Biaxin symptoms and conditions

Hi there,
I took this medication for a supposed sinus infection, which after taking Azithromycin and than Doxy I have been really sick! I guess I had the flu and I panicked (because I am prone to sinus infections) and went on antibiotics without knowing for sure- after bloodwork and an x-ray there is no infection... so... after taking Doxy for 10 days I have been very exhausted-but mostly, flu like and muscle aches, its on day three after taking the last dose so I hope these muscle aches and tiredness goes away soon. I have noticed in the past that i get the same symptoms, like with Biaxin, and Cipro is really brutal... not to mention that I am allergic to Penicillin and Sulpha... so much fun lol

To start off i'm a 16 year old male, I had a very bad sinus infection that crept up on me. The first day I took this medication was not "horrible" I was still feverish from the sinus infection and was just generally not feeling well...

By day 2 I was starting to feel not as great about it, I experienced for the first time the "horrible taste" that everyone else seems to experience, and quite frankly it sucked. All day any food I ate would burn through me within a half an hour of eating, I had to use the bathroom constantly and my stomach would hurt between trips. My sinus infection was beginning to clear up at this point, but I just didn't feel like myself, I attributed it to being sick. I went to bed and woke up several times throughout the night, in between I had very vivid dreams, fortunately they were not nightmares.

Day 3 I began to get all teary eyed for no reason, I don't remember the last time I cried so this was kind of confusing to me, I woke up very dehydrated and realized my bed was soaked through with sweat, I still didn't feel like myself and began to research the side effects of Biaxin. My stomach settled for the most part but I had those other symptoms to deal with.

Day 4 I felt normal for the most part, at points in the day I would get extreme vertigo, nausea, stomach pain, intense sweating at odd periods and once again the tearing eyes came back. Got a bad nosebleed during the day, but that was because I was blowing my nose so much. I told my mom that I wanted to stop taking it and she said I still had to (I was on a 10 day pack)

Day 5 Nausea, more extreme sense of vertigo, did not feel like myself, felt dazed and confused, sinus infection has degenerated into a cold, but the cold isn't budging. Stress of life is getting to me a lot more than usual

Day 6 I am really stressed, I keep getting nauseous, cant think straight, constant headaches, dehydration no matter how much water I drink, food goes right through me, overall it's a bad scene, tearing eyes have stopped however, more depressed than usual, later that evening (I took the meds on a full stomach) after I ate dinner I was sitting in bed finishing a paper for school when I was hit by a bout of vertigo and nausea so bad that I couldn't even get to the toilet before I began throwing up, this throwing up opened my nose bleed again so it became difficult to clean up... I told my mom I was done taking the medication at this point.

In review, my taste is severely altered, food doesn't taste as it should, I'm still dizzy (on day 8 now but not taking it anymore) still headache and the vertigo is finally starting to fade. I lost almost an entire week of work at school because I was unable to retain the information in class (im normally a good student).... totally screwed totally stressed and the Biaxin is just making the stress harder to handle... I'd give it a 0 out of 5...
Any questions shoot me an email at -******

Add me to the list. The funny thing is, I've taken Levaquin 4 or 5 times in the past without noticing any problems, but last week I was put on Biaxin for a sinus infection and had a terrible time with it, so the Dr. changed me to Levaquin, and now after 3 days I'm back in the same boat...heart racing, unable to sleep, elevated blood pressure, nauseous. It feels like my heart is on fire! I'm stopping this one today (only had 2 left.) This is awful, I know I was very sick and had to have some antibiotic, but after these two experiences I think I'd stick with the sinus infection!

I was given Biaxin for a sinus infection that never cleared up. So the doctor gave me Bactrim. I took one before I went to bed. I woke up all jittery and full of anxiety. Sometimes this happens, because I do have agoraphobia with panic disorder. I took my second dose with breakfast. About 3 hours later my gums started to burn; like I ate too much salt. It was irritating, but did not realize it was from the antibiotic. Then my teeth started to hurt really bad everywhere, and it felt like electrical shocks going down my body. My skin turned all colors of blotchy purple and yellow. I started to shake so bad that it hurt. My Dad rushed me to the emergency room. I was given epi, steroids, and an anti-inflammatory. Then monitored for 2 hours. Which was hell, because I have agoraphobia.

