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Azithromycin: A popular antibiotic for treating respiratory tract infection

Azithromycin: A popular antibiotic for treating respiratory tract infection
Published : Jan 12, 2023
Last Updated : Aug 13, 2024

Azithromycin is an effective and common antibiotic that fights against the harmful bacteria in your body.

Doctors often recommend this medicine for treating respiratory infections and other ear, skin, and eye infections.

It belongs to a class of drugs known as macrolide antibiotics and works by averting the growth of bacteria.

Keep in mind that this antibiotic medicine is only recommended for treating bacterial infections and viral infections like cold & flu.

What is an upper respiratory tract infection?

Respiratory tract infections are the infections of parts of your body involved in breathing, like the sinus, throat & airways.

Upper respiratory tract infection is common and usually happens in fall and winter.

Some of the common symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection include:

  • Cough
  • Nasal congestion in Sinus Infection
  • Sneezing
  • Nasal discharge
  • Runny nose
  • Fever
  • Nasal breathing

You must know that upper respiratory infection is contagious and might spread from person to person.

You can suffer from an upper respiratory infection by inhaling respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing.

The transmission of this infection happens by touching the nose or mouth by hand or other objects exposed to the virus.

Most respiratory tract infections improve without treatment, but sometimes you require medicines like Azithromycin.

Does Azithromycin treat respiratory infections?

Acute lower respiratory tract infections range right from acute bronchitis to pneumonia.

Several people die every year from acute respiratory tract infections.

Among all respiratory infections, pneumonia is the most common infection.

Azithromycin or Azee 500mg is a macrolide antibiotic modified structurally from erythromycin.

It is well-known for its activity against some gram-negative organisms linked with respiratory tract infections.

How long does Azithromycin take to treat the condition of respiratory infection?

This antibiotic takes almost 5 days to work but begins to relieve the symptoms in 1-2 days only.

If the doctor recommends a generic version of Azithromycin, the treatment might last for 3 days only.

Most patients suffering from upper respiratory infection are treated with Azithromycin within 2-7 days.

What is the dosage of Azithromycin for upper respiratory infection?

Azithromycin is an azalide macrolide antibiotic that effectively treats upper respiratory infections.

This medication is effective against most common upper respiratory bacterial pathogens, including:

  • Group A streptococci
  • S. pneumonia
  • H. influenzae
  • M. catarrhalis

Depending upon your age and the type of respiratory infection, the dosage of this medicine is recommended by the doctors.

Doctors usually prescribe this antibiotic for 3 days to ensure better patient compliance.

In this way, the possibility of developing bacterial resistance is decreased.

Which antibiotic is considered strongest for treating upper respiratory infection?

It is important to know that amoxicillin is the most preferred treatment in patients suffering from acute bacterial rhinosinusitis.

Remember, short-course antibiotic therapy is as effective as a long-course treatment in patients suffering from acute & uncomplicated bacterial rhinosinusitis.

Which antibiotic is effective for upper respiratory infection, Azithromycin or amoxicillin?

It is yet not clear whether Azithromycin is superior to amoxicillin when it comes to treating acute lower respiratory infections.

Azithromycin is effective in patients suffering from acute bronchitis of a suspected bacterial cause.

This antibiotic helps lower the chance of clinical failure compared to Amoxycillin or Amoxiclav.

How long does Azithromycin take to treat bronchitis?

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, which is responsible for carrying air to and from the lungs.

When you suffer from bronchitis, you often have to cough up thickened mucus, which is usually discoloured.

Keep one thing in mind: bronchitis can be either chronic or acute.

This antibiotic can take three to seven days to treat your bronchitis condition.

However, you might experience improvement in the symptoms after 1-2 days.

Precautions you need to take before using Azithromycin

In order to experience the high effectiveness of this antibiotic, you must consider a few precautions beforehand.

This medicine should not be used strictly if you are allergic to it or:

You have suffered from jaundice or liver disorders caused by the consumption of Azithromycin.

You are allergic to some medications like clarithromycin, erythromycin, or telithromycin.

To ensure Azithromycin is safe for you, inform the doctor about your medical history, including:

  • Kidney disease
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Liver disorder
  • A heart rhythm problem
  • Long QT syndrome
  • Low levels of potassium in the blood

If you take antacids, make sure to maintain a gap between the dose of antacids and Azithromycin.

It is vital to consult the doctor once about how many hours before or after you can take this antibiotic.

Inform the doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding your baby.

Call the doctor immediately if you become pregnant while taking the azithromycin pill.

Avoid the consumption of other medications that can lead to QT prolongation or irregular heart rhythm.

Do not recommend this antibiotic to another person, even if he/she suffers from the same symptoms as yours.

Without the recommendation of the doctor, you must not increase or decrease the dosage of the pill. Also, take care of antibiotic resistance while using this antibiotic.

Increasing the dose can cause serious side effects instead of treating your respiratory tract infection.

Do you know:

Azithromycin is often used to treat respiratory infections, skin infections, and sexually transmitted infections. One notable fact is that it has a long half-life, allowing for once-daily dosing and shorter treatment courses compared to other antibiotics.

 

Does Azithromycin also cause side effects?

Yes, just like other antibiotics, you can also experience a few side effects after taking Azithromycin.

However, if you follow the doctor’s directions strictly, then your chance of suffering from side effects will decrease.

Meet the doctor immediately if you experience signs of an allergic reaction to this antibiotic, like hives, flushing, etc.

Some of the common side effects of Azithromycin tablet include:

  • Symptoms of liver problem
  • Severe stomach pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Fast heartbeats
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting

It might be possible that you experience other side effects as well because this is not the complete list of side effects.

So, if you suffer from a respiratory infection next time, take Azithromycin after consulting the doctor. To shop for your antibiotics, you can check our category page and get these antibacterial medicines at an affordable price.

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