Is Budesonide Safe To Take With Azithromycin?
In our latest question and answer, our pharmacist discusses the safety of combining budesonide and azithromycin.
Is it ok to take inhaled budesonide with oral azithromycin?
Dec 26, 2022- Budesonide and azithromycin are safe to use together with no known drug interaction between them. If you are taking a budesonide combination inhaler like Symbicort, talk to your pharmacist or doctor since the other ingredient in the inhaler may interact with azithromycin.
Answer
There is no known drug interaction between budesonide and azithromycin. They are considered safe to use together. This applies to both oral budesonide and inhaled budesonide.
In fact, there are several studies (such as this one) that have evaluated the use of both drugs together to help treat inflammatory conditions, such as bronchitis and COPD. These studies have generally found the combination has positive results with few safety concerns regarding their combined use.
What For Drug Combinations
I will say, however, that there are several drug products that contain budesonide as a component that do interact with azithromycin. One such example is Symbicort.
Symbicort is an inhaler that contains two drugs:
- Budesonide
- Formoterol
Budesonide is a corticosteroid while formoterol is known as a LABA, or long-acting beta agonist.
Long-acting beta-agonists have been reported to increase the risk of certain types of arrhythmia, like QT-prolongation. This has been reported with azithromycin as well and it is recommended, if possible, to avoid combining drugs that both increase the risk of arrhythmia.
Azithromycin has been particularly noted as being risky for causing QT-prolongation, so much so that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has released safety warnings regarding it.
In your question, you only asked about budesonide, and, as mentioned, that is safe. I just wanted to point out that budesonide can be found in combination with other drugs, and you need to be careful with some of those.
Final Words
I hope you found this answer helpful.
Please reach back out anytime!
References & sources
- FDA Drug Safety Communication: Azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax) and the risk of potentially fatal heart rhythms — FDA
- Clinical observation of aerosol inhalation of azithromycin combined with budesonide suspension in the treatment of mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children — PubMed
- Azithromycin modulates release of steroid-insensitive cytokines from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — PubMed
- Therapeutic effect of budesonide, montelukast and azithromycin on post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans in children — PubMed
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Corticosteroid
- A type of anti-inflammatory medication that reduces swelling and immune system activity in the body.
- LABA
- Short for long-acting beta agonist; a medication that opens airways in the lungs for extended periods to help with breathing.
- Arrhythmia
- An irregular heartbeat where the heart beats too fast, too slow, or in an uneven pattern.
- QT-prolongation
- A heart condition where a specific electrical activity in the heart takes longer than normal, which can lead to dangerous irregular heartbeats.
- Drug interaction
- When two or more medications affect each other in ways that change how they work or increase the risk of side effects.
- COPD
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; a long-term lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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