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How MAC patients have tolerated taking the 3 antibiotics
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Aug 14 10:56am | Replies (84)Comment receiving replies
Hi, my name is Mary. I was diagnosed with MAC lung disease in March 2024 after 2 weeks in the hospital. On June 15 I started on Azithromycin, Ethambutol, Rifampin and Amikacin IV daily. I was only on the IV for 1 week when my ID switched me to Arikayce (Inhaled Amikacin). I tàke Azithromycin and Ethambutol in the morning after breakfast, Arikayce at 5:30 and Rifampin before bed. I also take a probiotic at 12 noon so I have at least 4 hrs. between any antibiotic and the probiotic. The first 2 weeks I was nauseous and had no appetite. After that it got better and so far I seem to be tolerating them pretty well.
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I also started to take the three antibiotics a little over a month now but had such problems with Rifampin that my doctor took me off of that one and we added arikayce and I seem to be tolerating that quite well.
I do have extreme fatigue lightheadedness and this nauseous feeling shortly after taking the two antibiotics also some pains in the calf of my leg especially when getting up in the morning. I am 82 years old and very underweight 5’6”and 101 pounds. I have lost so much weight and I am so frail now I’m afraid to go anywhere by myself. I cannot walk into a store without being so out of breath I have to sit down. Had to start using a walker which I never had to do before.
My disease started in 2018 I was treated for 12 months with just two antibiotics by my pulmonologist. Seem to get better but came back about a year ago with a vengeance this time. A few of the Nodules grew to 15 and 17 showed up on my last CT scan so was referred to a ID doctor. He did say two antibiotics to treat disease is not enough I should’ve been put on three. I couldn’t stay on the Rifampin more than a year the first time around the second time I couldn’t tolerate it more than two weeks. So I’m hoping this treatment of two antibiotics and Arikayce well shrink the nodules and restore my health at least to some extent, anything would be better than what I have now.