Zithromax (Azithromycin)
- What is Zithromax?
- Dosage
- Side Effects
- Contraindications
- Interactions with Other Drugs
- Zithromax and Alcohol
- Zithromax Influence on Potency
- Zithromax and Smoking
What is Zithromax?
Zithromax is an antibacterial drug, broad-spectrum macrolide, azalide with bacteriostatic action. Binding to 50S subunit of ribosomes inhibits translation of mRNA, inhibits protein synthesis, inhibits growth and multiplication of bacteria in high concentrations, has a bactericidal effect. It works on extra- and intracellular located pathogens.
Microorganisms can be initially resistant to antibiotic action or may acquire resistance to it.
Indications for Use
- Infectious-inflammatory diseases caused by susceptible to malaria infections:
- Upper respiratory tract infections: pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media;
- Lower respiratory tract infections: acute bronchitis, exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, including caused by atypical pathogens;
- Skin and soft tissue infections: acne vulgaris of moderate severity, erysipelas, impetigo, secondarily infected dermatoses;
- An initial stage of Lyme disease (borreliosis) – erythema migrans;
- Urinary tract infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (urethritis, cervicitis).
Dosage
Before patient is assigned drug to determine microflora sensitivity that caused disease in this patient. The dosage should always be taken one hour before intake meal or 2 hours after a meal. The drug is taken once a day.
Adults with infections of upper and lower respiratory tract, skin and soft tissue infections are prescribed 100 mg in 1 day, and then 50 mg of the 2nd to 5th day or 100 mg daily within 3 days (course dose 150 mg).
In acute infections of urogenital (genitourinary) tract designate single 100 mg.
When Lyme disease (borreliosis) for treatment of the first stage (erythemamigrans) it is appointed 500 mg (2 tablets of 0.5 g) in 1-day and 250 mg daily from the 2nd to 5th day. Facts about Dosing and Administration…
Overdose
There is no proved data relating to overdose which may provoke severe
ramifications.
Side Effects
This antibiotic may cause side effects but if you take the medication correctly, there won’t appear any adverse reactions.
- Digestive system: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence, indigestion, anorexia, constipation, change the language of color, pseudomembranous colitis, cholestatic jaundice, hepatitis, changes in laboratory parameters of liver function, hepatic failure, hepatic necrosis (possibly fatal).
- Allergic reactions: itching, skin rash, angioedema, rash, photosensitivity,
anaphylaxis (rarely fatal), erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson
syndrome.
Cardio-vascular system: palpitations, arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia, increase the QT interval, bidirectional ventricular tachycardia. - Nervous system: dizziness / vertigo, headache, seizures, drowsiness, paresthesia, fatigue, insomnia, hyperactivity, aggressiveness, anxiety, nervousness.
- Organs of senses: tinnitus, reversible hearing impairment including deafness (when taking high doses for a long period of time), impaired perception of taste and smell. Side Effects in full…
Contraindications
There are the following contraindications:
- severe hepatic and/or renal failure;
- children under 12 years of age with body weight less than 45 kg (for a given dosage form);
- breastfeeding;
- simultaneous reception of ergotamine and dihydroergotamine;
- hypersensitivity to macrolide antibiotics.
You should be careful if you have:
- Moderate impaired liver and kidney function;
- Arrhythmia or predisposition to arrhythmia and elongation QT Interval. Get acquainted with Contraindications…
Interactions with Other Drugs
Zithromax interaction with other drugs is diverse but if you follow all the necessary requirements and doctor’s recommendations everything will be right. The main categories of drugs from which you’d better abstain are:
- Antacids;
- Cetirizine;
- Didanosine;
- Digoxin;
- Zidovudine;
- Ergotamine derivatives;
- Atorvastatin;
- Carbamazepine;
- Cimetidine;
- Coumarin Oral anticoagulants;
- Cyclosporine;
- Efavirenz;
- Fluconazole;
- Indinavir;
- Methylprednisolone;
- Midazolam;
- Nelfinavir;
- Rifabutin;
- Sildenafil;
- Terfenadine;
- Theophylline;
- Triazole;
- Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.
Everything about
Interactions with Other Drugs…
Zithromax and Alcohol
Zithromax and alcohol consumption should not be taken simultaneously because you may read further about how antibiotics interact with alcohol? Of course, from school biology course, we know that getting into the body, any substances are broken down into simpler, which in turn transform into more simple and so on, until there remain only original parts: proteins, fats, carbohydrates and amino acids. Alcohol molecules entering the body, split into its component parts, which sometimes coincide with antibiotics’ molecules.
This admixture makes body function properly, which leads to disruption of certain
body systems and individual organs. For example, alcohol, which is taken along
with drug Zithromax, such an application may lead to severe ramifications for
whole body organs. As a result, there may appear, enhanced human heart, there is
a pain in heart, and the brain begins to blunt feelings and sensations. In
general, the action is not of the most pleasant and can lead to tragic
consequences. Get to know more about
Zithromax and Alcohol…
Zithromax Influence on Potency
This antibiotic usage, as well as any other antibiotics, may affect all body functions, and many men are interested in whether antibiotics have an effect on potency. Indeed, in some cases, it was noted erection weakening after antibiotics course. And it’s not just about cases when antibiotics are prescribed for sexually transmitted diseases, but also when they are applied at far from the genital disease.
However, the impact of their application should not be exaggerated. Azithromycin doesn’t do any harm for potency, and erection will recover soon after you stop taking antibiotics. The reason here is that antibiotics cause a general weakening of body’s immunity, and thus decreases potency. Also, erection deterioration after taking antibiotics can have a psychological nature, which often is observed in highly sensitive people.
Thus, directly potency and antibiotics are unrelated to each other. However,
antibiotics have a negative impact on sperm quality, while erection at this
point can still be normal. Therefore, you should abandon from planning to
conceive a child while receiving a course of antibiotics, and right after it.
Summing up, it is worth noting that fear of decreasing potency after taking
antibiotics is greatly exaggerated, and if your doctor has prescribed this
treatment, then you should definitely bring it to the end since insufficiently
treated infection produces the much stronger impact on erection quality than a
course of antibiotics. Read
more about how Zithromax influences reproduction…
Zithromax and Smoking
Zithromax and smoking is an adverse combination which may produce more harm because it is strong antibiotic applied to various bacterial diseases’ treatment.
If a doctor prescribes antibiotics for the patient, it implies that his health is in a dangerous situation. Sometimes antibiotics can only get rid of disease’s main provocative factor. But it is possible to achieve only if they are taken correctly.
That’s why be attentive while taking antibiotics because your health is more important to you that smoking, isn’t it? Find more about how smoking may affect Zithromax…