<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>lightNlife</b></i>
It depends on whether you're on the 250mg or the 500mg. I take mine MWF. The way the drug is designed for the mainstream, it's a whopper dose of antibiotics that get into the system quickly. However, for us it's a maintenance med, so we are prescribed a continual does, not a tapering one.
I think the every other day aspect of it could also be to make sure we don't drop weight. That's just a guess though. In Hollywood, zithromax is the latest trend for losing weight quickly. People go to their doctors for a "z-pack" and take it to lose weight in a short period of time. Disgusting, no?</end quote></div>
1. Zithromax isn't tapered. When it's taken by the general public, it's given for 1 day (STD), 3 days or 5 days in a row. It stays in the system for a long time because it has a 68 hour 1/2 life. There's no tapering dose.
2. All antibiotics can cause the intestines to contract rythmically. This causes stool to move through the intestines quicker, less water is re-absorbed, and diarreah results.
3. Every other day aspect is not to ensure that we don't drop weight. It's because azithromycin has such a long 1/2 life (68 hours) and therefore 500mg doesn't need to be dosed daily. If you take 250mg every day, you maintain similar plasma concentrations
4. People in Hollywood do not use a z-pack to lose weight in a short period of time. If you want diarreah, everyone knows that amox-clav has a much higher rate of diarreah. But sticking your finger down your throat is much cheaper.