Azithromycin and Upset Stomach: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• January 15, 2011

Azithromycin for Bronchitis "I took a full course of the 250 mg 5-day pack with no ill effects except for a metallic taste in my mouth, but then the bronchitis came back, so I was prescribed the 500 mg 3-day course. On day two, I got severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. I am not going to take the final dose because, although the bronchitis is better, I can't deal with the intense stomach discomfort."

• Anonymous
• February 29, 2012

For Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis "I'm taking the Z-Pak, and it started working after the first day. I already feel much better. I have had stomach cramps, but it only lasts like a minute. Overall, I'm happy and happy to get back to work."

• No ...
• December 14, 2016

For Sinusitis "I have chronic sinusitis, so I usually treat it with nasal/sinus rinses (saline) and good basic hygiene. But occasionally it gets bad and stays bad for 7 or more days, in which case a run of antibiotics always helps. I use the one-pill-a-day-for-three-days Azithromycin, as it always works and is most convenient. No side effects, and I usually start feeling better after the second day. I try to avoid doing this too often, as I'm aware of bacterial resistance issues. I've learned over the years to know the difference between allergies, colds, and bacterial infection, so I don't overuse or abuse the antibiotic. I've never had the diarrhea or stomach cramping described by some."

• Inf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 17, 2019

Azithromycin for Bacterial Infection "I had no issues with side effects from Zithromax whatsoever, although the doctor said it would likely cause stomach upsets (again, never experienced this though). Unfortunately, though, it did nothing to help the bacterial infection. It's only been about two days now... I would have thought there'd be some improvement, but it still steadily gets worse."

• Eri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 13, 2015

Azithromycin for Sinusitis "The day one, two pills do tend to wipe out the bacteria in my gut. After having stomach issues on the first night of the first time, I do take a probiotic and one Imodium at night. The first time I took this, it wiped the infection in 48 hours. The second time, 11 months later, it did not work quite so well. The infection greatly decreased but did come back 5 days later. I think part of the problem was that I still had a virus and mold allergy problems from rain, as well as an infection, so had trouble eliminating congestion. I took a 5-day dosage and did have symptoms reoccur in a week. I do think it would have worked better if I had not had these additional issues related to a virus and allergies."

• wil...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 15, 2014

Azithromycin for Bacterial Infection "I am allergic to just about every antibiotic out there, but the Z-Pak is pretty good in taking care of the sinus infections I get without too many side effects. A little bit of upset stomach occurs, but it's minor. Z-Pak always takes care of the infection promptly."

• sou...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 17, 2019

For Sinusitis "I'd be lost without this medication. I get a few real bad sinus infections per year, and they put me down and out 100%. Azithromycin is the only thing that will get rid of them. My doctor knows this, and we don't even try alternatives. Within 1 day after the first dose, I feel relief. Generally, no side effects, other than some stomach upset and sometimes slight nausea. Understanding antibiotics kill all the good bacteria in your GI system, I don't think there is an antibiotic that won't give you GI symptoms. Without a doubt, take this with food, and the side effects are not as bad. Affordable, easy, effective."

• Bor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2016

Azithromycin for Chlamydia Infection "Soooo, I get a call saying I need to get checked, and of course I'm all butt hurt because I've had like one fling in my whole life, and of course it's the only guy I didn't use protection with. So I go in, I get tested. I get the results. It's chlamydia. My doctor prescribes me the drink powder, and honestly, taking the medicine was terrible because the powder doesn't dissolve all the way, so I had to keep refilling my glass. I gagged a lot, so just be careful with it. I ate right after I took it, and it took about 30 minutes for the stomach cramps to start in. They were pretty uncomfortable, but I didn't get diarrhea, just the cramps. It's not great, but I mean, it's the price I pay. Just gonna sleep it off. And probably never have sex again."

• Nor...
• March 18, 2021

For Chlamydia Infection "The largest inconvenience about this drug for me was trying to read everyone else’s negative review before I took the 1-gram dose, and I had anxiety about it for HOURS before I realized taking this will do good. The only side effects I had from this drug were some watery stools and some intestinal noise. Whoever is reading this, you’re probably scared to take it because you never have and wanted to know. Unless you have heart problems or other medications known to react with this: it is safe to take, and for the love of Odin, take it with a lot of food and water. Friends of mine once had to take it too, and they said they felt no different. You will be alright. You may experience stomach issues and nausea for a little bit, but all in all, you will survive. You got this! I gave the medication a 7 because, again, anxiety over all of the horror stories."

