Biaxin and pneumonia

My time on Biaxin was one of the most TERRIFYING experiences of my life! (And I’m a cancer survivor, haha).
It all started when a doctor put me on Biaxin (500mg) for having Pneumonia. I was to take one pill at night and one pill in the morning for a week. The 1st day on the Biaxin was fine. Then the second night, I started to experience changes in my behavior. I began to cry and become extremely emotional to minor things.
The 3rd day I woke up and took my pill and started to feel extreme pressure pushing on my brain. I also got very agitated, grumpy, hyper, and over stimulated. That night I took my Biaxin pill and got 0 hrs of sleep. I was up all night paranoid, scared, hallucinating, crying, shaking, nervous energy, pacing back and forth, thinking in my head “what is happening to me!” The next morning, I took my Biaxin pill and then experienced the same horrific side effects. I was calling my family and telling them that something is going wrong in my head and I need help. It was as if I was having a panic attack. My stomach cramped up, my head hurt, and my heart was beating 10x its normal pace. I also felt hopelessness, couldn’t concentrate, shortness of breath, and worst of all the feeling of paranoia and the thought that my mind is being possessed.
Finally, I got on the internet and looked up “side effects of Biaxin”. Thank god I found this website and was able to see I wasn’t alone. I called my family and told them it’s the Biaxin making me crazy. That day I went and saw my doctor and he said, “Yes, Biaxin can cause emotional distress and all of those other horrible things you are going through." He says it is rare to get that many crazy side effects, but it is possible. He said to stop taking it, and go home and rest. I needed to allow my body to recover from what has happened the last 4 days.
I will never take Biaxin again for as long as I live. I literally thought I was going insane. The feelings and thoughts I was having was absolute torture and an emotional rollercoaster. I thank this website and all of you for your posts. This website truly helped me discover that Biaxin is a dangerous drug that is not intended for everybody. Especially not me!!!!!

I had been with a cold for 2 months and could not see anything on the xray. I had chest pains in one lung and couldn't take in enough oxygen. My doctor after a third xray and seeing possible scaring on the right lung, couldn't identify pneumonia as the problem. Because it was the 24th of Dec., she prescribed Biaxin to try to get rid of the issue. It is now the 28th, I have been on the drug for 4 full days and can finally breath better. The pain is also decreasing. I can tough out the metal taste as this is the only side effect I have.

I'm on my seventh day out of 10 with BiaxinXL 500mg for pneumonia. I take 2 pills at supper time and so far so good: only 1 diarrhea 12 hours after the first dose. No metallic taste at all. I do drink a lot of water as is recommended when you have any infection to help your body eliminate it. I sleep well and after only 2 days of treatment my secretions were clearer. I took Advil for the first four days to help me with the side effects of the disease. I take medication exceptionally because,fortunately, I am rarely sick but I will take all of the pills prescribed by my doctor because I don't want to deal with some super resistant bacteria later on.

This is my second day on Biaxin for pneumonia. It is horrible. I hate taking it. The taste in my mouth is horrible. The worst thing is not being able to sleep. I feel like I have taken an upper or something. My eyes won't shut and I watch the hours pass by. I don't feel tired at all and I know my body needs to rest to get better. The other thing that was really bad was the for about two hours after taking it I will sweat and feel hot and then I get the chills. It has happened with all four pills I have taken.

Have pneumonia currently and given generic Biaxin for 10 days. I am only on the second day, but I do currently have a headache (rarely ever get headaches normally). Also, this taste in my mouth is awful, but I can tolerate that alright. I do already feel a measurable difference in the infection in my lungs already so that is good. I am not depressed or anything else (yet). I had a nightmare about an oversize centipede on my bedroom wall. I was convinced it was there. I turned the light on, looking for this thing that in reality, was not there at all. My stomach is fine as I take 4 or 5 probiotics every time I have take a Biaxin tablet. I am also on Prednisone.

Hi All

Don't know what to do.. Been daignosed with Pneumonia, completed 7 days of Amoxicillan 500mg and now on day 4 of Clarithromycin 500mg, and 7 day course of Prednisolone 40mg per day.
Like everyone else, the most horrific taste in my mouth tried everything to rid of it. It is Sat night and I am NOT going to take my next dose of Clarithromycin as it is upsetting me so much. I will have to wait until Monday am to speak to my doctor and hopefully he can give me something else. I am still struggling with pneumonia however I will take the risk. The bad taste, and upset tum must be the worst side effects ever what do you all think? The companies surely mus be able to something about this and put us patients out of our misery!!

