Acne Azithromycin medication advice

Acne is a common skin disorder among children and young adults that carries enormous financial and psychosocial impact. Approximately 40 percent of adolescents below the age of 15 years develop physiological acne and in 15 percent of these patients the acne is sufficiently troublesome to merit a visit to a dermatologist. The adequate treatment will reduce the severity of the problem and the long-term risk of scarring.

The choice of treatment depends on the severity of condition. A patient with mild acne should receive topical therapy. In moderate-to-severe acne, systemic treatment is required in most cases, using antibiotics, and oral retinoids. As a first line treatment, most doctors recommend the use of antibiotics, including tetracyclines, doxycycline, minocycline, and erythromycin. Recently, azithromycin has been added to this list. Comparative clinical trials have shown that the tolerability of azithromycin is superior to that of erythromycin and doxycycline. Moreover, tetracyclines can cause both mucocutaneous and systemic side effects.

The unique pharmacological properties of azithromycin, together with its effectiveness, make it a highly suitable medication for the treatment of acne. The drug shows anti-inflammatory effects and demonstrates activity against many bacteria, including Propionibacterium acnes.

Acne Azithromycin medication advice

Azithromycin has many advantages compared to other antibiotics. It is more stable than erythromycin in low gastric pH. It produces fewer gastrointestinal side effects and presents no major drug interactions. It also appears to be safer than tetracycline antibiotics. Finally, the possible efficacy of a less frequent dosage improves compliance, cost-effectiveness and tolerability.

The latest research confirms that azithromycin is a safe, and effective antibiotic with minimal side effects and good compliance, even in adolescents. Moreover, it is not photosensitizing, unlike tetracyclines. In clinical study azithromycin proved to be successful within 8 weeks of treatment in 88.5 percent of patients.

Because there are people who do not respond to or tolerate the tetracyclines, macrolide antibiotic azithromycin is a good alternative for acne treatment.