Azithromycin is an antibiotic medicine used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections. It belongs to a group of medicines called macrolide antibiotics, which work by stopping the growth of bacteria. Some of the infections that azithromycin is used to treat include:
- Chest infections such as pneumonia
- Ear, nose, and throat infections such as sinusitis
- Skin infections
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Lyme disease
- Disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection, which is a type of lung infection that often affects people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Travelers diarrhea and other gastrointestinal infections
- Legionnaires disease, which is a type of lung infection
- Pertussis, which is a serious infection that can cause severe coughing
- Babesiosis, which is an infectious disease carried by ticks
Azithromycin is available on prescription as capsules, tablets, and a liquid that you swallow. It can also be given by injection, but this is usually only done in a hospital. It is important to take azithromycin exactly as prescribed by your doctor and to finish the full course of medicine, even if you start feeling better. Some common side effects of azithromycin include feeling or being sick, diarrhea, headaches, or changes to your sense of taste.
