TREATMENT DATABASE
Azithromycin is an azalide antibiotic useful for the treatment of middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, traveler's diarrhea, as well as chlamydia and gonorrhea infections.
USES IN ME/CFS: In a retrospective study of 99 ME/CFS patients conducted by Vermeulen and Scholte, 58 patients reported a decrease in symptoms after taking azithromycin. All of the responding patients had low levels of acetylcarnitine. The authors concluded that “the efficacy of azithromycin in the responsive patients could be explained by the modulating effect on a chronic primed state of the immune cells of the brain, or the activated peripheral immune system. Their lower acetylcarnitine levels may reflect a decreased antioxidant defense and/or an increased consumption of acetylcarnitine caused by oxidative stress.” They speculated that the azithromycin was functioning as an immune system modulator in these cases, rather than as a bactericide.
| Rating | Side Effects | Reason for Treatment | Dosage / Duration | Age | Sex M/F | # of years Ill | Additional Comments | Illness Severity | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allergic reaction - neurological | Gum disease | 1 week Don't remember 2X day | 53 | Female | 20 | Extreme headache, severe pain from waist down, one month to settle | Moderate/Severe | 09/18/19 |