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Azithromycin Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of azithromycin include off label use, chronic kidney disease, and dyspnoea, based on 94,699 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 6.8% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Azithromycin side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for azithromycin.

1
Off Label Use9.8%9,286
2
Drug Ineffective6.8%6,419
3
Chronic Kidney Disease6.0%5,643
4
Dyspnoea5.8%5,527
5
Acute Kidney Injury4.7%4,494
6
Pneumonia4.4%4,156
7
Drug Hypersensitivity4.3%4,041
8
Nausea4.3%4,027
9
Cough4.1%3,865
10
Diarrhoea3.9%3,660
11
Fatigue3.8%3,584
12
Renal Failure3.7%3,548
13
Pain3.6%3,375
14
Headache3.2%3,037
15
Asthma3.0%2,853

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that azithromycin caused these reactions.

Report severity

74.6%Serious70,666 reports
36.1%Hospitalizations34,142 reports
8.9%Fatal8,461 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Azithromycin drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside azithromycin. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Omeprazole5.8%5,483
2
Pantoprazole-sodium5.7%5,404
3
Esomeprazole5.4%5,084
4
Prednisone4.5%4,287
5
Hydroxychloroquine-sulfate4.4%4,183
6
Lansoprazole4.0%3,818
7
Ivacaftor3.7%3,464
8
Ceftriaxone-sodium3.4%3,263
9
Albuterol2.9%2,767
10
Amoxicillin2.8%2,647
11
Fluticasone2.7%2,517
12
Lenalidomide2.7%2,516
13
Acetaminophen2.6%2,483
14
Budesonide2.4%2,311
15
Dexamethasone2.2%2,112

Taken alongside

1
Albuterol19.2%18,207
2
Acetaminophen15.2%14,434
3
Prednisone13.9%13,127
4
Fluticasone12.1%11,441
5
Ergocalciferol10.7%10,148
6
Aspirin9.7%9,213
7
Furosemide9.1%8,662
8
Omeprazole9.0%8,483
9
Ibuprofen7.4%7,024
10
Montelukast-sodium7.4%7,023
11
Atorvastatin-calcium7.4%6,981
12
Amoxicillin7.3%6,942
13
Gabapentin7.3%6,907
14
Levothyroxine-sodium7.1%6,742
15
Lisinopril6.8%6,395

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports azithromycin side effects

54.6% of azithromycin adverse event reports involve female patients and 36.8% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 58%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female54.6%
Male36.8%
Unknown8.6%

Age group

< 22.0%
2–114.7%
12–173.7%
18–6458.5%
65+31.1%

What is azithromycin used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking azithromycin when the adverse event was reported.

Abdominal DiscomfortAbdominal InfectionAbdominal LymphadenopathyAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain LowerAbortionAbortion CompleteAbortion InducedAbortion ThreatenedAbscessAbscess LimbAbscess OralAcanthamoeba InfectionAccidental ExposureAcid Fast Bacilli Infection

Showing 15 of 2,070 indications

Azithromycin brand names and reporting trend

Azithromycin is sold under brand names including Zithromax, Trovan/zithromax Compliance Pak.

Brand names

Zithromax87,512
Trovan/zithromax Compliance Pak1,988

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking azithromycin with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.