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The number of diagnosed diseases and infections in the world today are numerous, but fortunately, there’s also a host of different types of drug medications available on the market for treating them. One of them is the drug medication azithromycin, an antibiotic that can be used to treat a variety of different conditions that includes skin infections, Lyme disease and some transmitted infections. Read on to know more about this treatment.

The effective and versatile antibiotic

This medication is not only efficacious but also versatile. It’s widely used for treating chest infections such as inflammation of the one or both lungs known as pneumonia,

It can also effectively treat infections of the nose and throat sinus infection or (sinusitis) different types of skin infections, Lyme disease and some sexually transmitted diseases

This antibiotic can also be used for the treatment of ear infections in children as well as any other chest infections that infects them.

Another great healing feature of azithromycin is its ability to be used as a long term medication for treating people who suffer from recurring incidents of chest infections.

• It’s available only under prescription and comes in the form of tablets, capsules or as a liquid solution which you can drink. It can also be given intravenously (injection), that’s usually administered in a hospital.

Some keynote facts about this medication

The following are some key features of the treatment which you need to know:

• Azithromycin is also known by the name Zithromax.
• For most infections that are treated by this medication, patients usually recover within a few days but they need to continue taking the medications for the full course even if you get better.
• Feeling sick, diarrhea, changes to your sense of taste and headaches are the usual side effects that you will experience when taking Azithromycin
• Azithromycin is usually taken only once a day at about the same time daily.
• If your doctor prescribes azithromycin capsules for you to take, it is best if you take them a full 1 hour before having meals or wait for 2 hours after having eaten your meals to take your medication. If you are taking azithromycin tablets or liquid, you can do so with or without food.

Can just anybody take azithromycin?

This medication can be taken by children or adults but you should know that it’s not suitable for everyone as some people may be allergic to the medication.

To be on the safe side before you actually use azithromycin, you should provide you doctor with information to let him know if you have:

• Experienced an allergic reaction to azithromycin or any other medications in the past
• Heart issues that may also include irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
• Had diarrhea after taking antibiotic medications in in the past
• Suffered from diabetes keeping in mind that azithromycin also contains sugar.
• Kidney or liver problems
• Had myasthenia gravis, an illness that involves the weakening of your muscles

Doses and when to take them

Normally, azithromycin is taken once daily unless of course if you are taking it intravenously by injection. Effectiveness may be enhanced when you take the medication at the same time each day.

The normal dose is 500mg daily for 3 to 10 days but this depends on the type of disease being treated

Sometimes for the treatment of some infections, you’ll need to take a one only 1g or 2g dose.

For children, a lower dose may be administered and the same may apply if you have kidney or liver issues.

Normally, azithromycin is a long term prescription medication that’s used for preventing infections of the chest especially if its occurrence is recurring.

When you keep being infected with these chest infections, you should take the medication 3 times a week with Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as the most suitable days for taking your medicine.

Once you’ve started taking your medication, it’s important that you continue taking it until the course is completed, even if you feel better while taking your medication.

If you stop taking your medicine because you feel better, it may find its way to come back.

How to take Azithromycin the proper way

If you’ve been prescribed azithromycin capsules by your doctor, you should take one capsule at least 1 hour before meals or you can take one capsule 2 hours after your meals.

If you’ve been prescribed tablets or liquid by your doctor, you can take them with or without food. You should follow the directions given to you in the prescription.

When taking your tablets or capsules, you should take them whole with the help of a glass of water.

If you are helping to administer doses to children or people who find swallowing tablets or capsules difficult, you should administer liquid azithromycin to them.

If you or the child with you find that you need to take azithromycin in liquid form, it’s normally the practice that your pharmacist prepares your medication to address your needs.

The medication is normally provided with a syringe or spoon for correctly measuring the right amount of medication. If they are not available, you should ask your pharmacist.

You should avoid using an ordinary kitchen spoon as it would not give the right amount of medication needed for treating your condition.

When taking the liquid medication you’ll find it will have a bitter aftertaste which the children you are helping will also taste. In that case, you should provide fruit juice drinks for the children after they’ve taken their medication.

What to do if your forget to take your dose

If it so happens that you inadvertently miss your dose, you should immediately take it when you remember you’ve missed your dose.

However, you should remember that you are already on a medication schedule and if you are about to take your next dose, forget about the dose you missed and take your scheduled dose instead.

Never double up your dose to catch up on a missed dose and you should never simultaneously take 2 doses.

If missing doses becomes a habit, it will help if your set an alarm to make you remember or ask your pharmacist for any other helpful methods for reminding yourself about taking your mediation

What if you over dosed?

It’s unusual for an overdose of azithromycin to cause any harm to yourself or your child, but it may increase your risk of suffering some temporary side effects such as being sick or getting diarrhea.

Conclusion

One of the best ways of effectively learning about drug medications such as azithromycin is to be intimately familiar with their nature as well as their important key features. In do so you’ll be doing yourself a favor by enhancing your chances and those close to you of using a drug medication product that you are intimately familiar with and one that you can use with confidence for healing your condition.