Azithromycin Side Effects

Azithromycin is used to prevent or treat certain bacterial infections such as middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, typhoid and sinusitis.

Commonly Known Azithromycin Side Effects:

nausea loose stool or diarrhea vomiting abdominal pain or stomach pain headache unexplained rash blood in stool severe or watery diarrhea

yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes difficulty breathing and swallowing wheezing irregular heart beat abnormal swelling hives, unexplained rash, itching and peeling of the skin

There were also reported nervousness, dermatologic reactions and anaphylaxis among patients. Similar to other forms of antibacterial, pseudomembranous colitis can also occur upon intake of medication and up to several weeks of it. There is also a noted drug interaction, in that it is known to have an effect in birth control pills. The suspension form of this drug has an unfavorable taste and shall be difficult to be administered to young children. There are also few cases where a patient has developed cholestatic hepatitis or delirium. Over dose is deemed fatal, in that there is a known accidental over dose case in an infant. It caused a heart blockage and resulted to residual encelopathy.

Noted Rare Side Effects:

allergic reactions kidney failure constipation heartburn or indigestion spinning sensation or vertigo irritation of the vagina or vaginitis irritation of the liver or hepatitis reduced number of platelets in the blood or thrombocytopenia

serious intestinal infections or enterocolitis low blood pressure or hypotension ringing in the eras or tinnitus oral yeast infections vaginal yeast infections dehydration unusual burning or tingling sensation or paresthesia increased sun sensitivity.

It has been also noted that taking this drug with anti-diarrhea and narcotic pain medication can aggravate their current condition. If a patient is hypersensitive to Azithromycin and developed allergic reactions such as rash, swelling of the face, tongue or lips and difficulty breathing, he or she is advised to seek medical attention immediately. This may cause an obstruction in the airways and can be fatal. Patients should follow proper dosage as well as completing the prescribed number of days of treatment, otherwise the bacteria can still proliferate and the patient shall be resistant to Azithromycin. Despite the mentioned side effects, this medication is known to be generally tolerated by the body. Most known side effects can be remedied by the patient or the healthcare provider shall advice a certain medication to relieve onset of side effects.