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,

Being a registered nurse, I know that all medications have potential for side effects. And with this type of forum, it is important to know that people who do not have side effects often don't write in BLOGS so there is a very biased view of the totallity of effects. Having said that, I've been on Biaxin XL for 4 days. This medication has really messed with my stomach since day 1. Starting day 2 was the night sweats and vivid nightmares. Nighmares puts it lightly- it was more like night panic. Day 3 started with diarrhea. So now I'm at day 4 with all my sweat, shakes, nausea, cramps, diarrhea and I can't wait to go to bed to have more nightmares. What can happen to me next?

I got the metalic bitter taste in my mouth from Clarithromycin. I'm taking it for pneumonia.
No diarrea yet though!
Boy do I feel better after just 4 doses. But that metalic taste sucks.

This pill should honestly be banned and taken off from the market! I too took this pill for about 5/7 days and experienced major problems with first and foremost, INSOMNIA! Nervousness, slight panic attacks, and my hands were extremely shaky as a result. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS ANTIBIOTIC!

What I find interesting is, how is a person supposed to get better if he/she can't sleep at night, and that is when the body does most of "healing". If anything, the body goes into a stage of fatique and the body does not recuperate the way it was meant to. When I had pneumonia, I was on hardcore antibiotics (2 actually), and NEVER experienced such side effects as with this useless pill. Maybe it does work, but the side effects overpower the benefits.

I was prescribed Biaxin XL for pneumonia and wish I never took it. I am going out of my mind. I am an artist and I couldn't paint nor choose colour. I was having a hard time walking, felt disoriented, panic, yelling out while sleeping. I am also suffering from intense pain in my neck radiating down my arm and up into my ear. I had a terrible reaction to sulpha one time and I should have learned my lesson then. I will immediately turn to natural rememdies from here on in.

Following a bout of pneumonia that would not resolve after 2 courses of treatment with Augmentin, a bronchoscopy was done and large amts of pus were washed out of my lungs. I was also diagnosed with a chronic case of sinuisitis. My pulmonologist prescribed BIAXIN XL, 2 x 500mg daily, as followup to my lung problems and to treat the chronic sinuisitis. I am supposed to take Baxin for 6 weeks. Yes, I repeat 6 weeks!!! After the first week of treatment, I developed severe leg cramps. I informed my doctor and he prescribed quinine sulfate for my leg cramps. The quinine seemed to help the leg cramps at first, however, I have now been on Baxin for 3 weeks and the leg cramps are recurring, but worse. They have caused loss of sleep & I seem to be quite restless Since I haven't had leg cramps in the last 5 years, and since they began once on Baxin, I can't help but believe this side effect is due to the antiobiotic.

Only been on for 5 days. Was just checking the web to see if I was going crazy or if all this stuff is "normal". Taking the Biaxin extended release, for pneumonia. I too have experienced:
- Sleeplessness
- Night sweats
- nightmares (I dread bedtime!)
- Horrible metalic taste (which I think is causing me to clench my teeth and giving me a headache)
- some abominal discomfort
- dizziness,
- physically larthargic, but mentally energized; can't seem to shut my brain off

I took it at night the first three times and then switched to mornings to see if I could sleep any better. It didn't help. The symptoms just last 24 hours now. When I took it at night, I didn't notice side effects so much in the day. But then I was so tired from not sleeping - it's hard to tell what's causing what.

I was given a prescription of Biaxin 500mg to treat a severe respiratory infection. I became quite ill after the second pill. I had vomiting, diarrhea, high fever,a tremendous back pain, lack of sleep and appetite. The worst part is that it also came with a huge headache by the third day, and could not take anything for it or keep anything down, so dehydration became a factor. A call to my Dr. went with the explanation that this happens sometimes. New medication was called in. I don't understand as to why we are given all this new drugs that are so ineffective, are dangerous and more expensive. We are all little guinea pigs. I must note the three years ago I had pneumonia, which this turned out to be, and I felt better within days. Today we are not so lucky. What a shame!