Anyone experienced severe anxiety/depression taking Clarithromycin?
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I take Citalopram for anxiety/depression. This year I have had 2 chest infections that needed treating and was given Clarithromycin, 500mg twice a day. The latest chest infection was recently and I stopped taking the antibiotics 5 days ago. I have had some awful symptoms that I don't know what has caused. Shaking, increased anxiety and depression, loss of appetite, twitching muscles and weakness in legs. Balance problems. Heart Palpitations. Now I am having difficulty walking and it is really scaring me. I seem to remember having these side effects when I took these before but not so severe.
I would love to hear from anyone who has had a reaction like this and how long was it before you felt better.
1 like, 66 replies
chris87099 beverley47094
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melissa66098 beverley47094
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Caryn36853 melissa66098
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I am praying for you Melissa, that everything will return to normal quickly for you. I'm feeling a lot better now, and hope that the issues that remain will eventually clear up. If the anxiety continues once you're off the clarithromycin for a while, you might try a probiotic that contains the helveticus and longum strains of bacteria. I used the Jarrow 35/15 formula that included these two strains for about a week. Within the first 24 hours, the anxiety symptoms disappeared. Over the past few months, my digestive system has recovered and I continue to use greek yogurt.
Wishing you the best,
Caryn36853
melissa66098 Caryn36853
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Thanks again.
Caryn36853 melissa66098
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Blessings,
Caryn
melissa55652 beverley47094
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Hi all very important information about clarithromycin is that it depletes your potassium stores massively. Look up symptoms of low potassium weakness leg cramps twitches heart palps are all symptoms. I took this a few times within one year n nearly died of a heart attack from such low potassium. It caused me so many problems n much suffering.
My bloods were all coming out wrong so it took ages to figure out what was happening to me but I was as close to being dead as a person can be. I don't understand how docs are not aware of this. Every time your on a course of this a course of potassium supplements should be prescribed alongside. And I see some posts of people taking long 14 day courses.
Basically you've only so much potassium in your body n a 7 day course of this depletes 90,000 mgs of potassium from your body which is massive. The upper limit for potassium per day is 7000mgs but this is near impossible to get in but should get at least 3000mgs per day to replenish. This will take around 2months. Every point you go down in potassium means you've lost 30k from your stores.
The reference range is 3.5 - 5.3 but you wanna be at least 4 or higher. I was almost empty at 3.4 n many people have serious symptoms at the low 3s but a lot of docs think this is not that serious n mildly low levels can't cause this but the fact is half people are empty at low 3s some can go down to 2s its just a discrepancy on how it measures different in different people probably depending on body weight or bloods it's very sensitive blood test anyway.
luc_79454 beverley47094
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Hi Beverley and co,
Can you give me an update?
Did your symptoms ease? I feel like I'm going through the same thing. One week after finishing a double course of antibiotics and feeling ultra anxious still.
It stopped for a day or two after stopping the meds the. Started two days ago again.
No anxiety or anything prior to this.
When will it stopppp?
Help
Melaniesmith198 beverley47094
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Mel
albert777 beverley47094
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richard10704 beverley47094
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Hi all,
I appreciate this is an old post now but I always think it comforting to those suffering to hear recent stories. I have an ear infection. I have been taking Clarithromycin for 5 days after already completing a course of Flucloxacillin that didnt work. Now I must state that I am an anxiety sufferer however I function well on a day to day basis and manage to control the anxiety without medication.
Since starting a course of Clarithromycin I have been going through hell! It started with my head feeling full yet lightheaded and unsteady. This feeling alone set of a terrible bout of anxiety. It got so bad that yesterday I had a complete break down in front of my wife and cried my eyes out. She took me to a doctor who checked the ear and gave me the all clear. She has given me 2mg diazepam to try and break the anxiety cycle and I stopped taking the Clarithromycin last night. I am praying to God that I will feel normal again in the next few days while the drug leaves my system. Other than the doctors appointment I haven't left the house. I have spent most the time locked away in my bedroom. I haven't even been able to play with my two young sons.
The one thing I want to share is this, having been here before with bad reactions to other antibiotics, when its happening to you, you feel like you are in a hole and that you cant climb out. Your brain prevents you from thinking rationally and you feel like the anxiety never ends.
Trust me it does end. The drugs will leave your system and you will begin to feel better. Do not expect it to be instant. You may have a few wobbles in the first few days but it will pass.
I wish you all the very best of health and hope that my own health improves too!
Smiler68 richard10704
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Hi Richard
I feel i'm going mad just now. I wouldn't say i'm a sufferer from anxiety. I do worry about things, but everything seems amplified now since I was on Clarithromycin. When I started taking the course i had the nauseas feeling and horrible taste in my mouth which I could cope with. On the night of day 5 of the course I went to bed and suddenly this awful feeling came over me, it's hard to explain. I felt I didn't know what was happening to me. A kind of feeling of losing sense of reality and confusion. A really scary experience. I was panicking and ended up in A&E that night. I was checked over and sent home to rest. I didn't feel too bad the next couple of days following this, and even went back to work, but then on that night the same thing happened again. When it happened i'm unable to sleep, so went back to the doctor who gave me sleeping tablets, but now all I feel is very anxious, all my feelings are overwhelming and i'm not sure how to deal with it. Does it go away? As I feel now i'm finding it difficult to function properly
Daphne69 Smiler68
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Yes. It goes away when the drug is mostly out of your system. I took zpack on Dec. 5th to 9th. I have never had anxiety in my life. On day 2, my heart startes pounding and palpitating and my whole body felt like it was crawling. My mind was racing with terrible thoughts and I thought I was going crazy. It was the most awful, terrifying and lonely experience. I couldnt explain to anyone how I was freaking out so bad inside. This continued off and on for the days I was on zpack and then again on the 2nd, 4th and 8th day after I finished. One time it lasted feom 3am until 3pm. I had to call in sick for work. Thank god I looked it up online and found that I wasnt the only one. It helped keep me from feeling totally helpless and hopeless by telling myself it would pass with time. And calming my breathing. And calling people to talk me through it. And you know what? It did pass. I am fine now. Back to normal. You will be okay. It's hard, but it will ease as the drug leaves your system. Take care of yourself. You are okay.
eleanor92912 beverley47094
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Oh my god i am so sorry for everyone on this page but glad to see that i am not imagining these things , i am on day 3 of these Clarithromycin tablets 500mg its a living hell is all i can say , i found a lump in my neck doc said it was a swollen gland but have no other symptoms was given amoxicillin but the lump remained so i went back to my doc who gave me these tablets i didn't realize they were so strong but the side effects are just horrendous , bad taste in my mouth really strong taste , so anxious , i have had a bout of anxiety in the past but that was a long time ago cant stop crying , snapping at everyone , some quite irrational thoughts , feel really scared but of what i dont know the lump well that is very slightly smaller so all this combined with the worry of not knowing why the gland was swollen in the first place has been the worst experience of my life finish the tablets on Wednesday , will try to stick it out fingers crossed , wish everyone on here better , How to tablets with such bad side effects get approved by NICE i do not know .
rachael02693 eleanor92912
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rachael02693 beverley47094
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