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Health

Zithrocin

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025
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Zitrocin belongs to the macrolide subgroup. It has systemic action and antibacterial properties.

Indications Zithrocin

It is used in the process of eliminating inflammations and infections caused by bacteria that are hypersensitive to drugs:

  • lesions of the ENT and respiratory systems: tonsillitis with bronchitis, pneumonia with otitis media, whooping cough with sinusitis, as well as tonsillitis with scarlet fever;
  • skin infections and soft tissue lesions: secondary forms of dermatoses and impetigo with erysipelas;
  • diseases of the genitourinary tract: cervicitis with salpingitis, urethritis (gonorrheal/non-gonorrheal origin), as well as chalamydia with prostatitis;
  • infectious pathologies in the mouth: periostitis or periodontitis;
  • initial phase of borreliosis;
  • ulcers inside the duodenum or stomach (as a means of combination therapy) that arise as a result of exposure to the pathogenic microorganism Helicobacter pylori.

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Release form

Released in powder form (for making a suspension), inside a glass bottle with a volume of 30 ml. Inside the package - 1 bottle and a syringe with a measuring spoon.

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Pharmacodynamics

The drug has a wide range of pharmacological activity, belongs to the subcategory of macrolides - is an azalide drug. Forming high concentrations of the active substance inside the area affected by infection, it has a bactericidal effect. Synthesizing with ribosomes (their 50S subunit), it destroys protein biosynthesis inside pathogenic microbes.

Among the bacteria sensitive to the drug:

  • individual cocci from the gram-positive group: pyogenic streptococci with pneumococci, and in addition Streptococcus viridans, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae with streptococci of subclasses C and F or G;
  • microbes from the gram-negative group: Legionella pneumophila, Gardnerella vaginalis, Campylobacter jeuni and gonococci, as well as Moraxella catarrhalis, Bordet-Gengou bacteria, along with Pfeiffer and Ducrey bacilli, and also Parapertussis bacilli;
  • individual groups of anaerobes: Clostridia perfringens, the peptostreptococcus group, and in addition Bacteroides bivius;
  • Others: Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Treponema pallidum, Ureaplasma, Chlamydia trachomatis with Borrelia burgdorferi and Cryptosporidium with Toxoplasma gondii.

The drug does not affect bacteria from the gram-positive group that are resistant to erythromycin. In addition, many strains of staphylococci resistant to the substance methicillin, as well as fecal enterococci, are resistant to Zitrocin. At the same time, the drug demonstrates activity against microbes that produce β-lactamase.

Pharmacokinetics

Zitrocin is quickly absorbed while inside the gastrointestinal tract – this is due to the fact that the substance is resistant to high pH levels in the stomach, and in addition, lipophilic. On the first day of oral administration of 0.5 g of the drug, the maximum possible plasma level of the substance is observed after 2.5-2.96 hours, amounting to 0.4 mg / l. At the same time, the bioavailability indicator figures are 37%.

The drug is distributed within the respiratory system, organs with tissues of the genitourinary tract (this list also includes the prostate), and along with this, within the subcutaneous tissues and within the skin. High values of LS inside the tissues (exceed the plasma level by 10-50 times), and in addition, a fairly long period of its half-life are caused by the fact that azithromycin is rather weakly subjected to protein synthesis inside the plasma; at the same time, it is observed inside eukaryotic cells, and in addition, it accumulates in the lysosomes - in an environment with low acidity. As a result, the drug acquires high values of distribution volume (in the amount of 31.1 l / kg), and also clearance inside the blood plasma. The fact that azithromycin is able to accumulate mainly inside the lysosomes is extremely important for the removal of bacteria located inside the cells.

It is known that phagocytes transport the medicinal substance to the area of the infectious focus, where it is released - during phagocytosis. The level of the active component of the drug inside the inflamed tissues is higher than similar indicators inside healthy tissues (the average value is approximately 24-34%), and correlates with the severity of the swelling caused by the inflammation. Although the medicinal component is concentrated in large quantities inside the phagocytes, it has little effect on their activity.

The drug in its bactericidal concentrations remains inside the affected area for about 5-7 days from the moment of taking the last dose of the drug, which makes it possible to take the drug in short courses (lasting 3 or 5 days).

Excretion occurs in 2 separate phases: half-life of 14-20 hours (a period of approximately 8-24 hours after taking the suspension), and 41 hours (a period of approximately 24-72 hours), and therefore the drug can be taken in a single dose per day.

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Dosing and administration

Zitrocin suspension is usually prescribed to children, although adults can also take it (if it is not possible to take the drug in tablet form).

