Wasn’t sure where to post this. Hope here is ok. Am not looking for medical advice, just asking what would you do in my situation.
I was diagnosed with acute bronchitis last Wednesday. I was put on a z-PAC. I took my last one Sunday. My sugars never returned to normal and now they seem to be running even higher. My biggest concern is that about 12’years ago, my wife and I both had bronchitis at the same time. Went to the same urgent care. She was given a 10 day antibiotic. I was given a z-PAC. 10 days later, she was well on the way to recovery and I had pneumonia. Would you give your sugars more time to return to normal or try to see a doctor under similar circumstances.
Hmm. Eerie. The winter before this, my wife and I both had bronchitis and we were both given antibiotics, which cleared it right up.
As to your question, if I’m reading you have been high for a week. A week would be long enough for me to seek assistance. I’d start by finding out whether that is a common side effect of the medication, and then go from there.
Followup: I found at least one reference that suggests that a z-pak is (or contains) a corticosteroid. If that’s correct, it would be extremely likely to elevate blood sugar (most steroids do). This definitely calls for further investigation. I’d pursue it diligently if it were me.
< rant>
Why oh WHY don’t doctors warn their diabetic patients about steroids? It’s hardly a secret. Grrrrr.
< /rant>
Thanks for the info. Somebody told me it contained a steroid but I didn’t trust the source. I trust you. Back to running low grade fever so I’m going to the doctor this afternoon.
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Well, I only found the one reference, so do some checking to be sure. But it sure looks likely from here.
If you were prescribed an azithromycin z-pak, it does NOT contain prednisone/steroids. I’ve had them many times for sinus infections, and googling will confirm that they are just azithromycin. However, prednisone is often prescribed for bronchitis—did your doctor give you any other meds? Are you sure what you got was azithromycin?
There is some confusion in the nomenclature. On the internet (the infallible source of all knowledge and wisdom), the terms are often mixed up or used together when they shouldn’t be. Cut to the chase: find out what’s actually in the stuff you are taking. That will give you your answer.
I think you were smart to see the doctor again. I suspect you still have an infection. Infections, by themselves, can cause elevated blood glucose for some time in people with diabetes. I’ve been treated with the z-pack antibiotic for a sinus infection and one time I had to undergo a second course to eliminate the infection. I remember feeling a lot better within 24 hours after starting the antibiotic but my more normal diabetic blood glucose control took many days to recover.