Zithromax, arguably one of the most popular and well known antibiotics on the American pharmaceutical market, has been linked to several dangerous side effects and health complications. Most recently, this macrolide antibiotic has been linked to instances of Zithromax liver damage and kidney failure.

One of the main reasons that Zithromax has become so popular with both patients and doctors alike is because Zithromax patients typically take a five day treatment once a day instead of the typical antibiotic prescription of three times a day for 10 days, making it more convenient for patients to take and usually results in quicker recoveries from bacterial infections.

However, it is important to note that the reason Zithromax works so quickly and efficiently is because it is quite powerful, meaning that it can also be taxing for the body to process this drug. This is especially true for the liver and kidneys, organs which function to help rid the body of the antibiotic once it has done its job getting rid of a bacterial infection.

Some recent press reports have been highlighting just how much strain is put on the liver when someone uses Zithromax, and how use of this macrolide antibiotic can lead to liver damage and or liver failure. However, patients may not be as aware that Zithromax can do similar serious (and sometimes permanent) damage to their kidneys as well.

Zithromax Kidney Damage and Failure

According to a case study published in the March 2011 edition of Clinical Kidney Journal, azithromycin (the generic drug name for Zithromax), has been observed to cause kidney inflammation that can lead to kidney damage and eventually kidney failure.

The Zithromax case study reports that a 16-year-old girl developed acute interstitial nephritis (a type of kidney damage that leads causes inflammation in the organ) just two weeks after starting a six-day Zithromax prescription to treat her bronchitis. Upon admission to the hospital, the patient reported experiencing fatigue, sickness, malaise, vomiting, and abdominal pain for the past ten days.

The Zithromax induced acute interstitial nephritis eventually caused the young patient to suffer renal failure (kidney failure) and urinalysis, both of which were confirmed after a biopsy of the organ in question. In order to reverse the damage done by the Zithromax prescription, the patient was given a two-week steroid treatment. After four weeks, the young woman had recovered from her Zithromax kidney failure, as the organ was functioning normally.

The authors of this Zithromax kidney study concluded that azithromycin kidney damage can be reversible in some cases, but that people should be aware that this antibiotic can cause kidney injury and kidney failure in previously healthy patients.

Zithromax Lawsuits

Because of the cases like the one above where Zithromax has caused damage to a patient’s kidneys and/or liver, some individuals are choosing to file Zithromax lawsuits against the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer Inc.

A Zithromax lawsuit allows plaintiffs to receive some compensation for the pain and suffering they experienced because drug manufacturers failed to warn of these dangerous Zithromax side effects. This monetary compensation may also go toward paying hospital bills and other treatments required to reverse the damage allegedly done by this antibiotic.