I was sent home with prednisone and benadryl. It has been six days since this has happened, and I still have the chills. I feel like I have the flu. My teeth still hurt, and advil won't even help it. I have a constant headache. This medication should be banned. I only took 2 doses and became so ill. When do the side effects finally stop?

I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia and my doctor prescribed avelox. 2 days into taking the med I developed cramps in the lower bowel and diarrhea and I was always tired no energy. I figured that the avelox killed the bacteria in my gut and started taking Acidophiles pills. 7 days into the meds I found this page and immediately stopped the avelox and called my doctor. He put me on biaxin and put a note in my record. NO AVELOX! Well it in now going on 4 week later and I still have diarrhea (explosive) and my doctor is baffled. He is sending me to my GI doctor now. I have Ulcerative Colitis. I am worried that avelox may have caused a flare up.

just started avelox 400mg daily today -only one dose so far but i am so dizzy and tired i drove 3 blocks and had to return home...im supposed to be on this drug for 14 days because of a stubborn and nasty sinus infection that hasn't responded to biaxin, zpack or anything else...i cant imagine feeling any more wiped out ,tired and dizzy than right now and i just started it this morning.....ive read all the clinical studies and i hope they are right when they say that the bacteria are virtually wiped out by dose NUMBER THREEe

I took biaxin for 10 days in early June for a sinus infection. The side effects I noticed at the time were the yucky taste in my mouth and extreme fatigue. However, I also lost my sense of smell. It's been almost two months, and now I can smell some things, like ground coffee or ammonia, but not the more subtle scents, like flowers, light cologne, etc. At the time I was taking the drug, I discovered I couldn't smell vinegar; now I can smell it faintly. I visited my nurse practitioner yesterday, and she thought it might be a residual effect of the biaxin, but didn't find anything about loss of smell as a side effect. She advised me to wait one more month, and if the sense of smell hasn't returned by then she'll refer me to an ENT specialist. I'm just wondering if anybody else has noticed a loss or change in their sense of smell. (Smell and taste are closely related, so it's logical that it could be a result of the biaxin, since I experienced the yucky taste that so many people complain about.)

Abyone experience excess salivating?? I have all the above symptoms and they are horrible! I felt better before the prescription. I am on 1000 mg once and day, 2000 mg of Amoxicillin once a day and a Prilosec OTC 2x's a day. I'm taking what's called a Prevpac for a stomach bacteria called H Pylori. This has been a 2 year journey to figure out what was causing my GI issues! I had a period of about a month with no stomach issues, BUT, as soon as the Biaxin it started right back up within 20 mins! The taste in my mouth is making me sick to my stomach and I'm trying to decide if I should stop. I'm trying to hang in there because in the long run it will work in my favor, but this is only day #4 and I have 10 more to go! Any suggestions?!

I was given a free 10 day coupon for Avelox by a physician to treat an awful cold that wouldn't go away. He also wrote a prescription for, and I got it filled at a pharmacy, an inhaler. Avelox is the WORST medicine I have ever encountered in my 69 years!! I took it for 4 days and QUIT (today) the *^%(% thing. Who wants to be dizzy, crabby, anxious, short with people, impatient, thirsty all the time, constantly gasping for breath, and NO energy at all?
Bayer should be prosecuted, condemned for creating this poison pill. I can't believe this med it is still allowed for public consumption!??

I'm a 31 female. I was diagnosed with bronchitis/sinusitis on 5/28 and was given Biaxin which did not help. I was instructed to return to the doctor if I did not feel better within 2 to 3 days. On Monday 6/2 I returned to the doctors per instructions because I was not feeling better. He switched me to Levaquin 500mg 1 a day. I took Levaquin at 8pm Monday evening. I was unable to sleep that evening so I researched the medication the following morning and saw that Insomnia was a side effect. Starting at 10am today 6/6 I begun severe hip pain in my right hip. I called the doctor and they instructed me to stop taking the medicine for 24 hours and begin treatment again if the pain reduces. After reading this information I'm now reluctant to start "if" the pain subsides.

