ZITHROMAX § ATRIAL FIBRILATION

[GRANDPA]

ON THE LAST DAY OF A TREATMENT WITH ZITHROMAX I WAS FITTED WITH A HALTER MONITOR FOR 24 HOURS. ON READING THE MONITOR MY DOCTOR INFORMED ME THAT I HAD A SERIES OF ATRIAL FIBS ON AND OFF LASTING AS LONG AS A HALF HOUR. THEY WERE OF THE FLUTTER TYPE AND UNDER 130. I KNOW THAT VENT. FIBS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ZITHROMAX, CAN YOU TELL ME IF IT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED MY  A-FIB? I HAVE A PACEMAKER(41/2 YRS.)AND HAVE HAD 2 RECORDED A-FIBS, BUT NOT OF RECENT ORIGIN. MY DOCTOR OCCASIONALLY MONITORS ME TO CHECK FOR A-FIBS.

[CCF-M.D.-CRC]

Dear Grandpa,
The ventricular arrhythmias associated with Zithromax (azithromycin) are very rare and usually require the administration of another drug such as an antifungal agent at the same time.  There is no known association with atrial arrhythmias.  I would guess that the timing of the two was conincidence.

[sunnygirl]

Hi Grandpa,

I get tachycardia when I take certain *mycin antibiotics.  These include erythromycin, Biaxin, Eryc and EES.  Finally one doctor told me that these mycin drugs can cause a prolongation of QT (?) interval, (even though I don't have long QT syndrome) and could possibly be the cause my problems.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I try to avoid drugs with *mycin* in the generic name.  

Your Zithromax is a *mycin drug too,  so maybe you could try to avoid it in the future.  The SADS foundation used to list all of these drugs in their "drugs to avoid" list for long QT syndrome, but I don't know if they still do.

I have not had problems with amoxicillin so far.  

Good luck with your a-fib, a lot of us know what you are going through.

[GRANDPA]

THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENT ON ATRIAL FIB WITH MYCIN DRUGS.

[cahughes]

You mentioned Zithromax, Eryc, Biaxin and EES as ones to avoid.  Can you tell me what "EES" is?  That's one I'm not familiar with or an abbreviation I have not seen before.

[John, RPh]

hi:

EES stands for erythromycin ethylsuccinate

And the class of drugs that are indicated in all the 'mycins' that you named are called "macrolide" or "macrolide derivatives"

Hope this helps!
John W. (RPh)

[cahughes]

Thanks for the info, John!  I really appreciate it.  I was aware of the term "macrolide" and have to be really careful that I am not given any of these medications.  I had a very serious allergic reaction to Zithromax two years ago and have been told not to take any macrolides.

[joejohn]

Hello, Please help I am 28 a and was recently taken to the hospital because of a very fast pounding heart rate which came after feeling edgy and jittery and feeling a tickle like muscle spasm around my heart area.  I was cleared via ekg in the ER = no heart attack. I continued to feel that tickle like spasm on and off even while hooked up to the ekg. But the attending staff made no mention of it as an episode, would they have seen something? My doctor suggested follow up care via testing; holter monitor 24hr and echocardio, even though my company recently downsized leaving me with no med coverage. All tests came back negative, but I did not experience that fluter tickle while having the halter monitor. The tickels last for 1 palpatation, the worst I have suffered were maybe 5 in a row, in between regular heart beats.  I used to get them maybe once in 3 or more months while working and going to school fulltime, until this past May, when I felt this flutter thing after I took histamine overthe counter sleeping aids, the dos was 1 I took 2, then the trouble really started 2 weeks later when I was taken to the hospital for the fast heart beat I though was a heart attack. I am not a big drinker, once or 2 a weekend on weekends, I smoke maybe 10 cigerrets a day, and have no family heart issues. Except my younger brother John just experienced one, which made him feel dizzy, then went away. I don't know what to think or do. They seem to come when I am relaxed, going to bed or consentrating on a task. I don't get dizzy just scared. It feels like I can feel my heart beat while I am wearing a shirt through the shirt. Next to the shirt, not fluttering, just not right. I was lucky enough one time to be taking my pulse when one occured and my pulse seemed to stop, or miss a beat, then pick up again. I can see my heart beat in my neck looking in the mirror, maybe I haven't noticed before.  nothing happenes to me when I am physically active. When I take my pulse with index finger on wrist, it seems as some beat are stronger than others at rest.  I am a volunteer fireman but I have no idea what this could be. I had a tissue infection on my right wrist during January, but it did not spread to the bone, antibioticts took care of it.  Please help me?  Any info. Sometimes it feels like a muscle spasm of the pectoral muscle, but it is under neath this area, I just don't know if it is the heart or not.  Thank you soooo much!  I can not afford a cardiologist until after I find a new employer.

