can you take azithromycin with antibiotics?

[merchmon]

Azithromycin and antibiotics

[vonniesims]

I should ask your pharmacist.

[Neonkittie17]

Azithromycin is an antibiotic. Try phone your pharmacist for clarification.

[nomoreheels]

I agree, it needs clarification as azithromycin is also an antibiotic.

[Oshgosh]

hi,when I was first diagnosed,nearly 4 years ago,the physio at Pulmonary Rehab said rear is I had an infection and was prescribed antibiotics I needed to stop Azithromycin until the antibiotic course finishes.

I rang the Interstitial Lung Disease pharmacist to confirm this.

She confirmed this,she also said that I should not take my immosupessants whist I was taking rescue antibiotics.

I’d asked the pharmacist at the local pharmacy about the Azithromycin,she said that she had no knowledge of having to stop some meds.

I was grateful of her input,just disappointed that it’s not printed somewhere on the tablet box.

I also have rescue meds Doxycycline 100mg

Also steroids for if I need to take more than my usual 10 mgm daily Prednisolone.

I feel that I’m on a constant learning curve as my illnesses continue.I get some information from HU. I’m on Nintendanib now and have got the ILD pharmacist direct line. I have to leave a message,but they seem to check their answerphone regularly,they always get back to me the same day.,so I can now get in contact easily.

Take care.

[Hidden]

With the caveat that I’m not medically qualified. As per other replies, I would advise you speak to someone qualified and familiar with why you’re taking it: Azithromycin is an antibiotic. Sometimes, depending on the nature of the infection being treated, it’s appropriate to take more than one antibiotic at a time. However, from my daughter’s chronic lung disease, I’m also aware that azithromycin specifically is used on a prophylactic, anti-inflammatory basis where it’s taken 3 days a week, long term, by individuals with certain respiratory conditions to try and reduce/prevent infective exacerbations. If you’re taking it on that basis, whether or not to continue with the Zith alongside a treatment course of another antibiotic will need an answer from whomever is responsible for your respiratory care.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Hidden]

That’s exactly what I’ve started taking Azithromycin tabs three times weekly for - chronic bronchitis caused by Rtx. I was told if I have a more troublesome acute infection I’m to halt the Azithromycin and have a stronger antibiotic course and then resume the prophylactic when the other antibiotics are finished. Yes, I’d always check with the doctor or pharmacist for clarification as what’s right for one of us may not be right for the other.

[Hidden in reply to Neonkittie17]

Exactly that, NK. The child took it that way for about 6 years although it never actually worked for her - we still don’t understand how or why prophylactic Zith works, or which patients it will work for. In that time, there were a number of occasions where it was deemed appropriate for her specific circumstances that she continue with the Zith even whilst on a treatment course: qualified advice from someone that knows your situation is always the best option!

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Hidden]

I am not famillar with Zith, Charlie but know re antibiotic resistance and was surprised Doxy didn’t fail for me in 4 years of taking it every other month. Is Zith for children/a more specialised antibiotic? I hope he’s got something else to control her lungs/chest for her in terms of preventing infections?

Switching from Rtx to a weekly injectable biologic has meant I needed to swap from Doxy to Azithromycin prophylactic 3 times weekly as I can’t go on and off Doxy in the way I used to anymore now. It would mean too many stop/starts with Abatacept. The plan for me is to keep on with Azithromycin for the long term and hope my immunity recovers more after some more distance since my last Rtx last year. If the B cells recover more then the Ig’s should increase and the hypogamma improve and the bronchitis lessen. That’s the theory but no guarantee about the hypogamma so I remain open minded and it’s early days for Azithromycin (can take 6 months to work properly as a low dose prophylactic I’m told by the respiratory guy) and glad so far no side effects. I’ve had the CT and ECG. Just can’t conquer the bronchitis yet caused by my low igG & igM.

[Hidden in reply to Neonkittie17]

Zith is just easier than writing azithromycin. Sorry if I confused you 🙈 As I said, we don’t know how it works to prevent infections, only that for a percentage of people it does. The working theory is that it reduces certain types of inflammation within the lung, making it less hospitable to bacteria, but they can’t prove that’s the case as yet. She doesn’t take anything prophylactically, now, but uses a variety of antibiotics including doxy as needed, and has about 10 weeks of planned IVs each year to keep on top of things: she has cystic fibrosis and several chronic, increasingly resistant infections as a result.

In any event, fingers crossed the Zith does the job for you and reduces your infection rate. Many people seem to find that if it’s going to work, it works pretty well, but it obviously does take a few months to assess. I know it’s not appropriate for everyone, but have they considered IVIg (immunoglobulin) infusions? We went down that road years back as part of a trial.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Hidden]

Sorry Charlie, as someone who is taking it I should know but I’m relatively new to it so no one has called it that to me yet! Thanks for the clarification. I thought it was maybe something similar for children. (Just melted the egg poachers in the pan so guess it’s a dumb day! 😝 Trying to multitask and when tired isn’t good. 😬)

My respiratory consultant said “Zith” works well for many but not always for all and said how it works to reduce inflammation in the lungs, etc. Slow but has worked for many though he did stress. There is a small change so far re reducing the frequency of the cough but wheeze and catarrh in lungs still a problem, but as I said early days.

Thank you, I don’t go low enough <3 to qualify for IGIV but my consultants say low level hypogamma igG between 5 & 6 and very low IgM are enough to cause the bronchials. Apparently I should be around 9 igG even with RA. I was 12 before starting Rtx in 2014. As soon as it went down to 6 in 2018 the difference in me was huge. I got someone’s chest infection germs and couldn’t come back for months from pneumonia it developed into. Always very unwell with coughing and wheezing and catarrh. I was told you don’t need to be at the igG <3 level to be badly affected and guess I’m proof but my immunologist said there are so many people with SID/hypogamma caused by meds like Rtx and so many people wanting IGIV they had to reducing the igG to <3 as qualifying for IGIV.

Was the IGIV successful not enough for your daughter? I hope you are both having a steadier patch at the moment. 🙏🏻

[helenlw7]

Azithromycin is an antibiotic. I take it three times a week as a prophylactic. I have only had one chest infection in the 5 years I’ve been taking it and my gp advised me to stop taking it while on amoxicillin, although his little book of medications wasn’t really clear on that.

[oldtimer2]

do you mean azothiaprine?

[Neonkittie17 in reply to oldtimer2]

That’s a thought.

[kellyanne]

it is a slow release anti biotic if you take stronger ones like penecillin you need to stop taking them whilst doing so i take them because i have a lung disorder and am prone to chest infections ,i am on retuximab as well and no bad effects rom it.