Zithromax Injection Description

You would most likely be administered Zithromax Injection intravenously in a hospital by a health professional to treat cases of severe pneumonia or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) strongly thought to be caused by bacteria. You may be required to take Zithromax as an oral antibiotic once you are discharged and sent home. These conditions could be serious enough for you to start on Zithromax Injection until testing confirms the source of infection. If it is not caused by bacteria, therapy is adjusted accordingly.

Zithromax Injection contains Azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic that is mostly bacteriostatic, which means that it does not kill bacteria but stops its growth. However, at higher concentrations, it can be bactericidal and kill the bacteria.

How This Macrolide Drug Deals with Bacteria

Once administered intravenously, Zithromax Injection interferes with the actions of bacteria by blocking their ability to produce proteins. This disables most cells as without proteins the cells are unable to carry out their daily functions, including helping bacteria to thrive. The bacteria will eventually die and your own immune system helps to get rid of any that remain. It’s important that you continue taking oral Zithromax if instructed by your doctor to be certain no bacteria have survived. If you stop taking it, the infection could restart and the bacteria may be resistant to Azithromycin.

Conditions Treated by Zithromax Injection

Pelvic inflammatory disease is a serious complication of sexually transmitted diseases, other than acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and includes gonorrhea and chlamydia. If the bacteria that cause gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) travels into a female’s fallopian tubes, it will cast off or slough some cells and attack others so it can reproduce within and beneath these cells. Other organs are affected as this infection spreads, causing scarring and inflammation.

Untreated gonorrhea could increase a person’s risk of transmitting or becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is not a risk anybody wants to take, so do not be embarrassed to seek medical help for a possible STD infection and avoid sexual contact until you do.

Before Zithromax Injection is Administered

Tell your doctor before receiving a Zithromax Injection if you are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are breast feeding so you can be made aware of any risks and benefits of this treatment. Explain other medical conditions or allergies you have and list any OTC or Rx drugs you are taking, including herbal remedies or dietary and vitamin supplements. Your doctor can then determine if Zithromax Injection is the right drug for you.

Zithromax Injection Precautions

Do not change your dosage, stop, or start any medications while receiving Zithromax Injection without your doctor’s knowledge as this could affect how antibiotic works in your body. If you are prescribed oral Zithromax, take it as directed for the full treatment period advised to avoid reinfection. All medications should be stored out of children’s reach.

Possible Side Effects of Zithromax Injection

• Diarrhea or constipation
• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness
• Headache

Drugs Similar to Zithromax Injection

• Suprax
• Levaquin
• Zithromax (oral)