Stomach upset

You likely will adjust- are you taking it with food? Some people find that if they take it with a snack close to bedtime, they can sleep off the nausea.

I hope I adjust to taking it and I did take it when meals this week.

I agree with the others that it may just take a little time to adjust. Some people take theirs before they go to bed, so they sleep through the worst of it. If taking with food doesn't work, you might try that.

I ended up taking all three of the antibiotics near bedtime with a small snack. It was not the ideal, but as the pulmonologist's nurse explained, "less than ideal is better than quitting ." Also, I took a good probiotice every day, and had live culture yogurt in a smoothie each day.
Sue

That’s 7 pills at one time, I’m not sure if I will be able to do that without throwing them up. I’m having anxiety over this thinking I can do this, no I can’t.

It’s normal to have anxiety about getting the medication down at the beginning- I remember feeling that I was poisoning myself
After a while you find a routine that works for you and it no longer takes up so much mental bandwidth
For me, that routine was azithromycin and ethambutol during breakfast
Rifampin was either first thing when I got up or later morning appropriately separated from food
It feels overwhelming at the beginning but you will find a way to make it work for you. Remember that if the nausea is a major issue, changing timing of doses, dietary modifications eg smaller more frequent meals and even anti nausea medication might help
Be patient as your mind and body adjust.

Thank you for the encouraging words. That’s how I feel like I’m poisoning my body. I’m just scared. I’m going to try harder this week. Thank you again.

What worked best for me was ethambutol w/breakfast, rifampin at 10, AZ w/dinner, rifampin at 8pm.

Well, when you go on long-term antibiotic therapy, it does feel a bit like going on chemo. You have to use powerful drugs to find the very stubborn mycobacteria deep in your lungs and kill them. Unfortunately, in the process, we also kill friendly bacteria in our bodies and have to deal with the side effects.
But, just like chemo, there is light at the end of the ordeal. You just have to make adjustments along the way.
We have a strong community here to encourage you and offer suggestions. One thing you might consider is to try listening to some soothing music, relaxation or meditation tapes or similar to help relax you. Or can you find a clergy person or trusted friend to chat with?
Sue

My Dr gave me ondansetron. The macrolides don’t make me nauseous but I the imipenem did.