Anyone used Z-pack (Azithromycin)?

[whogirl'smom]

Has anyone used a z-pack and had side effects like insomnia (hello, it's 1:49 a.m. here!), anxiety, jittery feeling inside? I took the first 2 pill dose about 12 hours ago and feel crazy! Was prescribed it today for strep/blisters in throat and body aches by a doctor at Urgent Care. I think I'm going to my regular doc tomorrow if this anxiety continues. Anyone else have problems with this medication?

 

[moon]

Has anyone used a z-pack and had side effects like insomnia (hello, it's 1:49 a.m. here!), anxiety, jittery feeling inside? I took the first 2 pill dose about 12 hours ago and feel crazy! Was prescribed it today for strep/blisters in throat and body aches by a doctor at Urgent Care. I think I'm going to my regular doc tomorrow if this anxiety continues. Anyone else have problems with this medication?

I've taken it a few times, and can't remember any side effects. However I'm an insomiac who sometimes is anxious, so maybe I'm not the best person to judge

Anyway, I don't remember feeling anything out of the ordinary when taking the z-pack

Hope you feel better!

 

[Michelle67]

Zithromax gives me big time jitters. I hate it.

 

[RNMOM]

Some antibiotics can make people get strange feeling. A lot of the time it is short lived, like 24 hours. Here is a list of side effects from this site: http://www.drugs.com/zithromax.html


Zithromax side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
diarrhea that is watery or bloody;

chest pain, uneven heartbeats;

nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or

fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash.

Less serious side effects may include:

mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or stomach pain;

dizziness, tired feeling, or headache;

nervous feeling, sleep problems (insomnia);

******l itching or discharge;

mild itching or skin rash;

ringing in your ears, problems with hearing; or

decreased sense of taste or smell.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

 

[whogirl'smom]

Thanks, RNMom. Walgreen's list wasn't quite that complete so I googled azithromycin and insomnia and askapatient came up. That was scary! It seems like LOTS of people have had anxiety attacks and psychological effects of this medicine. I had no idea that antibiotics would ever have a mental side effect, only the usual gastrointestinal ones. My dd is allergic to this antibiotic (hives) so maybe I'm sensitive to it, too. I just want to go to sleep!

 

[whogirl'smom]

bump. I'm still feeling terrible, heart racing, jittery, awful night. Calling the doctor when they open.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has had these reactions.

 

[Christine]

I haven't had those side effects but that type of thing is not unheard of. There is one antibiotic out there--Avelox--mainly used for pneumonia that causes hallucinations in many people.

 

[GJM]

The lst. time I took it, I had no problems at all. When I had to take it again I couldn't sleep at all, the same thing happen with a co-worker.

I did take it again about a year ago and didn't have any problems. So with me it seems it is always different.

 

[KimmyDisneyNerd]

I was on this about a month ago and noticed nothing, however I am currently on a super strong antibiotic, that I only take it once a day. On the bottle it lists side effects as 1. Could cause drowsiness or dizziness 2. could cause insomnia I now know exactly what that means 1. I'm super tired and sluggish and 2. I CAN NOT SLEEP, even tho I'm super tired.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I'm taking the Zpack right now and hate it. It's causing the jitteryness, makes my heart race, makes me super hot and turns my face a bright tomato red. I was taking this in addition to a steriod pack which almost doubled the effects. I called my doctor and she said quit the steroids.

 

[yeartolate]

I have tolerated it well. But I have heard of some of those effects. I like it though. One short course takes care of my sinusitis in a snap.

The only antibiotic I have ever had wierd reactions to is Moxifloxacin.
That class of drugs anyway is full of issues with reaactions.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I started it for the first time on Saturday (so I am on day 3) and am loving it! If I take it on an empty stomach I have zero side effects.At night i have been taking ambien and actifed.....so no problem sleeping.
Are you taking decongestants too ? They are known to cause what you are describing.

 

[Mellie2162]

The first couple of times I took it with no problem, now I cant take it. It gives me serious stomach cramps and diarrhea. I can handle the diarrhea but the stomach cramps are just beyond horrible. Get the same thing with Augmentin.

