Azithromycin: "To do or not to do."

Charlie, I agree.The 250mg  AZ MWF has chaged my life. I actuall took a break for a week  six weeks ago becasue I had been on 500mg MWF and wanted to clear my system. As it turned out I should have just started the 250mg. In just 6 days I began to have an exacerbation and went on steroids for a week. Now I'm back to normal. I do asthma meds and or NS as needed and am able to get all of my sputum up usually  around 8 or 9PM.

Glad to hear you doing well,

Russ

Hello Russell , I have been on AZ 250mgs M W F for 5weeks, still waking up during the night to clear the chest. How long before you felt any benefit from taking AZ. My coughing bouts have reduced a little during the day and I am still waiting to go on a Pulmonary rehabilitation programme to get some chest Physio. Any other suggestions. 

Thanks 

Liz 

Liz, wish you were batter now. The first thought was perhaps you need to be on a higher does say, 500 3x a week. Some of the studies use 500mg. My doctor put me on 500 at first but we cut back to 250 2 monts ago. I am doing fine on 250. Knock on wood.

I went off for a week before I started taking the 250 and began to have an exacerbation as you may have seen in my post.

I will check to see what other ideas or showintg up on the internet and share them if I find something.

Hope ypu are better all to soon

Russ

 

Hello Liz,

As I started the AZ I also was on the Nebelizer doing Sodium Cholride 03.5ml every 6 Hrs followed by Albertol same dose, this really helped get up the stuff especially before bed and as I said I still do the symbicort 2 puffs before bed,which helps me sleep right thru the night.

Now I'm off the Neb and just do the AZ & Symbicort mabe ask your Pulmonary about that when you go.

Regards,

Charlie

 

Liz, I was very tired last night and should have mentioned also the use of NS nebs at night to see if you can get the most sputum up before you going to bed. 

We are all differnet it seems in how the mucous plays out with our BX. I can  usually only bring sputum up between 8 and10 pm. Even my pulmonologist thought that strange.  On a reare occassion , I think because I am overly tired, I will get mucous up in the late afternoon. 

Charlie is giving his routine below. I'm not sureI saw what you do for mucous thinning with saline or otherwise. I dont know if you are having so much mucous that purging before bed at night only lessens the amount of mucous that you will need to purge during the night.

And by the way, I have not noticed any chage in the amount of mucouse that I cough up since beginning with the AZ.

I only am having a decrease of exacerbations from 12 per year to so far none, except when I went off the AZ 500 for one week to transfer to AZ 250.

Hope this helps,

Please keep me posted on your progress. I will do some research on the Web  to see if anything that may help shows up.

Best

Russ

Thanks Russ for your help, I am using a Salamol CFC -free inhaler 2puffs wen required , I do this on a night before bed. I also try to get sputum up before going to bed . I to am thinking I need to increase my dose of AZ to 500mg and try and have more of a loading dose, 

regards 

Liz 

Hello Charles , I am on an inhaler Salamol CFC-Free 2puffs wen required, I do this before bed , Think I may need to change this to a stronger inhaler.

Thanks for your advice 

regards 

Liz