For children whose weight is between 10-45 kg:

  • during infections in the respiratory tract (lower or upper section), in the subcutaneous layer or skin: taking the drug in the amount of 10 mg/kg during a course of 3 days;
  • chronic stage of Lyme borreliosis: a 5-day course of treatment is required with the drug taken daily, 1 dose. On the 1st day, it is necessary to take 20 mg/kg of the drug, and on the remaining 4 days – 10 mg/kg.

For teenagers weighing more than 45 kg, as well as adults:

  • lesions of the skin, respiratory organs and subcutaneous layer: daily intake of 0.5 g of the drug for 3 days (total dose for the entire course - 1.5 g) or 0.5 g on the first day of the course, and then, during the 2nd-5th days - 0.25 g per day;
  • chronic form of tick-borne borreliosis: 5-day treatment course with 1 g of the drug on the first day, and then, over the next 4 days, 0.5 g;
  • infections affecting the genitourinary system: a single dose of 1 g of the drug;
  • during combination therapy to eliminate ulcers inside the stomach or duodenum (caused by Helicobacter pylori): take the drug at a dose of 1 g/day for 3 days.

If for some reason a dose of the medicine was missed, the medicine must be taken as quickly as possible, and then new doses must be taken, observing an interval of 24 hours.

It is recommended to take the suspension separately from food - either 1 hour before eating or 2 hours after.

Preparation of suspension.

You need to boil water, then cool it, then pour it into the bottle where the medicinal powder is (up to the 30 ml mark indicated on it), and then shake it. Then you need to hold the medicine at a temperature of up to 25 o C (about 5 minutes).

After this, you should check the level of the liquid in the bottle: if the volume of the finished suspension does not reach 30 ml, you need to add more water to the bottle and shake it again. A completely filled small measuring spoon contains 2.5 ml of the drug (100 mg), and a completely filled large one contains 5 ml of the substance (200 mg).

After using the suspension, the child must be given liquid to wash it down with in order to swallow any remaining medicine in the mouth.

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Use Zithrocin during pregnancy

Prescribing the drug during pregnancy is permitted only in cases where the benefit to the woman outweighs the risk of complications to the fetus.

During the period of taking Zitrocin during lactation, it is necessary to stop breastfeeding.

Contraindications

Main contraindications: hypersensitivity to the components of the drug and use in children whose weight has not reached 10 kg.

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Side effects Zithrocin

In general, when taking the drug, a fairly low frequency of side effects is noted. They mainly affect the gastrointestinal tract: such disorders as loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, and bloating are observed. Occasionally, a temporary increase in liver transaminase activity was noted.

Signs of allergy may also appear, such as urticaria, rashes, eosinophilia, and neutropenia/neutrophilia. Normalization of indicators is often observed 2-3 weeks after completion of the therapeutic course.

Overdose

As a result of intoxication, the victim may experience a feeling of weakness and temporary hearing loss, as well as severe vomiting with nausea, as well as diarrhea.

If necessary, perform gastric lavage, then give the patient activated charcoal, perform hemosorption and carry out procedures that will restore the water-salt balance in the body and remove irritation in the gastrointestinal tract.

Interactions with other drugs

When using the drug in combination with antacids, it is necessary to maintain intervals between their doses of at least 2 hours.

Azithromycin is not synthesized with enzymes that are part of the hemeprotein complex 450, which distinguishes it from many macrolides. Because of this, the drug has almost no interaction with substances such as ergotamine and carbamazepine, as well as cyclosporine with digoxin and theophylline with other xanthine derivatives, as well as triazolam, phenytoin and orally taken anticoagulants.

Tetracycline and chloramphenicol potentiate the medicinal properties of azithromycin, but lincosamides, on the contrary, weaken them.

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Storage conditions

The suspension must be stored in a place protected from light and moisture, and at the same time inaccessible to children. Storage temperature indicators are no more than 30°C.

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Shelf life

Zitrocin can be used for no more than 2 years from the date of manufacture of the drug. At the same time, the finished suspension has a 5-day shelf life (it must be kept in the refrigerator).

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Attention!

To simplify the perception of information, this instruction for use of the drug "Zithrocin" translated and presented in a special form on the basis of the official instructions for medical use of the drug. Before use read the annotation that came directly to medicines.

Description provided for informational purposes and is not a guide to self-healing. The need for this drug, the purpose of the treatment regimen, methods and dose of the drug is determined solely by the attending physician. Self-medication is dangerous for your health.

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