Azithromycin, 250 mg tablets. - Lung Conditions C...

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Azithromycin, 250 mg tablets.

Clanger41 profile image
25 Replies

Hi folks. Hope you're all well and those of you who aren't, keep your chin up, you'll get there.

I was given Azithromycin by my consultant, in Liverpool.

Once, three times weekly. I've read the posts others have wrote. Does anyone have any more information about the drug. How it's affected others. Has it done what it was supposed to do.

Hope to hear from you all soon.

Keith Clancy.

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Clanger41 profile image
Clanger41
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25 Replies

I was on it one a day for seven days ... all the time.

Was ok till i had heart event SO had to stop them .. Worked good and i cant understand why i was not on them like others and yourself.

Guess if did try them again be like you three times weekly

Did work well at stoping infections AND even when i stopped did work for good bit.

I've been on them loads both continuously and three times a week for a few weeks. I find them brilliant. Always help relieve symptoms

gordyboy profile image
gordyboy

Hi Had two weeks of daily IV Ceftriaxone followed by two weeks of azithromycin 3 times daily followed by one week of azithro once daily followed by permanent Monday,wed,fri. Went well until caught another chest infection stopped azithro and had two weeks of amoxicillin three times daily which cleared infection am now back on azithromycin. I'm probably a special case as I have cardiac issues (replaced aortic valve and double bypass and stent) and now been diagnosed with CML Chronic Myloid Leukemia. I'm hoping that the IV Ceftriaxone treatment can be used again should it get too bad. I would have to say that azithromycin does work.

Regards to all

Cony12 profile image
Cony12 in reply to gordyboy

Hi did you have any side effects from Azithromycin or Amoxicillin ?

daveymac55 profile image
daveymac55

Hi, I have been taking the Azithromycin 250 mg one tablet EVERY day since April 2016 and am due to end the course in September this year (18 months course) I feel pretty good with them, and they don't appear to affect my other meds at all. Just what will happen when the course ends remains to be seen, but I will update when it does,

winebuff profile image
winebuff

It has worked for me in Spades. I have been on them for about two years. I have had only one chest infection in that time.my mucus is clear. Five stars from me.

whit profile image
whit

in 2015 i was having exaberations virtually contiuously, so my doc put me on these , i have not had an exaberation since , i still get out of breath , but nothing at all like i was ,

pollyjj profile image
pollyjj

I like whit was having infections continuously the azith has worked for the last 2+ years although I do think I have infection at the moment I hope it is a blip.

take care

polly xx

aberdeenman profile image
aberdeenman

hi I was put on them 2 years ago after 18 months of constant infections, and it has cut down amount of infections ive had since.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusie

I have been on them, one tablet 3 times a week, since about October. I was getting pseudomonas flare ups and can no longer take Cipro due to side effects. I do other things to boost immune system, but I haven't had a pseudo flare up since starting Azi.

One thing I would say, and my consultant (nor my GP) didn't mention this but I found out from members of the forum and BLF, you should actually have an ECG and a liver function test before starting, and liver function tests regularly whilst taking Azi. I mentioned it to my GP and he had no hesitation in telling me to make an appointment for both, and told me to book liver function tests every three months. As he had no comment then I am assuming he knew these should be done routinely, and I'm rather miffed that, as usual with my surgery, if you don't know and don't ask them you don't get!

Nottobad profile image
Nottobad in reply to SeasideSusie

I have been on Azithromycin for about 8 weeks now. I take one 250mg a day. And had to have the ECG to see if I had long QT internal. Had the ECG and it came back normal. I also have liver function test every month for other medication I take. I was also told that they may cause deafness. It was my resp consultant that asked for these tests and for me to be told about the deafness. I was put on them by my immunolagy consultant I am seeing at the moment.

Nitap profile image
Nitap in reply to Nottobad

Hi not posted for a while ! I have been put on Azithromycin 3 times a week ?? My hearing is not good with this although my wonderful GP has said the hearing is recoverable ?? I have had the worst cough ever consistently all day and night, at times I was choking and bringing up slimey muck and also sick it is horrible - But - I am off to see my Consultant today so watch this space ?? I will let you all know.

Hope all is well with friends on Health Unlocked xx 😘

Jokir152 profile image
Jokir152

Hi I have been taking the 3 a week tablet also for a couple of years, has helped with infections, but I have recently found out that part of my problems were low imunity... As well as my Adrenal glands gone to sleep. Since topping up my immunity and continuing with Azithromycin I have started to feel a bit better just awaiting to see if my Adrenal Glands awake. This appears to of happened becuase of long term use of Steriods. something to consider folks. :-(

Dmactds profile image
Dmactds

I've never taken the drug but here's some info from Wiki:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azith...

Azithromycin is an antibiotic useful for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections.[2] This includes middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, traveler's diarrhea, and certain other intestinal infections. It may also be used for a number of sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. Along with other medications, it may also be used for malaria. It can be taken by mouth or intravenously with doses once per day.[2]

Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and upset stomach. An allergic reaction or a type of diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile is possible. No harm has been found with its use during pregnancy.[2] Its safety during breastfeeding is not confirmed, but it is likely safe.[3] Azithromycin is an azalide, a type of macrolide antibiotic. It works by decreasing the production of protein, thus stopping bacterial growth.

....Azithromycin was first made in 1980.[4] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system.

Grace-olive profile image
Grace-olive

I take this drug when my lungs are really causing me problems

250 Twice a

Day for three days

This helps me with breathing

I only take when I feel I really need !

Grace-olive profile image
Grace-olive

My breathing is getting more laboured by the week !