• Lee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 10, 2018

For Bronchitis "I had bronchitis and a sinus infection. This cleared my sinus infection in two days, and I'm on my last day of antibiotics, and my cough is almost gone, too. No more coughing up green. I tend to get the rarest, most horrible side effects from medicines, but not too bad with this. I'll say it's a very potent antibiotic with universal uses. When I took it on an empty stomach, I experienced a slight upset stomach. On a full stomach, no issues. I did experience loose stools with a foul smell. I 100% would take it again for these issues. Benefits outweigh the slightly annoying side effect for a handful of days."

• Jr8...
• October 27, 2016

For Chlamydia Infection "Week after hookup, found out I had Chlamydia when my pee started burning and constantly discharging a white pus. Was prescribed this medication as a single dose, took on a Sunday afternoon, minor stomach grumbling, then an unpleasant headache at night which felt like intense pressure/fever and put me to sleep. Woke up next day, headache was gone, and by end of day, started to notice improvement in burning while peeing. By day 3, discharge was much more infrequent and burning pee was almost gone, nowhere near as intense. By Friday, which was day 6, burning pee was gone and no discharge at all, life was back to normal, lol. Never had any diarrhea or uncontrollable stomach pain, just a little nauseated the first 24 hours. Very effective med for me."

• rei...
• August 26, 2016

For Chlamydia Infection "OK, had to write a review after seeing so many horror stories. My side effects were minimal, about an hour and a half after taking the 4 tablets at once, as prescribed, my stomach hurt and I felt only a little sick. I laid in bed and just rode it out by napping. When I woke up, I had one minor episode of diarrhea, and then, done. It was definitely nothing like some of the bad experiences I've read on here. Many folks review because they had a bad experience, and folks who have no side effects tend to not care enough to report their non-eventful experience. Keep that in mind if you're nervous! Definitely worth the 30 minutes of a little stomach ache to make yourself healthy. Just eat beforehand and after, you will be solid. It was no big deal."

• sin...
• November 5, 2009

Azithromycin for Sinusitis "I get sinusitis several times a year. The old-fashioned 5-day Z-packs used to work really well for me. They still do 'knock down' the worst of it (I carry a filled prescription from my doctor when I'm traveling on business)... but in the past several years, I've noticed that sometimes the sinusitis will rebound in a couple of weeks, and I end up having to take a different type of antibiotic. Unfortunately, those secondary antibiotics tend to get to me -- queasy stomach, the 'taste' of the medicine even hours later. None of that with Zithromax. The only time I had a bad experience with Zithromax side effects was the three-day pack."

• ell...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2019

For Chlamydia Infection "I got diagnosed with chlamydia, and they prescribed me azithromycin, four 250 mg pills, and it said to take them all at once. I took them on an empty stomach, and 10 minutes after, I started having intense stomach cramps and felt nauseous. The cramps were so bad I had to have my boyfriend drive home, and it hurt to walk. The cramping was in the middle lower part of my stomach, and eventually, my lower stomach area had pain, and also I was pooping out just water - it felt like I was peeing out of my butt. The pain was bad, and it lasted for hours. I was on the floor in pain. Not sure if it worked yet, today was my first day taking it."

• Pre...
• March 5, 2016

For Chlamydia Infection "I was reading the reviews for this medication 30 minutes after I had ingested it. I can't deny, I was a little bit worried while reading the side effects, especially because I took it with only having eaten two cookies and a banana. Surprisingly, I had not a single side effect. I was not throwing up, nor did I have diarrhea or an upset stomach. I was actually hungry. I ate peacefully and happily ate Chinese food and cheesecake without a single issue. I will say I noticed an increased amount of discharge, not yellow like I was having before, but it was kind of white/clear thick. My guess is my vagina is cleansing itself and clearing out everything inside. I would highly recommend this, it's quick, easy, and simple."

