Azithromycin Suspension 200 mg/5 ml, 15 ml

Description

How to use

Reconstituted with water. Shake well before each dose and measure with the syringe or cup supplied. Azithromycin is given once daily, and a course is usually only three to five days, which is why the bottle is small. It is best given at least one hour before food or two hours after, since food reduces absorption of the suspension. Give it at the same time each day. Finish the short course, and be aware that the drug keeps working in the tissues for several days after the last dose, so continued improvement after the bottle is finished is expected.

Important warnings

Do not give to a child allergic to azithromycin, erythromycin or clarithromycin. Tell the prescriber about liver disease, kidney disease, a known heart rhythm problem or long QT interval, low potassium or magnesium, and myasthenia gravis. Azithromycin can prolong the QT interval on the heart tracing, and it should not be combined casually with other drugs that do the same. Report fainting or palpitations. Stop and seek care for a rash that blisters or peels, facial swelling or breathing difficulty, or yellowing of the eyes with dark urine. In babies under six weeks, macrolides carry a link with pyloric stenosis, so forceful projectile vomiting after feeds needs urgent assessment. Severe or bloody diarrhoea needs review.

Storage

Store the dry powder below 25 degrees Celsius in a dry place. Once reconstituted, most azithromycin suspensions are kept below 25 degrees rather than refrigerated and must be used within five to ten days; follow the label exactly. Do not freeze. Shake before each dose, write the reconstitution date on the bottle, keep the cap tight, and store out of reach of children. Discard the remainder at the end of the stated period.