Zithromax Toxicity?

[zim4fun]

Ugh, just what I didn't need to hear from our regular ped. She cautioned me on my daughter being on Zithromax (Rx'd by a PANDAS doc) for an extended period of time because it stays in the system, thus raising the possibility of toxicity. Anyone heard of this or had it happen??

[kos_mom]

I hadn't heard about this, but an internet search yields references to liver toxicity; most of the references appear to come from sites affiliated with law firms, but it does appear that there is supposed to be a label warning about this. Here's an example:

 

http://www.drug-injury.com/druginjurycom/2011/03/zithromax-liver-failure-hepatic-necrosis-hepatitis-label-change-2011-february.html

[peglem]

Zith has an approximate half life of 68 hours, which is precisely why it is used so frequently for PANDAS. But, it does not stay in the body indefinitely. That being said, I have heard of a few cases of reactions to it- toxicity or not, IDK- there was one person on here whose child developed hearing problems, and just recently I've heard of 2 others on another site whose children got a weird, peeling rash on their fingertips that may have been caused by zith- they are waiting to see if it resolves off the zith. As with all medications/supplements you have to consider risk vs benefit...

[beeskneesmommy]

My son, age 6, has been on Augemnti 2 x D and Azith 1 a D since July of 2011. It has been instrumental in changing our lives. He is in very good shape at this point and belive me, he was very, very sick prior to this abx combo. Yes, it can be dangerous to the liver and kidneys as well as other funtions. However, we draw blood every 3 months to test for toxicity (chem screen) and he comes up OK every time. You should be extremely diligent and careful about it, and remain under a vigilant specialist's care while on the abx. I would do it again in a heartbeat. the recovery for my son has been amazing.

[NancyD]

Agree about checking liver functions every few months. Very important. Also consider detoxing the liver -- daily milk thistle is excellent for this!! My DD takes it 3 times daily and it has allowed her to stay on Azith and other abx for years.

[LNN]

Ditto to Nancy - my kids have been on zith for years. We check liver function every 3-4 months and we all take milk thistle 300mg once a day. I can tell when I've stopped taking it for a week or so that I really start to feel dragged down. If you can't take milk thistle (an allergy is possible since milk thistle is a weed in the ragweed family), you can look into lecithin, resveratrol, alpha lipoic acid and other things. Google "liver detox" for additional ideas.