Side Effects Of Azithromycin

Like all medicines, azithromycin can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them.

Common side effects of azithromycin

These common side effects of azithromycin happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Keep taking the medicine, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect bothers you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects are rare and happen in less than 1 in 1,000 people.

Call a doctor or call 111 now if:

• you have a faster or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
• the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow (this may be less noticeable on brown or black skin), or you have pale poo with dark pee - these can be signs of liver or gallbladder problems
• you get ringing in your ears (tinnitus), temporary hearing loss, or you feel unsteady on your feet (vertigo)
• you have severe pain in your stomach or back - this can be a sign of inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
• you are peeing more or less than usual, or you have blood in your pee
• you have severe diarrhoea that does not go away or diarrhoea that contains blood or mucus.

Call 999 now if:

Do not drive yourself to A&E.

The person you speak to at 999 will give you advice about what to do.

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to azithromycin.

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of azithromycin. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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