I wonder when I will need permeant oxygen I am 78

jamorro profile image
jamorro

Been on it 3x a week for last 10 yrs. before I was getting one exacerbation every 3 weeks and my life was hell. I have not had another full on lung infection since. Except when doddery old Dr insisted I had to stop as guidelines said you couldn't be on antibiotics all that time. Started to to get infection within two weeks. Back on Axithromycin again and I'm not coming off again. I'm over 70, had COPD for 11/12 yrs but I now exercise at least 3x a week.

Helen0909 profile image
Helen0909

Hi, I was put on this antibiotic..one dose 3 times a week, but unfortunately it made me very sick and I had the bee sting type allergic reaction in throat..I know that's just me, but just wanted to make everyone aware that there are real side affects that are just worth noting. I am on long term steroids and really hoped this antibiotic therapy would be beneficial to the extent that I could start reducing my steroids little by little. Unfortunately not to be for me on this occasion.

offalot profile image
offalot

Several years ago I was getting reinfections of chest infections etc and my GP put me on a daily dose of Azithromycin 500mg. (Love the name, conjures up images of Shakespeare's witches round the pot, babbling "As I throw mice in.....")

I stayed on that for years until, being discharged from a stay in hospital after a bad infection, I was held in the departure lounge from 1pm til 9pm as a consultant who had never seen me was deciding whether to change my dosage. 2 staff nurses had to wait with me, on overtime, as the dept had closed at 6. It was finally discovered that the consultant had gone home, but someone decided that 250mg was correct. And of course the pharmacy was closed. Finally, it was agreed I could leave after I'd said I could halve the 500mg tablets I had - only once I had sworn that they had a break-line across each tablet. Then there was the matter of getting an ambulance to take me 500yards home. Essential, because they had to be sure I could get myself up my stairs to my flat. All this sounds very caring and painstaking, and in my interests. But I suspect the real reason to be more to safeguard individuals and hospital against possible lawsuits. Ok, rant over and back on track!

A year or so later I was finding that shortly after taking my morning boxfull of tablets I was feeling pretty unwell - can't recall exactly what, but I know I felt generally rubbish and any earlier get up an go had gone. Then, happily, my useless pharmacy at Morrisons failed to supply the Azithromycin on my monthly order, so I ran out. Happily, because I found that without it I no longer felt rubbish all day. Both as a child and as an adult,while many people complained that antibiotics made then feel ill, I myself always thrived in then, felt marvellous. Until now. So I called the surgery to discuss with my GP, only to find that she had left, emigrated, so I spoke to the GP I had been with previously, before I'd switched to one who was specialising in respiratory diseases. But I knew him and trusted him, and he knew me. He agreed that it sounded like I was reacting against the antibiotic and said it'd do no harm to keep off it for a few weeks. So I did, and have never taken it since. That was Jan of last year, and I've not had any infection apart from a bad throat, since. (But then, as things have deteriorated I've hardly been out and hardly see anyone in the flesh! It's a good defence against infection!

Now, after all that background info, here's what I'm really posting about. Last summer I had my annual checkup at GP surgery, with a Sister I'd not seen before - a real old fashioned, traditional nurse oozing experience and common sense. She asked how many infections I'd had in previous year. She was surprised at my reply of none, then, just as an aside, said "you do replace your nasal cannular for your oxygen after an infection, don't you?" Eh? "Well it's quite likely to cause a reinfection if you don't".Common sense, an obvious thing to do when I thought about it - but I'd never consciously done it and nobody, from GP to nurses or hospital consultants had ever mentioned it to me. Nor on the pulmonary rehab course. Maybe it is so obvious a thing to do that it's deemed unnecessary?

So now I'm wondering whether I needed to take antibiotics for years, or whether the real culprit causing reinfection was my Oxygen canula all the time.

Congratulations to all who got this far - hope it was worth it ;)

Clanger41 profile image
Clanger41 in reply to offalot

Thanks for the witches gag. That gave me a right laugh. Thanks again.

Keith

coffitup profile image
coffitup

hi, Keith...i'm on Azi...same dosage as you for the last 2 years...had to research it myself, and approach my Doc, then, through him, my consultant...finally got the go-ahead and started...I come off for 3 or 4 months each year, in the summer (usuallyJune till September) and they've been a godsend for me!! From constant chest infections, and recurring Pneumonia 4 or 5 times a year, I've gone to virtually nothing...one hospital visit in the last 2 years !!! I take them first thing in the morning...before I eat anything, and get no aftertaste the rest of the day...i'd hate to be without them now, they've really changed my daily life. I still keep my heavy duty fallbacks in the drawer (Levofloxac 500)...but haven't touched them once...I really hope you have as much success as I have with them. They're the best thing to happen since I got the sodding diagnosis...All the very best...hope this helps !!! Maggie xxx

Clanger41 profile image
Clanger41

Well, thanks to everyone who posted. I'm thinking of leaving them off now until October as that's when I start going downhill for the winter. A word with the doctor me thinks.

Thanks everyone

Keith xxx

undine profile image
undine

I tried them for a week or so on a maintenance dose but did not feel right on them - can't really explain but am a great believer that my body knows best and my body said no - anyway just my experience and others seem to get on fine with them - try them and good luck xx

Clanger41 profile image
Clanger41

Further to being put on Azerthromycin, I was up all night with diorhea and vomiting. The pain in my stomach was awful. I was so lethargic too. This is one week after being started on the drug. I've been like this for three days. Anyone with any advice. Has this happened to anyone before ?

Thanks.

Keith.

coffitup profile image
coffitup in reply to Clanger41

hi, Keith...me again...have a word with your doc...have to say I seem to remember they upset me for an initial period too, but can't remember the specifics...hopefully, things may have settled for you by now, but if not, if doc says it's up to you, persevere if you can...very best of luck, my hunny !!

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