Paxzen is one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in the United States. It is a macrolide antibiotic. It helps treat bacterial infections by stopping bacteria from making more copies of themselves. In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Paxzen, including what it is and how it works, what kinds of infections it is used to treat, and how to take it. I’ll also list some of Paxzen’s side effects, interactions with other drugs, and risks. Lastly, I’ll tell you when you should see a doctor or other medical professional.
Table Of Contents
What is Paxzen?
Paxzen is a macrolide antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. It does this by stopping bacteria from making certain proteins. Without these proteins, bacteria would not be able to grow. Because of this, Paxzen can kill many “atypical” bacteria that don’t respond to other antibiotics. Paxzen is a prescription drug, which means that you can’t get it without a prescription from a doctor. It is also called a “Z-pak” when it comes in a specific dose pack. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that Paxzen can be used to treat infections in both children and adults. It can be taken as a pill, a capsule, or a liquid.
How to use Paxzen
Paxzen is used to treat a lot of infections caused by bacteria. These things are:
Community-acquired pneumonia: Viruses, bacteria, or fungi can cause pneumonia that spreads through the community. Atypical bacterial pneumonia, also called “walking pneumonia,” can be treated with Paxzen. It might need to be taken with another antibiotic, and it’s not usually used to treat pneumonia in babies or young children. Studies show that it cuts down on hospital stays and improves outcomes, even if the treatment course is shorter.
When Chlamydia pneumoniae causes pneumonia, the CDC says that Paxzen should be the first thing you try to treat it with. Paxzen doesn’t work for COVID-19 pneumonia or other viral pneumonias.
Mycobacterium avium complex infection: HIV patients, especially, take Paxzen to prevent and treat MAC disease.
Ear infection: Studies have shown that Paxzen can help people who are allergic to first-line antibiotics and who have simple middle ear infections (otitis media) caused by bacteria.
Chlamydia is an infection that is passed from person to person through sexual contact (STI). If the treatment goes on for too long, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The CDC recommends doxycycline, but paxzen is also suggested as a treatment.
Most of the time, viruses are to blame for pharyngitis. Although penicillin is the first-line treatment for bacterial pharyngitis, paxzen can treat Group A strep pharyngitis and may be used in people who are allergic to other antibiotics.
Lyme disease: People with early Lyme disease who can’t take doxycycline, cefuroxime, or amoxicillin are told by the CDC to take Paxzen. In this case, though, Paxzen is not as good as the other three.
As an antibiotic, Paxzen can’t help with viral illnesses like the flu, COVID-19, or the common cold. Antibiotic resistance is more likely to happen if this drug is used when it is not needed. Antibiotic resistance means that bacteria have found ways to avoid being killed by antibiotics. This means that the medicine may not work as well as it used to.
What to do with Paxzen
Paxzen can be given in different ways:
Injection: This is for people with severe infections like community-acquired pneumonia or pelvic inflammatory disease who need their first treatment through an IV. Most of the time, it is taken with other antibiotics.
Tablets: Most people take one Paxzen tablet every day for one to five days. You can take them with or without food, but you must follow the directions exactly.
Liquid: Most Paxzen suspensions come in the form of a powder. To get different concentrations, these powders are dissolved in different amounts of liquid. The pharmacist will do this based on what your doctor tells them to do. Children and people who can’t swallow pills benefit the most from liquid medicine.
Extended-release liquid: When a drug is made in an extended-release form, it stays in the body for a long time after a single dose. Most people find it easier to take them regularly. This can be used to treat infections like otitis media. This is a rare form of Paxzen that is dangerous for babies.
Your doctor will give you different dosages, forms, and strengths of Paxzen for different infections based on:
- Yoghourt age
- Condition treated
- infection severity
- Possible drug interaction
- Pre-existing health conditions
For example, most doctors give adults 500 mg on the first day and 250 mg every day from the second to the fifth day when they have atypical pneumonia or bacterial pharyngitis that they got in the community.
Most drugs come with a leaflet that tells the patient how much to take for different kinds of infections.
Your healthcare provider, doctor, or pharmacist can give you more information.
Paxzen Side Effects
The following are common side effects of Paxzen:
- Nausea
- Feeling sick to your stomach
- Diarrhoea\sHeadache
Some rare but serious side effects are:
- Dizziness
- a heartbeat that beats out of sync
- Fainting
- Extreme fatigue
- Having nothing to eat
- Weakness in muscles
- eyes that are yellow
- Dark urine
In children, the most common side effects are:
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Rash
- Headache
This isn’t a full list of all the possible side effects. Tell your doctor right away if you have any side effects. If you have liver disease, you should be careful about taking Paxzen because it is broken down by the liver. Paxzen has also been linked to making myasthenia gravis symptoms worse or, in some cases, making new symptoms appear. Tell your doctor if you have had torsades de pointes, a long QT interval, or bradyarrhythmia in the past. Paxzen could cause QT prolongation or make it worse.
Paxzen Drug Interactions
If you take Paxzen along with other drugs, it might not work as well. In the same way, Paxzen can make other medicines less effective. “Drug interaction” is the term for this kind of thing. Tell your doctor about all of the medicines you are taking. This includes both prescription and over-the-counter drugs like vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products.
Some of the drugs that Paxzen reacts to are:
- magnesium hydroxide or aluminium hydroxide-containing antacids
- Warfarin is a blood thinner.
- medicine for gout such as colchicine
- Ergotamine-based migraine treatments
- HIV infection is treated with nelfinavir.
- Uneven heartbeats are treated with amiodarone.
If there are possible drug interactions, your doctor might change your prescription or dose, or they might tell you to stop taking the other drugs for a while.
They might also decide to keep a watchful eye out for any negative effects.
Before taking Paxzen, risks and warnings
Your doctor will only give you medicine if the benefits are much greater than the risks.
These are some risks for Paxzen to think about.
● pregnant or lactating
The FDA has put Paxzen in category B, which means that studies on animal reproduction showed that it was safe.
But because there haven’t been any well-controlled studies on pregnant women, they say that pregnant women should only use Paxzen when they have to.
Paxzen can get into breast milk and cause babies to get diarrhea, rashes, and throw up.
But studies show that the amount of paxzen in breast milk is less than the standard dose used to treat children, so there is no risk to the baby.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, your doctor will determine whether Paxzen is appropriate for your infection and condition.
When to go to the doctor
If you feel sick and think you might have a bacterial infection, talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider. They will decide which antibiotic to give you based on the results of your tests. Remember that you can’t buy Paxzen without a prescription, so you’ll need to see a doctor to get one. Call your doctor right away if you have severe side effects or allergic reactions. If you don’t feel better after taking your medicine for the amount of time that was suggested, talk to your doctor or another healthcare provider. Don’t stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor first.
How Woodstock Family Medicine Can Help
Talk to your doctor if you’re not sure if you need Paxzen. Did you know that you can easily buy Paxzen from the website of Woodstock Family Medicine?