I have a sinus infection, and my doc gave me biaxin. My first dose didn't affect me, I went to bed as soon as I got home from the urgent care center, I slept well into the afternoon. When it came time to rest, I went to bed at midnight, laid there restlessly, with a very sore throat even more sore than I began with. I grabbed a throat lozenge, fell asleep for 30-45 min, weird dream but I can't remember it well. I woke up with a sore dry throat again, not even tired, frustrated, I decided to take my meds again, not having checked this website first!!! D: now my heart is racing, I'm wide awake, its 4:45 in the morning. I am crying on and off. The pain in my throat has subsided, its still scratchy, and my lymph nodes are very swollen. I can't breathe through my nose and it feels like there is still drainage in the back of my throat. I have no appetite either, I force my self to eat b/c I get stomach pains. I am wondering if I should hold off the biaxin for a couple of days and see if I improve.. because I feel like I'm simply getting worse.

Was prescribed Avelox for bronchitis. Third day of taking it I was feeling paranoid, terrified, having terrible nightmares, not sleeping, dizzy, nauseated and crushing chest pain. Called my doctor who refused to believe it was the Avelox which was the only drug I was on. He prescribed Biaxin to replace it which only made things worse. I would NEVER take either of these drugs again and I have changed doctors. My mother had to be hospitalized with hallucinations about 15 years ago after taking Biaxin. She has never really completely recovered her life because of that. She was out of work for months and lost her job. She now has anxiety attacks which she never had before. Drugs like this should be illegal.

i took it due to sinus infection as well. i felt like i had to throw up the whole 14 days i was on it. it was awful and i assume i was allergic to it b/c the pharmacist told me to stop taking it immediately. this pill is the worst thing i have ever taken, and i don't get sick from meds either.

I was on a ten day course of Biaxin XL for Bronchitis. I also take Wellbutrin (150mg a day). No side effects until the eighth day of my course. I was in class, in the morning, and squatting down talking to a friend. As I got up, I was extremely dizzy (like a drunken dizzy) and seeing double (over/under).
Walked myself to the hospital (across the street), doc suspected a middle ear infection, and shot me up with Gravol, put me to rest for 2 hours. When I got up, I was still seeing double, metallic taste was there also. Got a ride home, and rested more. CT scanned that night with no conclusive evidence of any abnormality. Doc performed a variety of tests...made me walk an imaginary line (Like DUI test) and I kept stumbling to the left side. Had 9 vials of blood taken the next day, they suspect might be something wrong with my blood. Going for an MRI soon. Took 9th day of course, then found this site. Flushed the last days dose. I sure hope it was the Biaxin making me dizzy! Other than that horror, no other side effects.

It is funny to see so many side effects to Biaxin. I am normally very lightweight on any drug, but Biaxin has been awesome. I have been on it one year or Lyme Disease and co-infection treatment and I love this drug, I sleep like a baby, never had bad aftertaste, ever. Chew gum the say if "metal" taste happens. I would recommend this drug in a second. Just wanted to post something positive, because we are all so different.

I've been on Biaxin for bronchitis for four days now, following a trip to the ER for breathing problems. I thought it was allergies. The first two days weren't too bad except for the extreme thirst and not being able to sleep (and the gas). If I happened to go to sleep I would have weird dreams and wake up again. I don't know if was the Biaxin or the hydrocodone cough syrup. With the third day, I couldn't think straight and I couldn't remember words. Could be lack of sleep, I guess. Conversations were difficult. I felt spacey. At the same time, I felt like I was on fast-forward: hurry up, hurry up, gotta go, gotta go, gotta get it done, faster, faster! This is the fourth day. I'm still on fast-forward and still dizzy and spacey. My blood pressure is up and my heart rate is down. My pulse is 55. It's time for another dose, but I'm not taking it. In fact, I'm going off all my meds except the blood pressure pills in case it's a drug interaction that's not mentioned. I'll call my own doctor in the morning and talk to him. I trust him more than the anonymous ER doc.

