posted
Hi. I'm wondering what people's experiences may have been with tolerating Azithromycin verses Biaxin.
I'd been taking Azithromycin (in combination with Mepron), and it seemed like the Azith was affecting me really bad. I know Mepron does too, but I started feeling bad as soon as I upped the Azith dose--and this was a week before i added the Mepron.
Tachycardia, palps--both of which I often have, but they got worse/longer. Also, bad, bad GI issues.
Any thoughts, experiences?
Posts: 322 | From Venice, CA | Registered: Sep 2008
| IP: Logged |
cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347
posted
I have taken both for prolonged periods, and prefer Biaxin.
Zith gives me terrible GI issues - and Biaxin does not.
Both give me hefty herxes, and then improvements.
Just my personal experience...
-------------------- �Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
I've been told by a pharmacologist research scientist that the generic form of zith creates more GI problems than the brand version.
My stomach has been fine on zith or biaxin. I take alot of different types of probiotics and watch my diet carefully.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
Dawn in VA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9693
posted
My guts like zith far better than biaxin. I was on biaxin for a couple of months and recently switched because I just couldn't tolerate the stomach cramps and intestinal discomforts from it. I did OK with zith before.
-------------------- (The ole disclaimer: I'm not a doctor.) Posts: 1349 | From VA | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged |
MariaA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9128
posted
I took zith alone for Lyme and am now on Biaxin/Mepron for babesia. I also once took Biaxin/Amoxycillin for stomach ulcer, at one point when I was symptom-free from Lyme.
Zith made me very, very tired and sleepy, but didn't cause any other problems. Very easy to take just once a day. I had bad stomach ulcer problems before I took it, and it didn't make them worse the way doxy did. I was lucky on the side effects being minor.
6 months after I stopped taking it I tried the Biaxin/amoxy combo for ulcer and it made me extremely depressed, moody, clingy, cry easily, and gave me slight hallucinations and very vivid (not bad) dreams. I looked online and people report this from both Zith and Biaxin, but the Biaxin reports were especially bad- I didn't know this could be a side effect when I experienced the psychological stuff and it was shocking how many (non-Lyme) people posted in some patient reviews forum that Biaxin made them suicidal.
This time around (I was reinfected ) I took Biaxin only for 3-4 weeks before getting and adding in Mepron, and while I was on Biaxin alone, it didn't really cause me these psychological disturbances like last time. It's interesting- it must be an individual thing, my health is definitely different this time around due to a lot of improvements over the years despite the reinfection.
I have gotten more 'weird' psychological episodes- very minor- since I added Mepron- I have had a couple of episodes that I think are babesia herxheimer reactions or something similar. But, they didn't happen on Biaxin alone even though I was very sick, which makes me think it's not the Biaxin that causes the psychological stuff, it's the babesia itself.
-------------------- Symptom Free!!! Thank you all!!!!
Took em both, on Zith now, took Biaxin for over five years. They both have their good and bads. I'll be adding Mino soon, I have the script but I think I'll wait till after Thanksgiving to add that because with both of them together I know I'm in for a strong ride!
Good luck
Steve
Posts: 406 | From Rhode Island | Registered: May 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm on zith (generic), 500mg x 2 daily and I just get a bit of a stomach ache every once in a while for about an hour after taking it.
I'm really surprised though because in the past I've taken a z-pak (5+ years ago) and it gave me some bad abdominal pain.
I think that main difference from the past and now is that I take it with food and I take probiotics. I didn't even really know about probiotics back then.
Zith seems to have made a world of difference with my knees though. I went from almost using crutches full time to being able to walk with just a slight limp in just a week and a half. Swelling is still there, but the pain is nowhere near what it was a few weeks ago.
Sorry, I don't have any experience with the other abx.
Posts: 123 | From Georgia | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
) I took Biaxin only for 3-4 weeks before getting and adding in Mepron, and while I was on Biaxin alone, it didn't really cause me these psychological disturbances like last time. It's interesting- it must be an individual thing, my health is definitely different this time around due to a lot of improvements over the years despite the reinfection.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic