BBS Room
Support Group
Send a E Card
Chat Room

Sign our GuestMap

CF NEWS Monthly Newsletter: Subscribe Unsubscribe

 

Azithromycin is an antibiotic used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia; venereal disease (VD); and ear, lung, skin, and throat infections. In acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, azithromycin is used to prevent pneumonia, called disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections.

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

What side effects can this medication cause?

Although side effects from azithromycin are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• upset stomach
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• stomach cramps
• mild skin rash
• stomach pain

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• severe skin rash
• itching
• hives
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• wheezing
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• dark urine
• pale stools
• unusual tiredness
• vaginal infection

Is azithromycin right for me or my child?
Your CF care team can help answer this question.  Knowing who was chosen for the clinical trial might help you decide if azithromycin is right for you or your child.  The people with CF in the study were older than six years of age, weighed at least 55 pounds, had mild to moderate lung disease, and had Pseudomonas aeruginosa in their sputum for at least one year.  If a patient had a sputum culture that contained non-tuberculous mycobacteria, or had liver disease or kidney disease, they were not included in the trial.  Your CF care team can provide you with more information and may do some tests (sputum cultures and blood tests) to see if azithromycin is right for you or your child.

Who should not take azithromycin?
Anyone who is allergic to azithromycin, erythromycin, or any macrolide-related antibiotic, should not take azithromycin.  People with liver disease, pregnant women, and those with a positive culture for non-tuberculous mycobacteria need to talk with their CF care team before starting azithromycin.

How would azithromycin be taken?
Azithromycin can be taken with food.  In the clinical trial, people with CF took one or two azithromycin pills on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  As with any medication, you should tell your CF care team what over-the-counter and other CF drugs you or your child are taking. 

More azithromycin info at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation