Azithromycin and Toxic encephalopathy - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Toxic encephalopathy is reported as a side effect among people who take Azithromycin (azithromycin), especially for people who are female, 60+ old, have been taking the drug for < 1 month also take Vancomycin, and have Fever.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Toxic encephalopathy when taking Azithromycin. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 38,326 people who have side effects when taking Azithromycin from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Azithromycin?

Azithromycin has active ingredients of azithromycin. It is often used in sinusitis. eHealthMe is studying from 40,716 Azithromycin users. Check the latest studies of Azithromycin.

What is Toxic encephalopathy?

Toxic encephalopathy (a degenerative neurologic disorder caused by exposure to toxic substances) is found to be associated with 424 drugs and 616 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Toxic encephalopathy.

On Jul, 09, 2026

38,326 people reported to have side effects when taking Azithromycin.
Among them, 15 people (0.04%) have Toxic encephalopathy.

Could Azithromycin cause Toxic encephalopathy?

Among these 15 people:

How long have people been on Azithromycin when they have Toxic encephalopathy? *

What is the gender of people who have Toxic encephalopathy when taking Azithromycin? *

female: 64.29 %
male: 35.71 %

What is the age of people who have Toxic encephalopathy when taking Azithromycin? *

What are other drugs people take besides Azithromycin? *

Vancomycin: 7 people, 46.67%
Sulfamethoxazole And Trimethoprim: 4 people, 26.67%
Ceftriaxone: 3 people, 20.00%
Lidocaine: 2 people, 13.33%
Cabometyx: 2 people, 13.33%
Heparin: 2 people, 13.33%
Methylprednisolone: 2 people, 13.33%
Miralax: 2 people, 13.33%
Morphine: 2 people, 13.33%
Dexamethasone: 2 people, 13.33%

What are other side effects people have besides Toxic encephalopathy? *

Acute Respiratory Failure: 4 people, 26.67%
Tremor (trembling or shaking movements in one or more parts of your body): 3 people, 20.00%
Thrombocytopenia (decrease of platelets in blood): 3 people, 20.00%
Weakness: 3 people, 20.00%
Confusional State: 3 people, 20.00%
Pneumonia: 3 people, 20.00%
Metabolic Encephalopathy (disorder or disease of the brain due to the body's disability to use energy): 3 people, 20.00%
White Blood Cell Count Increased: 2 people, 13.33%
Blood Lactate Dehydrogenase Increased: 2 people, 13.33%
Electroencephalogram Abnormal: 2 people, 13.33%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Fever: 5 people, 33.33%
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (bleeding disorder in which the immune system destroys platelets, which are necessary for normal blood clotting): 2 people, 13.33%
Renal Cell Carcinoma (a kidney cancer): 2 people, 13.33%
Pneumonia: 2 people, 13.33%
Deep Venous Thrombosis (blood clot in a major vein that usually develops in the legs and/or pelvis): 2 people, 13.33%
Dyspnea (difficult or laboured breathing): 2 people, 13.33%
Rheumatoid Arthritis (a chronic progressive disease causing inflammation in the joints): 2 people, 13.33%
Fibromyalgia (a long-term condition which causes pain all over the body): 1 person, 6.67%
Bone Marrow Conditioning Regimen: 1 person, 6.67%
Constipation: 1 person, 6.67%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Azithromycin and have Toxic encephalopathy?

- Check whether Toxic encephalopathy is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Azithromycin:

Azithromycin (40,716 reports)

Browse all side effects of Azithromycin:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Toxic encephalopathy:

Toxic encephalopathy (424 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Toxic encephalopathy:

Toxic encephalopathy (616 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

Jeong SY, Jeon SJ, Kim YR, Choi SS, Kwak HS, "A Rare Case of Viagra Induced Toxic Encephalopathy", Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2016 Sep .
Jeong SY, Jeon SJ, Kim YR, Choi SS, Kwak HS, "A Rare Case of Viagra Induced Toxic Encephalopathy", Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2016 Sep .

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on azithromycin (the active ingredients of Azithromycin) and Azithromycin (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.