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Azithromycin, Ethanbutol, & Rifampin Drug Therapy for MAC
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (117)Comment receiving replies
I have an interdisciplinary team of doctors...Pulmonary, ID, Rheumatologist, Ophthalmologist, & ENT, working on my behave, all connected through our health care system. The ID doc is covering the medication page and sees me accordingly. I believe because I am so early on in this...he is waiting to see if I can tolerate this plan. I began with just the two Azithromycin 500 & Ethambutol 1200 ...will add the rifampin 600 on Sunday...this cocktail is 3 xweek. No alternatives have been offered yet. Comments made before beginning this protocol were “not everyone takes treatment “... I however met “qualifications “ low BMI and fear of weight loss, plus the persistent chest & back pains. I guess I am still too early on in this. My doctors are a good, compassionate, & professional team and we communicate easily via a healthcare portal. ID will follow me with labs for liver function...pulmonary for PFT. My next hurdle will be (if I tolerate meds) how to produce sputum for cultures...I have never had fever, cough, or sputum production. My MAC was confirmed after the bronchoscopy.
Replies to "I have an interdisciplinary team of doctors...Pulmonary, ID, Rheumatologist, Ophthalmologist, & ENT, working on my behave,..."
I have been put on too many schedules of dosing that I'm getting really upset and confused .my Infectious disease Drs are four on a rotating schedule so I've seen three different Drs in a year .Was down to eighty lbs when I decided to try to kill this ntm because everyone told me the cachexia I now have will begin to go away .and my appetite will return but after two months of a low dose of ethanbutol daily and now anzithromycin a low dose everyday I'm really not sure if this is the right thing .No coughing no diarrhea no sputum as yet but so dizzy I can't get off my bed !!! I must can't function anymore .Drs here are impossible to bet a hold of !! Everyone is becoming to really hate me no support from anyone ..I think I was better off with the ntm as now I see a lifetime of tests more drugs and in the house since covid !!
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I am so happy to hear you have a team dealing with this - it is the best approach, especially if they are in communication with one another.
One way to produce sputum, which I needed to use during treatment, was to nebulize with 10% saline solution under supervision of the pulmonology nurse. Man, it was irritating, but I was able to produce enough for a good culture. Near the end, she would also do a little manual percussion on my back to help me along.
Sue