Posted 3/13/2013 10:33 AM (GMT 0)
This is just my opinion, and of course you should always check with your doctor if you have concerns, but I personally, would not hesitate in taking zithromax. I think for my situation, the damage that Lyme is doing to my body is far greater than the slight risk of zithromax to do harm.
I looked into the study briefly again this morning and I read it right when it came out last May. According to the NEJM table that was published with the study, there were 85.2 cardiac deaths per million courses of zithromax. That works out to be a risk factor of 0.000008% as opposed to 0.000003% for amoxicillin. Yes that is a higher risk, but the overall risk is pretty small.
The warning about prolonged qt has been on most handouts for zithromax for a very long time. All of a sudden the FDA is bringing attention to it. Zith is prescribed very often in z-packs and insurance often resists covering it as long-term tablets. In my opinion, insurance companies have a lot to do with warnings that come out on meds. If you notice, the study pushes for using amoxicillin which is notoriously a very inexpensive medication as compared to zith. Biaxin (the main macrolide substitute) has a similar risk for cardiac incident. So do the fluoroquinolones.
It's a personal choice and each individual needs to look at the risk factors for their situation. I'm completely comfortable taking most oral antibiotics, but others are not. Nobody knows the "right" thing to do since there is no definitive treatment that works for everyone with chronic Lyme. I think that as long as I had a doctor I trust who monitors side effects carefully, I wouldn't hesitate in taking it.