Zithromax contains azithromycin, a broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotic with a long life and tissue penetration.
What is Zithromax used for?
It is prescribed for treating respiratory, genitourinary, and enteric infections and may be preferred to other macrolides for some enteric and sexually transmitted infections. The medicine has additional immunomodulatory effects and has been used in chronic respiratory inflammatory disease. Read out to learn more about Azithromycin Zithromax and the side effects of Zithromax.
What is Zithromax, and how it works?
Zithromax is prescribed to treat infections in different body parts caused by bacteria. It is commonly used for the treatment of chlamydia (sexually transmitted infections). Azithromycin is useful in preventing infections by a bacterium known as mycobacterium avium intracellular complex (MAC) in some people. It is an antibiotic that belongs to a class of drugs known as azalides. The azalides are categorized under the sub-class of a group of antibiotics known as macrolides. Azithromycin destroys or stops the growth of bacteria, causing your infection. The medication will not work against viral infections such as colds or flu.
When should you not take Zithromax?
Do not take Zithromax antibiotics if allergic to azithromycin or other macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin, roxithromycin). Symptoms of an allergic reaction include breathlessness, wheezing, rash, itching, and hives on the skin.
People should inform their healthcare specialists about certain conditions, including liver, kidney, heart problems (abnormalities of the rhythm), diabetes, muscle weakness, low potassium or magnesium levels in the bloodstream, and cystic fibrosis.
Your healthcare professional should also know about your pregnancy or if you plan to conceive.
Are there any drug interactions?
Some medications may interfere with azithromycin or increase the risk of side effects to Zithromax. These include:
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- Colchicine used to treat gout
- Antacids to treat indigestion
- Cyclosporin to prevent organ transplant rejection or to treat certain conditions with the immune system
- Digoxin for the treatment of abnormal heart rhythm or heart failure
- Zidovudine to treat patients with AIDS
- Some medicines for heart rhythm problems include disopyramide, amiodarone, sotalol, and ibutilide
- Coumarin-type oral anticoagulants to prevent blood clots
- Antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia or bipolar mania, such as risperidone, haloperidol, disopyramide
- Ergotamine to treat migraines
- Diphenoxylate to treat diarrhea
- Fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as lomefloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and moxifloxacin
These medications may be affected by azithromycin or may affect how well it acts. You may require different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to take different medications. Certain medications may have the potential to reduce the effectiveness of some birth control pills, although this has not been shown with azithromycin.
How to take Zithromax?
The dosage of Zithromax usually depends on the infection. The usual recommended Zithromax dosage to treat chlamydia is two 500 mg tablets as a single dose.
For other infections, azithromycin is usually taken once a week. Sometimes, the dose is taken once a week. Your healthcare provider will decide the right dosage for Zithromax for you. The child’s dosage usually depends on the child’s body weight.
The medicine is a tablet you can take with or without food. If you take an antacid, take it at least an hour before or two hours after your azithromycin dose. One should continue taking the medicine until one has finished the prescribed package. Also, do not stop taking it just because you are feeling better. If you do not complete the full course, your symptoms may return.
Side effects
Zithromax 250 mg is generally well tolerated but has common side effects. The common side effects of Zithromax antibiotics include gastrointestinal upset, dizziness, and headache. Hearing loss or impairment has also been observed in people suffering from Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and normal hearing of baseline and appeared to be irreversible in some patients. Reports of hearing loss after short-term usage have also been made. The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consider the risk of fatal heart rhythms in patients with a history of arrhythmias or uncompensated heart failure. Please consult your healthcare provider if you doubt Zithromax side effects.
Conclusion
Zithromax’s pharmacokinetics and tolerability make it particularly useful in the treatment of STIs or sexually transmitted infections and intracellular enteric pathogens and for the prevention of mycobacterial disease. It is also useful in treating a range of respiratory diseases. Side effects from Zithromax include cardiovascular arrhythmias and hearing loss. Unfettered use of Zithromax, particularly for its modulatory properties, is of concern considering macrolide resistance. Non-antibiotic macrolides may be used for this role in the future.
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