I took Levaquin when it first came on the market maybe 10 or 11 years ago.
I was about 29 at the time. I took 1 500 or 750mg pill before bed. I had previously been on Biaxin before and had no probs, .. anyway i had wierd lucid dreams all night then I woke up at like 5am and i mean WOKE up eyes wide open like a window shade, and I thought i was going to jump out of a 3rd story window. I was in total panic attack mode, sweating, shaking, mind racing, no control over my thoughts, and feelings of dread and suicide even harming my fiance. No joke. i had never felt like that before except after a bad experience with Angel dust laced marijuana when i was like 18. My heart was racing, and my fiance was wondering what the heck was wrong. In my mind i knew what was happening but it was real hard to control and stay where i was in my head. The next few weeks i was in a fog, and had this numbness on the right side of my face from the temple to the bottom of the cheek bone and around my right ear(which i have heard other people talk about in their levaquin experiences on different parts of the head) that was really intense for months, faded over years, and still appears occasionally to this day.Years later i found out my sister and her daughter had had similar frightening experiences. And read about some people that have dies. There is a book called less than 1%. Check it out. This stuff should be banned as far as im concerned.

My husband went on Lisinopril in Feb 07, his bp went down and was regulated his headaches almost left but then he had sinus surgery in mar or apr. He has now developed muscle twitching and now the "doctors" say he has Motor Neuron Disease.... I refuse to believe after reading everyone's side affects that this 41 year old with no family history of this other than 1/2 siblings with high bp that he has this disease. He has experienced neck stiffness like it is broken (had MRI) no broken bones or slipped disc, he has had the chills, hw has vision blurred issues, heaviness in his legs, left side of his body more prominent than the right, he has crazy dreams and thoughts, he feels like he is dying, he doesn't however have any coughs, he has anxiety which they put him on anti depressant. After reading others comment I researched this med, it was developed by venom in a poisonous Brazilian snake. My husband as a child would get bitten by wasps, fire ants etc.. they would rush him to ER for meds and he used to take shots if stung, swells up like a balloon. So in my theory this med has the snake bite affects and I believe this has caused him to have this neuron disease but I can't prove it. His muscles twitch all the time. I believe this drug has been slowly poisoning him to a eventually paralysis to death. I have begged the doctor to take him off. He has but now he is on Atenolol, which is not much better but has no snake venom or ACE inhibitors. Please people email me. I am desperate we need to band together.
Thanks you Joann

Currently on Biaxin XL on a 10-day medication for a Pneumonia infection. Experiencing: increased heart rate, sweating all day long with no fever “Chills” and a bad taste in my mouth.
A possible side effect that concerns me is I have been sweating “night and day sweats” all day long with no fever, since I started BIAXIN XL, I asked my Dr. and I was told sweating helps the body to get rid of bacteria but today is my 8 day of sweating, Strange !!!!
I have never had a problem with side effects in the past on any medication!!!
Anyone else experiencing sweating? Your comments will be appreciated!!!! Thanks,

I have been taking doxycycline for about 5 days now, 100mg 2x per day. I was fine the first couple days, but now I am noticing a bit of nausea within an hour after I take the morning dose. It normally goes away after abour one hour. I also noticed that I am rather cloudy in the head during this time, and I can't seem to form coherent thoughts. Of course I noticed this while in the grocery store trying to shop with a 10 month old. NOT A GOOD TIME!! Anywho, I am stuck with this medication since my first course of Biaxin was a failure. Hopefully it will end soon and the pneumonia will go away. So far I feel no better.

Bad metalic taste
headaches
depression
upset stomach with cramps and diarrhea
breakouts (pimples/acne)

I've been on it for 5 months for an infectious disease caught while boating. I'm unable to stop taking the medication because the infection will spread on my legs. I'll never take this medicine again. I've asked to put on something else but the ID doctor refuses.

