What Are The Uses Of Azithromycin?

Azithromycin is an antibiotic which is used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections like

• Middle ear infections
• Strep throat
• Pneumonia
• Traveller’s diarrhoea
• Other intestinal infections
• Sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections.

It may also be used for malaria, along with other medications.

What Are The Side Effects Of Azithromycin?

Some of the common side-effects are:

• Stomach upset
• Diarrhoea/ loose stools
• Nausea, vomiting, metallic taste in mouth
• Abdominal pain

Some of the rare but serious side-effects may be:

• Hearing changes like deafness, decreased hearing
• Eye problems like drooping eyelids, blurred vision
• Difficulty speaking/swallowing
• Muscle weakness
• Signs of liver problems like unusual tiredness, severe stomach/abdominal pain, persistent nausea/vomiting, dark urine yellowing eyes/skin
• Severe dizziness, fainting fast/irregular heartbeat

What Are The Contraindications Of Azithromycin?

Before taking azithromycin, please inform your doctor if you have any history of:

• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Muscle disease
• Azithromycin sometimes can also cause a condition, which affects the rhythm of the heart (QT prolongation).

The QT prolongation risk can increase if you:

• Have heart problems like heart failure, slow heartbeat, family history of these problems.
• Have low magnesium or potassium levels in the blood.
• Use drugs like water pills, diuretics.
• Have conditions like severe diarrhoea, sweating, or vomiting.