Azithromycin Causes Less GI Upset in Teen Acne Patients - gastrointestinal

0 Comments | Family Practice News, May 1, 2000 | by Sharon Worcester

MIAMI BEACH -- Azithromycin is a good choice for treating acne in adolescents, Dr. Lawrence A. Schachner said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference sponsored by the University of Miami.

Some other antibiotics, such as erythromycin, can cause a lot of gastrointestinal upset, which does not go over very well in this population. But the incidence of gastrointestinal problems with azithromycin is less than 5%, said Dr. Schachner, director of pediatric dermatology at the university.

"And if you use Zithromax pulse therapy, the cost is less than $50 a month," he said.

Pulsed approaches that have been reported as effective include 3 days on, 7 days off for three cycles, and treatment with 250 mg on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 10 weeks. Both of these approaches were at least as effective as Minocin, 100 mg/day the physician said.

Dr. Schachner prefers the standard Zithromax dosage kit, which includes a first day's dosage of 500 mg, followed by 250-mg dosages on days 2-5. This regimen is repeated each month and has worked well for young patients, he said.

Another approach includes treatment with two pulses per month, one starting on the first of each month and one starting on the 15th. This approach, reported by Dr. B. Elewski, has resulted in no vaginal candidiasis after hundreds of uses and no adverse effect on the efficacy of birth control pills, Dr. Schachner noted.

Dr. Elewski has also successfully used Zithromax for 5 days prior to menstruation in women who have acne flares associated with their menstrual periods.