• not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 30, 2019

For Chlamydia Infection "I tested positive for chlamydia and was prescribed two azithromycin 500 mg pills. The nausea was awful and I had really bad stomach cramps for about an hour, but nothing else after that. A week later, and I am still experiencing symptoms, so I am praying that this medicine worked!!!"

• No...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 5, 2015

For Chlamydia Infection "I went to the doctor, and they made me take two 500 mg tablets of this medicine. I was okay at the doctor, but on my way home, I started to feel nausea and severe stomach aches. As soon as I came in, I started to cook some eggs and turkey bacon, but as soon as it was done cooking, I had to vomit and use the restroom. My stomach is hurting, and I feel so weak. Maybe it will change after I eat, but as far as right now, this is horrible. I took it on an empty stomach, so I see that's a no-go."

• 201...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2019

For Chlamydia Infection "I took 2 pills of 500 mg last Sunday. It’s now one week and three days later, and I still feel symptoms, mostly itching that’s driving me crazy. I hope this medicine works soon. Overall, side effects were not too bad, just a loose stool and a little bit of stomach cramps."

• Cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2019

For Chlamydia Infection "Annual Pap smear and STD test, found out I had chlamydia, got 1 pill of 1000 mg azithromycin both my partner and I took them - it worked. No vomiting or nausea, maybe just upset stomach. No diarrhea. Got re-tested 6 weeks later, although my doctor said it was not necessary, but I did it to ease my mind and it was negative."

• Mr ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 15, 2020

For Chlamydia Infection "Taking this azithromycin medication is no joke. My advice is to make sure you eat something before taking it. I experienced loose stools and stomach aches, but it subsided with time into the morning. I’ll forever have more respect for using condoms. Good luck with taking the medication."

• Wan...
• May 15, 2022

For Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis "I had a 5-day course of azithromycin in the convenient Z-pack. The first 2 days there was no change in my symptoms, but by day 3 I started to feel better! My doctor explained that I only needed to take it once a day for 5 days, but the antibiotics are in your system and continue to work for 10 days. By day 5, my tonsillitis was better, pain and swelling gone. I also took probiotics and ate prior to each dose to help prevent the stomach issues that tend to come with antibiotics, and it worked."

• Rjf...
• November 16, 2015

For Sinusitis "I have taken this medicine many, many times before, and it has always worked with no problems. I have had serious stomach issues this time around... slightly since day one. Tonight is day 4, and I just experienced severe abdominal cramping and pain... loose stools (TMI)... so severe I thought I would have to go to the ER. It started about 10 minutes after taking the pill, not on an empty stomach, I ate about 1 hour prior. Maybe just a freak thing, but very scary. A few hours went by, and I'm starting to feel better... not sure if I will take the last pill tomorrow."

• jca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 14, 2017

For Upper Respiratory Tract Infection "I think this stuff REALLY messed up my stomach big time! I started a 5-day treatment on 7/17/17 for a respiratory infection. The stomach problems didn't happen until the last day, and to this day (8/13/17), I STILL seem to be having stomach issues. After doing some internet searching for reviews, I found some that were basically horror stories from people who took this! If this stuff has such horrific side effects, why is it even prescribed and/or WHY didn't the doctor discuss possible side effects with me beforehand?! AND, on top of all of that, I'M STILL COUGHING LIKE A CRAZY PERSON!"

• Vic...
• April 10, 2016

For Chlamydia Infection "I started getting symptoms late last night, so I went to the doctor's this morning, and I was given a shot of Rocephin and two tablets of azithromycin. Once I took the tablet, I was actually feeling a little bit fine, only had a small stomach ache, and then some diarrhea, but that passed quickly. But four hours later, an hour after I had eaten a meal, I just started to experience the worst abdominal pain and diarrhea imaginable! It literally felt as if my insides were being turned inside out! It was the absolutely worst, but I am better now, the infection seems to be gone, and I am never having unprotected sex again until I get married!"

• Anonymous
• December 1, 2011

For Bronchitis "I'm not completely through with my 5 doses, but am doing better so far. This is my second time taking it, but this time on Day 2, I had really bad stomach cramps. I thought it was related to my illness, but when I got them the next day after taking the Zithromax, I knew it was the medicine. I researched online, and it was recommended to eat yogurt or take acidophilus pills with the Z-pack. I ran out and got both, and that helped tremendously!"