[joejohn]

Hello, Please help I am 28 a and was recently taken to the hospital because of a very fast pounding heart rate which came after feeling edgy and jittery and feeling a tickle like muscle spasm around my heart area.  I was cleared via ekg in the ER = no heart attack. I continued to feel that tickle like spasm on and off even while hooked up to the ekg. But the attending staff made no mention of it as an episode, would they have seen something? My doctor suggested follow up care via testing; holter monitor 24hr and echocardio, even though my company recently downsized leaving me with no med coverage. All tests came back negative, but I did not experience that fluter tickle while having the halter monitor. The tickels last for 1 palpatation, the worst I have suffered were maybe 5 in a row, in between regular heart beats.  I used to get them maybe once in 3 or more months while working and going to school fulltime, until this past May, when I felt this flutter thing after I took histamine overthe counter sleeping aids, the dos was 1 I took 2, then the trouble really started 2 weeks later when I was taken to the hospital for the fast heart beat I though was a heart attack. I am not a big drinker, once or 2 a weekend on weekends, I smoke maybe 10 cigerrets a day, and have no family heart issues. Except my younger brother John just experienced one, which made him feel dizzy, then went away. I don't know what to think or do. They seem to come when I am relaxed, going to bed or consentrating on a task. I don't get dizzy just scared. It feels like I can feel my heart beat while I am wearing a shirt through the shirt. Next to the shirt, not fluttering, just not right. I was lucky enough one time to be taking my pulse when one occured and my pulse seemed to stop, or miss a beat, then pick up again. I can see my heart beat in my neck looking in the mirror, maybe I haven't noticed before.  nothing happenes to me when I am physically active. When I take my pulse with index finger on wrist, it seems as some beat are stronger than others at rest.  I am a volunteer fireman but I have no idea what this could be. I had a tissue infection on my right wrist during January, but it did not spread to the bone, antibioticts took care of it.  Please help me?  Any info. Sometimes it feels like a muscle spasm of the pectoral muscle, but it is under neath this area, I just don't know if it is the heart or not.  Thank you soooo much!  I can not afford a cardiologist until after I find a new employer.

[joejohn]

Hello, Please help I am 28 a and was recently taken to the hospital because of a very fast pounding heart rate which came after feeling edgy and jittery and feeling a tickle like muscle spasm around my heart area.  I was cleared via ekg in the ER = no heart attack. I continued to feel that tickle like spasm on and off even while hooked up to the ekg. But the attending staff made no mention of it as an episode, would they have seen something? My doctor suggested follow up care via testing; holter monitor 24hr and echocardio, even though my company recently downsized leaving me with no med coverage. All tests came back negative, but I did not experience that fluter tickle while having the halter monitor. The tickels last for 1 palpatation, the worst I have suffered were maybe 5 in a row, in between regular heart beats.  I used to get them maybe once in 3 or more months while working and going to school fulltime, until this past May, when I felt this flutter thing after I took histamine overthe counter sleeping aids, the dos was 1 I took 2, then the trouble really started 2 weeks later when I was taken to the hospital for the fast heart beat I though was a heart attack. I am not a big drinker, once or 2 a weekend on weekends, I smoke maybe 10 cigerrets a day, and have no family heart issues. Except my younger brother John just experienced one, which made him feel dizzy, then went away. I don't know what to think or do. They seem to come when I am relaxed, going to bed or consentrating on a task. I don't get dizzy just scared. It feels like I can feel my heart beat while I am wearing a shirt through the shirt. Next to the shirt, not fluttering, just not right. I was lucky enough one time to be taking my pulse when one occured and my pulse seemed to stop, or miss a beat, then pick up again. I can see my heart beat in my neck looking in the mirror, maybe I haven't noticed before.  nothing happenes to me when I am physically active. When I take my pulse with index finger on wrist, it seems as some beat are stronger than others at rest.  I am a volunteer fireman but I have no idea what this could be. I had a tissue infection on my right wrist during January, but it did not spread to the bone, antibioticts took care of it.  Please help me?  Any info. Sometimes it feels like a muscle spasm of the pectoral muscle, but it is under neath this area, I just don't know if it is the heart or not.  Thank you soooo much!  I can not afford a cardiologist until after I find a new employer.