TOOK BIAXIN XL 500 MG FOR RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS AFTER FIRST DOSE TAKEN IN THE MORNING MOUTH STARTED BURNING 12 HOURS LATER
AFTER SECOND DOSE ALSO 8 HOURS LATER I WOKE UP BREATHLESS, PANICKY AND HAVING CHEST PAIN ALSO DEPRESSION AND WANTED CRY ALL DAY LONG
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS GOT HELP AFTER FIRST DOSE BUT AFTER HAVING SIDE EFFECTS DECIDED NOT TO POISON MY SYSTEM ANY LONGER.

I'm on my third day of Biaxin XL 500MG and I have small red bumps on my hands and the bottoms of my feet. They hurt like blisters. The back of my throat has tiny red dots all over. It doesn't sound like the same simptoms as everyone else.

Rash -
I have had a sinus infection since last November 2005. I had been prescribed Zithromax, Biaxin twice, Avelox, and then Omnicef in a 7-month period.

The Omnicef, a 21-day dose, was prescribed in July 2006. Two days after I finished taking the Omnicef I began to get a rash. At first I thought it was bug bites because they were on my legs, arms and back.

A week into it I realized these red bumps, that look like bug bites, were in fact more than a bug bite. I treated the bumps with Benadryl and Cortisone cream, the first week I had them, and instead of getting better the bumps were getting worse.

I happen to go to my doctor about day seven of the rash for a scheduled check-up. I asked my doctor about the rash. She seemed concerned and prescribed a Methylpred Pak. The rash began to subside about four days into the Methylpred. By the end of the Methylpred the rash was about 95% gone.

About three days after I completed The Methlpred the rash began to come back with a vengeance. I was actually worse that it was initially and was now spreading to my face. My doctor suggested I go to a dermatologist, which I did.

The dermatologist said that I was having an allergic reaction to the Omnicef and that it was not that uncommon. He prescribed Prednisone. I took the Prednisone for 10 days and again the rash began to get better, but two weeks after I began the Prednisone the rash still was not gone.

The dermatologist again gave me More Prednisone to take, but not as much as the first dose, to get rid of the rash. The rash almost went away with the exception of a couple of bumps. This was as of 9/15/06.

Today is 9/30/06 and as I write this, my back is once again covered in the rash. I am now starting to get it on my lags and arms again as well. Bah! I started taking a Methylpred Pak again this morning. This will make the third time since mid-April.

I remain hopeful that this terrible rash will clear up, as it is uncomfortable and cause for great distress.

I am on my 7th day of 500mg/once a day clarithromycin, prescribed to me for a sinus infection. On the third day, I read all of the below comments and had a mild panic attack fueled by paranoia. Once I came back to reality, and in touch with my body, I realized which, in fact, of the common side effects I have been experiencing. The most notable is sleeplessnes. I have been having very intense dreams which have been waking me up every 30 to 45 minutes; upon waking my mind is charged and rearing to go. This side effect was attended to by a prescription of Ambien, made to me for this specific incidence. The Ambien has helped, I am now getting a solid 5 hours of sleep, still intense dreams, but sleep. For someone who typically requires 8 -10 hours a night, I find this 5 hour deal amusing. I don't feel particularly tired as a result, although I admit it has only been a week - it could catch up with me. This brings me to the other most obvious side effect, which I can only describe as mania - ready to go go go, constantly up, alert, ambitious (for what, I am not sure). Again, for a groggy girl like me these are actually welcome side effects! Other than that, I am experiencing a small amount of gas, and a slight spacieness (lack of sleep? or just an effect?). For these I have found lots of yougurt, fresh foods, and fluids, all in small servings and at regular intervals, ie: every 1 1/2 - 2 hours, to be allievating. My infection seems to have cleared up, I have a small amount of clear drainage in the morning, no more facial tenderness, headaches, and obviously my sense of fatigue is gone. All in all, I must say I would take this antibiotic again, which is not how I usually feel after most antibiotics I have, as an adult, taken.