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zithromax...permanent side effects ??
My doctor Prescribed Zithromax i time dose at 2 500mg pills for an infection, and I have history of benign pvc's and pac's , while taking it i felt horrible . I felt worse than i have ever felt in life. It gave me unclear thoughts, I couldn't drive due to a foggy mind, it made my heart race and skip , i actually had to go to the ER because i thought I would die. Now it is 2 and a half weeks later and i am still nauseated and have the confusion on and off also my PVC's are worse than ever . Is this normal with this drug? has my benign PVCs and PAC'c turned into a life threatening Arrhythmia ?
I have not counted them yet but i get them all day just about.....sometimes in couplets now but i had couplets every so often now it is a lot since i have taken that dose of zithromax...i could be overreacting but i have never felt this way until taking the medication ....I haven't been on a beta blocker since this time last year so the only meds i take are vitamins and i did have a booster shot week before i took it and i also updated my guardasil shot
If you seriously had any concern that the arrhythmia could be life threatening, go to the Emergency Room. Also consider phoning your family doctor and explaining your concern.
I looked at Zithromax side effects, they vary by the dosage, single or multiple doses, doses in combination with another drug, and are listed as pre-marketing trials and post-marketing reports. Rhythm issues were reported less than 1% of the time in pre-marketing trials, and also in post-marketing reports. Post marketing reports are apparently voluntary and often include things clearly not related to the drug.
I have placed the following link to an FDA advisory on Heart Rhythm issues and Zithromax. Please be advised this isn't due to my concern about you, but due to my concern that other forum members may be prescribed Zithromax (and some other Antibiotics) when they have a preexisting heart or heart rhythm condition or are taking medication, such as an Anti-arrhythmic that has the potential to create concerning rhythms, with the addition of Zithromax possibly upsetting the heart rhythm even further. Always clarify with your doctor and pharmacist when you are taking anti-arrhythmic drugs and are prescribed something in addition.
"FDA Drug Safety Communication: Azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax) and the risk of potentially fatal heart rhythms"
http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/ucm341822.htm
"Cardiovascular: Arrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia, and hypotension. There have been reports of QT prolongation and torsades de pointes."
http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/mobileart-rx.asp?drug=zithromax&monotype=rx-ad&monopage=4
If they did an EKG and work-up on you at the E.R., they should have noticed any significant changes in your EKG that would have been relevant to the advisory issued by the FDA. It's possible that the medication caused an irritable focus that is the source of the heightened PVC activity.
Another issue that many don't understand is how the influence of a new drug can upset other medications you may be taking. Medications are metabolized, broken down, often by the liver or by the kidneys. If a new drug is added, it has the potential to slow down this metabolism, sometimes resulting in greatly increased levels of the original drug or the newer drug.
For instance, I take Phenytoin for seizures, look at the list of drugs that can increase Phenytoin concentrations, sometimes to serious levels:
"Drugs that may increase phenytoin serum levels, include: acute alcohol intake, amiodarone, anti-epileptic agents (ethosuximide, felbamate, oxcarbazepine, methsuximide, topiramate), azoles (fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole), capecitabine, chloramphenicol, chlordiazepoxide, cimetidine, diazepam, disulfiram, estrogens, fluorouracil, fluoxetine, fluvastatin, fluvoxamine, H2-antagonists (e.g. cimetidine), halothane, isoniazid, methylphenidate, omeprazole, phenothiazines, salicylates, sertraline, succinimides, sulfonamides (e.g., sulfamethizole, sulfaphenazole, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim), ticlopidine, tolbutamide, trazodone, and warfarin."
Yes, Zithtromax can effect the heart rhythm, apparently dangerously in some, but you took a single dose and have been examined in the E.R. since then. How many PVCs are you getting and how often?
I looked at Zithromax side effects, they vary by the dosage, single or multiple doses, doses in combination with another drug, and are listed as pre-marketing trials and post-marketing reports. Rhythm issues were reported less than 1% of the time in pre-marketing trials, and also in post-marketing reports. Post marketing reports are apparently voluntary and often include things clearly not related to the drug.
I have placed the following link to an FDA advisory on Heart Rhythm issues and Zithromax. Please be advised this isn't due to my concern about you, but due to my concern that other forum members may be prescribed Zithromax (and some other Antibiotics) when they have a preexisting heart or heart rhythm condition or are taking medication, such as an Anti-arrhythmic that has the potential to create concerning rhythms, with the addition of Zithromax possibly upsetting the heart rhythm even further. Always clarify with your doctor and pharmacist when you are taking anti-arrhythmic drugs and are prescribed something in addition.
"FDA Drug Safety Communication: Azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax) and the risk of potentially fatal heart rhythms"
http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/ucm341822.htm
"Cardiovascular: Arrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia, and hypotension. There have been reports of QT prolongation and torsades de pointes."
http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/mobileart-rx.asp?drug=zithromax&monotype=rx-ad&monopage=4
If they did an EKG and work-up on you at the E.R., they should have noticed any significant changes in your EKG that would have been relevant to the advisory issued by the FDA. It's possible that the medication caused an irritable focus that is the source of the heightened PVC activity.
Another issue that many don't understand is how the influence of a new drug can upset other medications you may be taking. Medications are metabolized, broken down, often by the liver or by the kidneys. If a new drug is added, it has the potential to slow down this metabolism, sometimes resulting in greatly increased levels of the original drug or the newer drug.
For instance, I take Phenytoin for seizures, look at the list of drugs that can increase Phenytoin concentrations, sometimes to serious levels:
"Drugs that may increase phenytoin serum levels, include: acute alcohol intake, amiodarone, anti-epileptic agents (ethosuximide, felbamate, oxcarbazepine, methsuximide, topiramate), azoles (fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole), capecitabine, chloramphenicol, chlordiazepoxide, cimetidine, diazepam, disulfiram, estrogens, fluorouracil, fluoxetine, fluvastatin, fluvoxamine, H2-antagonists (e.g. cimetidine), halothane, isoniazid, methylphenidate, omeprazole, phenothiazines, salicylates, sertraline, succinimides, sulfonamides (e.g., sulfamethizole, sulfaphenazole, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim), ticlopidine, tolbutamide, trazodone, and warfarin."
Yes, Zithtromax can effect the heart rhythm, apparently dangerously in some, but you took a single dose and have been examined in the E.R. since then. How many PVCs are you getting and how often?
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