Zithromax liver adverse side effects can result in patients needing a liver transplant.

Popular antibiotic azithromycin (brand name Zithromax) is commonly used to treat mild-to-moderate bacterial infections. Because it has become so commonly prescribed, it has also become a more common cause of drug-induced liver injury.

Zithromax liver adverse side effects are possible because the drug is metabolized in the liver. Toxic liver disease and hepatitis are possible.

The National Library of Medicine states that Zithromax is a “well known cause of vanishing bile duct syndrome,” a drug-induced liver injury that eventually causes the reduction or stoppage of bile flow.

When Zithromax liver adverse side effects stop bile flow, the condition is called cholestatis. The following symptoms can indicate cholestatis:

• Jaundice from excess bilirubin deposited in the skin, causing both the skin and the whites of the eyes to look yellow.
• Dark urine from excess bilirubin excreted by the kidneys.
• Light-colored stools because passage of bilirubin into the intestine is blocked, preventing it from being eliminated through the passage of stool. When bile cannot enter the intestine to aid in the digestion of fat, the fatty stool can be particularly foul-smelling.
• Itchiness from bile products accumulating in the skin.

Bile also helps the intestine absorb calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K. The body needs calcium and vitamin D to build strong bones; Vitamin K encourages blood to clot. When someone is deficient in Vitamin K, the person bleeds more easily.

Signs of hepatitis include all of the above plus fatigue, muscle aches and loss of appetite.

Advanced liver disease can result in a patient needing a liver transplant.

Zithromax History

Developed in 1980, azithromycin is a semi-synthetic antibiotic in the macrolides class with azalide as its main ingredient.

Macolides are bacteriostatic. They control infections by preventing bacteria from replicating and producing proteins needed for their survival. The initial bacteria are killed by the immune system or die from lack of the protein.

When taken orally, the Zithromax antibiotic is picked up by white blood cells and taken to the infection site. When the concentrated medication surrounds the infection, the bacteria there are susceptible to dying off.

Because Zithromax works in this way of creating a concentrated area, usually fewer doses are needed to overcome the offending bacteria.

Patients who take Zithromax often receive only a five-day course of treatment.

As a broad-spectrum antibiotic, Zithromax can be effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as other pathogens. Azithromycin is often prescribed to treat strep throat, respiratory infections and pneumonia.

In addition to Zithromax liver adverse side effects, patients may experience: allergic skin rash, joint pain, swelling, itching, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dizziness, aggressive behavior, vaginal inflammation and anxiety.

Zithromax Lawsuits

If you have taken Zithromax and become ill with liver disease, especially if you have needed a liver transplant, you could be eligible for legal compensation. Zithromax liver adverse side effects are serious, and patients have died from toxic liver disease.