Side affects are different for everyone. Although stomach upset/loose or diarrhea seems to be a common theme. That's why so many of us take probiotics and eat yogurt and such. Your liver will be checked on a regular basis...Probably every time you see the doc, you will have blood work. I haven't had any issues with the liver, if that is helpful for you. Be prepared to go longer than 18 months as it may happen. Your eyes and hearing will be checked on a regular basis as well. It's a long haul, persistence helps and a good attitude, exercise, airway clearance and staying away from possible exposures. It can take a few hours a day to put this at bay with nebulizing, water boiling, cleaning equipment, exercising, but they are all VERY important to get healthy. Best wishes, hang in there, there's people out here that understand!

Welcome to Mayo Connect. In this group we all share the unwelcome diagnosis of MAC and/or bronchiectasis, and everyone is generous in sharing their experiences. @northland gave you very good information - after a while you may feel like a pin cushion - but the effects need to be monitored. One helpful bit of advice I was given by my primary when she heard what drugs I was taking - DO NOT drink alcohol or do anything else to tax your body's ability to handle breaking down and eliminating the antibiotics. This is especially true if you have another underlying conditions (like CLL) that also impact your liver and may require other drugs.

Another sometimes-ignored way to help yourself is rigorous airway clearance to help get the mucus (hiding place for germs) out of your lungs. If your doc has not gotten you started on it, you might want to ask for a respiratory therapy consult. They will show you how to do it, and probably provide a small hand-held device to assist.

Be sure to wander around the various posts in the group to learn how others are working to get healthy.
Are you seeing a pulmonologist for your care?
Sue