 

[njcarita]

Has anyone used a z-pack and had side effects like insomnia (hello, it's 1:49 a.m. here!), anxiety, jittery feeling inside? I took the first 2 pill dose about 12 hours ago and feel crazy! Was prescribed it today for strep/blisters in throat and body aches by a doctor at Urgent Care. I think I'm going to my regular doc tomorrow if this anxiety continues. Anyone else have problems with this medication?

last year I ended up with horrible side affects to Zithro and levaquin ( never had a probblem with either in the past)-- I ended up in the emergency room twice-- I ended up with my heart going totally irregular -- panicky-- felt like I was bouncing out of my skin--- couldn't function-- In desperation I went to a therapist thinking I was having anxiety/panic issues--
she figured out I was having a reaction to the meds I was on-- warned me it could take month for the drug to work itself out of my system--
and she was right--- it was about 6 months before I was back to normal--

so really watch the side effect--- drugs affect people differtnly

 

[Feralpeg]

Oh, yes! Sometimes, I think the cure is much worse than the illness. I actually stopped taking levaquin early because I couldn't take any more.

Zithro definitely makes me jittery and upsets my stomach. The worst for me is Biaxin. It gives me migraine type headaches.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've never taken it, but my best friend just went through a prescription for it and was beyond miserable.

She coudln't sleep, but that's b/c she was scratching her skin off, seriously. She was beyond any level of itchy she could explain. Refused to let her boyfriend anywhere near her, sat on the couch all night long, was completely miserable.

She's got health conditions, serious ones, anyway, so she doesn't call the doc at every little thing, but I've made SURE to tell her (once she explained to me that the marks on her skin are starting to fade and I realized the extent of her itchiness) to tell her doc to NEVER put her on that again.

 

[shortbun]

I have tolerated it well. But I have heard of some of those effects. I like it though. One short course takes care of my sinusitis in a snap.

The only antibiotic I have ever had wierd reactions to is Moxifloxacin.
That class of drugs anyway is full of issues with reaactions.

I had the same reaction with Avelox/Moxiflaxicin!!! I would NOT take another dose OP if you're reacting like this. Start drinking water and do simple things like taking inventory of what is around you. Example, 'the hat I'm wearing is red. I'm walking into the kitchen now. I'm opening the refrigerator door to get some flitered water out of the pitcher. I'm holding the pitcher with my right hand and pouring water into a blue plastic tumbler.' Keep making simple observations. This will help to ground you; you are having a real organic reaction to the medication. Do some relaxation breathing and make sure someone with you knows what you are going though. Contact your doctor's emergency service. He/she might want to wait 24 hours until the Zithromax is out of your system to prescibe anything else. Just so you know, it took several days for my reaction to go away to the other antibiodic, actually about two weeks for complete relief and another two for me to settle down ane not feel so fragile emotionally. It was quite a jar. I hope you are able to reverse the side effects much more quickly. Drug reactions like this are so uncomfortable. Try some touch therapy if you can tolerate it. My husband lightly stroked my arm and shoulders which seemed to help a bit, relax me. Heavy touch was not helpful, infact I hated it but light connection was good. Try a few things to see if anything works for you.

Good luck and don't hesitate to seek emergency help if you need it.

 

[Green Tea]

I am allergic to most meds in that class, plus unbelievably sensitive to others, like steriods; yet zithromax causes no problems. Everyone is so different in their reations to meds.

 

[whogirl'smom]

I am the OP of the thread--and I'm happy to report I'm feeling much better. I made an appointment with my doctor the next day and he prescribed Omnicef. I was still feeling a little keyed up for the next couple of days, but it finally left my system. However, the omnicef caused slight hives for two days--I call back and leave a message with the nurse; doctor says discontinue the Omnicef. We decided that since I'd had 4 days of antibiotics, prescribing a 3rd one in the same week was probably not a good idea. The strep/tonsilitis did go away pretty soon.

I am allergic to penicillin, which is why I wasn't prescribed that in the first place. Whatever happened to the old ones like doxycycline that just gave you a little nausea or stomach cramps? It seems like just because a drug is new, doctors feel like they have to give you the "4th generation" of it.

All I can say is thank goodness I only get sick enough to need an antibiotic about every 5 years!

Thank you to everybody who shared their infomation--it's good to know you're not alone in the crazy side effects.

 

[megthewonderful]

I had to take it Azithromycin while pregnant. I was completely panicked, but it worked out fine. I woke up one morning and one side of my face was paralyzed. I went to the ER right away and it turned out I had a Bell's Palsy. The paralysis lasted for 2 months, but it didn't get any worse, so I assume that it worked. Thankfully, I had no other problems. I don't think I could have handled being pregnant, having a half paralyzed face and side effects from the Z-Pack.