Azithromycin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

How azithromycin is dosed

From the FDA label for Azithromycin (application ANDA207566). Other azithromycin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

[see Indications and Usage (1) ] Azithromycin can be taken with or without food. However, increased tolerability has been observed when tablets are taken with food. For pediatric suspension see the prescribing information for azithromycin for oral suspension 100 mg/5 mL and 200 mg/5 mL bottles. Mycobacterial Infections ( 2.2 ) 2.2 Mycobacterial Infections Prevention of Disseminated MAC Infections The recommended dose of azithromycin tablets for the prevention of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease is: 1,200 mg taken once weekly. This dose of azithromycin tablets may be combined with the approved dosage regimen of rifabutin. Treatment of Disseminated MAC Infections Azithromycin should be taken at a daily dose of 600 mg, in combination with ethambutol at the recommended daily dose of 15 mg/kg. Other antimycobacterial drugs that have shown in vitro activity against MAC may be added to the regimen of azithromycin plus ethambutol at the discretion of the physician or health care provider.

Azithromycin side effects

The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in labeling: Hypersensitivity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis (IHPS) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] QT Prolongation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Cardiovascular Death [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Clostridiodes difficile-Associated Diarrhea (CDAD) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Exacerbation of Myasthenia Gravis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] The most common adverse reactions are diarrhea (5%), nausea (3%), abdominal pain (3%), or vomiting, (no percent given). ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Precision Dose, Inc. at 1-800-397-9228 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. In clinical trials, most of the reported adverse reactions were mild to moderate in severity and were reversible upon discontinuation of the drug. Approximately 0.7% of the patients from the multiple-dose clinical trials discontinued azithromycin therapy because of treatment-related…

Every azithromycin product we track (4)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

What azithromycin pills look like

Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.

Combination products containing azithromycin

A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.

• Trovan/Zithromax Compliance Pak

How long azithromycin stays in your system

The elimination half-life of azithromycin is about 68 hours. The unusually long half-life reflects the parent drug's extensive uptake into and slow release from body tissues, not an active metabolite (azithromycin is largely eliminated unchanged); the value is from single 500 mg dosing in adults with normal organ function.

Half-life is how long the body takes to clear half a dose. It is not the same as how long a drug test can detect it, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.