to sleep and he is fine.He takes them mon wed and fri.

Hi, Azith worked wonders for me for about 3 years. It stopped the awful infections ( although i still had a few they were never as bad as before azith) I believe it gave me a much better quality of life and I would still be taking it today if I hadn't started with an allergic reaction to it. I don't know why this happened but since the first bad reaction and being taken off azith I have had infection after infection and felt as bad as i used to feel 4 years ago. The doc has tried Doxycyclin, Euthromycin (please excuse spelling) but my body has decided its allergic to these too as well as any penicillin. I don't know if the long term antibiotic use has made my body behave this way or not but I would definitely recommend trying azith as when it's working well it is fantastic.

I wish you all the very best with your health and would definitely recommend, huffing and other forms of mucus clearing aswell alongside your other meds.

Good health and happiness sent your way 😊

My GP has just prescribed Azy to me after I told him I had read about it here and other forums. The dosage is 250 mg 3 times per week. No mention of hearing loss although he did refer to the possibility of anti biotic resistance. Anyway I'm happy to give it a go to see if if reduces my flare-ups. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again to all for the warmth and support. And good luck Swimmer!

I use this, Monday, Wednesday Friday and I can honestly say its changed my life. There are people that don't get on with it at all and can't tolerate it but in the last year I have had only 2 infections. I've been on it for around 2.5 years with no apparent effects. I have very acute hearing an I haven't noticed any difference.

marie x

Hi there, as I understand it Clarithromycin & Azithromycin do much the same thing. I currently take 2x500mg Clarithromycin a day, 3 days a week. Def; getting less infections although I still get 'flare-ups', wheezing and rattling through one at the moment, lol, for which I've had to start my emergency pack of Doxycycline.

Unfortunately I already have hearing problems, stone deaf in one ear, slight loss of hearing in the other which Clarithromycin has muffled even further. The consultant I saw last week was sympathetic but said I'd need to consider if the protection Clarith; provides was worth this negative aspect. No brainer really.

I did this for several years but consultant decided it was needed to be kept in reserve for an emergency antibiotic for a particular bug so it was stopped. I had no side effects and felt much better whilst taking it. I hope it suits you too. Good luck. 💐

I took the 3 a week option for six months. Brilliant turned my life around. I had to have blood tests every couple of months to check liver function. Hearing problems were mentioned but fortunately I had no bad effects. Originally I was coughing all the time and exacerbation every month. I stopped taking them last September and have not had one infection since. Give it a try I believe there will be no long term problem and I wish you good luck that it works as well for you as it did for me. barnowl

I have been on steroids 40 mg per day for nine months and azathioprine 2 tablets a day

For two months, the specialist. Wants to decrease the steroids because the after effects of steroids are more dramatic than azathioprine

My condition. Is chronic extrinsic allergic alveolitis, are you similar

Regards mike

Hi Swimmer,been taking azithromysin for about six months 3x a week.I found when I did,nt take my pro-biotics I got bad indigestion.Had liver function test which was clear and no other side effects and kept infections at bay so I,m happy with it,hope you are too.Good luck.D.

Hi there, this is the first time I have used Health Unlocked but wanted to reply. I was put on Azithromycin for bronchiectasis for a while. I had side effects to start with but settled on to it and began not to notice anything. I took it 3 times a week - every other day. Happily much better now with the better weather. Perhaps you could look into countering the bad effects of regular antibiotics with 'pro biotics', 'tho I don't know much about them. Good luck.

Harriet

I have been on Azithromycin every other day. Consultant told me to take one every day and since doing so my tinnitus is driving me crazy. Decided to cut back down to one every other day and see if that helps.

Hello Swimmer I am so glad you brought up this subject as it is good to know so many other people have been prescribed Azithromycin. I have Sarcoidosis of the lungs and was in hospital with a chest infection 5 times in 2012. It was eventually got rid of with an intravenous antibiotic three times a day. The last time was in Royal Brompton Hospital and on going home I was prescribed Azithromycin 250mg Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays which I have taken non-stop since (for two years). A couple of consultants at Royal Brompton have said I could stop them in the summer months but as they do not cause me any trouble that I know of I take them for the whole year. I have had no problems with Azithromycin that I know of and it has kept lung infections at bay. If I have been with people with a cold or similar I make doubly sure and gargle with a solution of TCP for a couple of days and squirt First Defence (available from chemists) into my nose three or four times a day for a couple of days. No consultant in the last 2 years has mentioned the possibility of hearing loss and I have not experienced that. It is good to learn from others about probiotics and I will look into buying some. Thank you everyone for your replies to Swimmer. They have been so reassuring.

Hi Swimmer, I guess it is down to how ill you feel. I was getting infections monthly and pneumonia around 3 monthly and I was going down hill fast so the thought of no more infections because I was taking a pill three times a week was music to my ears. I have had no side effects but after 2.5 years I have developed Tinnitus although my ENT specialist says it is not related to Azithromycin but is due to my suffering 40 years of sinusitis. (It is not life threatening and I can live with it) I would recommend Azithromycin in a heartbeat, without Azith I would probably be dead by now as the last dose of pneumonia was so bad my organs started to close down and my husband thought he was losing me. I was just out of it thankfully. No-one has told you what their quality of life is now after Azith, I can go to Aqua aerobics now and exercise, something which I could not do before because of all the infections present at local baths and I can lead an ordinary life, no more coughing every few minutes or breathlessness. My skin has a healthy glow and friends cannot get over how well I look. Yes I do tire more easily but I probably would be the same anyway as I am now 68 years old. I have had 3 infections in the past 2 years, all without going to hospital, bliss. Take care of yourself. Maximonkey

I take azithromycin 500 mg tablets 1 tab 3x a wk on Mon. We'd, Fri. with breakfast, in addition to 2 other antibiotics long term for Pulmonary MAC (mico bacterium Avium intracellulare which caused bronchiectasis. I have been in this regime for just a month so far but will be on it for at least a yr and a half, which I was 5 yrs ago when I first developed the MAC. Up until that time I was perfectly healthy and still have a good quality of life, thank God and thank the good doctors. I have gotten several opinions and feel confident that this is the normal treatment protocol in the USA.

Although I live in NH and see a Pulmonologist in Boston, Mass. My last episode of bleeding, which doctor called a bronchiectasis flare, took place in Florida a month ago. The Fl doctors and my Boston doctor were in total agreement regarding the treatment plan. I hope this helps and I send my best wishes to you. I might add I am taking the exact same antibiotics and in the same way that I did 5 yrs ago. While in Florida I was also dx'd as having AFib so am on blood thinner Eloquis and Coreg also in the past mos. Thankfully my body seems to be tolerating all of this presently. Blessings, Mary10

Hi Mary

Did send you a reply last Saturday, but not sure it got through..?

You are so lucky to live in Florida; I have visited several times, although not for many years. I really loved it.

It sounds like you are getting great care in the U.S. However, although highly skilled and dedicated, NHS staff are really struggling here, with the result that patients are suffering by not getting the treatments they need when they need them. I may have to spend my limited savings on private treatment because my quality of life is deteriorating, to the point of intolerance, whilst I wait, often for months, to receive treatment.

Thanks also for your blessings - any divine intervention, gratefully received.

Kind regards

swimmer

yes i have been on it since last year i take it spread out through the week at night but unfortunately i have had 5 chest infections since last October so its questionable if it is doing me any good really ? i have had one side effect itchy skin so i take Antihistamine when that happens but other than that i am ok on it