Azithromycin

What is Azithromycin?

Traveller’s diarrhoea is very common, especially when travelling to high risk areas such as South America, Africa and the Middle East. Symptoms include stomach cramps, fever, bloating and frequent bowel movements.

Traveller’s diarrhoea is caused by a bacteria, most commonly E-coli. The bacteria, found in water and food, enters the gut and your body acts to remove it through your stools. It can also be caused by a virus such as norovirus and by infections caused by parasites such as cryptosporidiosis.

Avoiding piped water, ice cubes and raw food are proven ways to prevent traveller’s diarrhoea. It’s also important to maintain good hand hygiene when travelling to reduce the risk of spreading infections that cause traveller’s diarrhoea.

Azithromycin is an antibiotic that is prescribed to help treat and prevent traveller’s diarrhoea. It does this by killing the bacteria that causes it. It is an effective treatment for traveller’s diarrhoea caused by bacterial infections but does not work against infections caused by parasites or viruses.

How does Azithromycin work?

In order to survive and spread, bacteria need proteins found in cells. When this is available, the bacteria will multiply and spread, and this makes the effects of traveller’s diarrhoea worse.

Azithromycin prevents the bacteria from creating the proteins that it needs and this weakens it and stops it from multiplying.

What doses of Azithromycin are there?

Azithromycin is available in a single dosage size: 500mg. One tablet is usually taken once a day.

Your clinician will be able to advise you about the best dose to take and when to take it. If Azithromycin isn’t suitable for you to take, your clinician might suggest some alternative treatments for traveller’s diarrhoea.

How to take Azithromycin

Always take Azithromycin as directed by your clinician.

If you experience mild diarrhoea, you should take Azithromycin as soon as you start to experience symptoms, and continue to take it each day until your symptoms have cleared. You should stop taking it once your symptoms have cleared because it’s an antibiotic, and using it after the bacteria has been killed can lead to antibiotic resistance. This makes it less effective when you take it in future.

If you have more severe diarrhoea, you should take Azithromycin as soon as you experience symptoms of traveller’s diarrhoea and continue to take it for at least four days. If your symptoms persist or worsen you should seek medical advice.

If Azithromycin doesn’t work, you should speak to your clinician, who can explore alternative treatment options with you. And if you experience a reaction to it, you should get in touch with a healthcare professional immediately.

Ensure that you drink bottled water to stay hydrated when you have traveller’s diarrhoea as dehydration can worsen the symptoms of it.

What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Azithromycin?

If you take too much Azithromycin you should seek medical attention immediately. You can do this by contacting a clinician or pharmacist or going to the nearest hospital. Signs that you have taken too much Azithromycin include nausea, vomiting and loss of hearing. Take your treatment to the hospital with you so that you can show a medical professional what you have taken.

If you forget to take Azithromycin you should take it as soon as you remember. If it’s almost time for your next dose, you should skip the dose you missed and continue as normal. Never take a double dose of Azithromycin.

If you have any questions about your treatment you can log into your Treated account and send a message to one of expert clinicians for advice and reassurance.