Scientists and chemists are constantly experimenting with new medications to cure infections and diseases within the body. On a regular basis, doctors and patients may determine that a dangerous drug is causing adverse side effects or comes with the risk of death in patients with certain conditions. This is the case with the popular drug azithromycin, which was recently listed as a dangerous medicine that can carry serious heart risks for certain patients.
The drug is sold under brand names like Zithromax, Z-max, and Z-Pak capsules. It is typically prescribed to fight all sorts of infections within the body, and has been proven to be affective at achieving its desired goal. People will take azithromycin when they have an ear infection or a sinus infection that they need to fight. It has also been prescribed to fight a skin infection, a throat infection, or an infection in the reproductive organs. It can also be used to treat lung infections or complications.
Now, studies are showing that the drug can interfere with the heart's electrical activity. Those that already have a weak heart may fall victim to a stroke, heart attack, or even heart failure after taking the medicine. The Food and Drug Administration has declared that health care professionals should consider the risk of fatal heart rhythms with azithromycin whenever they are considering treatments for patients.
If an individual already has a risk for heart failure, then it is important that doctors avoid prescribing medications that have the main component azithromycin. Elderly people that have irregular heart rates are the most at-risk to dangers from this medication. As well, those that have arrhythmias, and those that have low blood levels of potassium or magnesium are at risk to an injury from this situation.
The New England Journal of Medicine published an article 10 months ago which declared that there was a small increase in the amount of heart failure fatalities resulting from Zithromax. Some patients with similar conditions were given antibiotics without the azithromycin and these people were at a lesser risk to heart failure. Replacements of azithromycin include amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin or no treatment at all.
The FDA has already warned patients that are taking Zithromax to continue taking their medication unless they are directed to switch to a new prescription after talking with their healthcare professional. This will keep some individuals from stopping a necessary treatment for an unnecessary reason. Zithromax is a medicine that is made by Pfizer and comes in both tablet and liquid forms. It is typically taken for up to five days. Since the discovery about cardiac dangers, Pfizer has chosen to update their labels to include this warning.
The drug company saps that patient safety is important to them and they want to monitor the safety and efficacy of their products to ensure that the benefits and risks are accurately described on the labels. They have submitted the new labels with the warnings to the FDA for approval before putting them on the market. Zithromax may have dangerous potential side effects, but Pfizer still maintains that the drug helps millions around the world who have various bacterial infections and need a chemical assistance to get rid of those dangerous injuries. Pfizer announced that the vast majority of patients that are treated with this medication have never reported a dangerous cardiac reaction.
In fact, some of the replacement medications for Zithromax also have dangerous side effects. This is because antibacterial drugs often come with an assessed degree of risk. If you are taking Zithromax and experience an irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, or dizziness and fainting, then you need to contact a phsyicians immediately. Whenever you take a dangerous drug and suffer a severe injury as a result, you need to talk to an attorney at a local personal injury firm. With the right attorney on your side, you can seek compensation for the injuries that you have suffered.