Dosage of Biaxin for Adults, Children, and Infants
There is no "standard" dose of
Biaxin® (
clarithromycin) that is recommended for all situations. Your healthcare provider will calculate the appropriate dose by taking into account several factors, including:
- Your weight
- The severity of the infection
- The type of the infection
- The type of bacteria causing the infection.
Make sure to carefully follow your healthcare provider's dosage instructions, and do not adjust it unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
Also, make sure to finish your prescription, even if you start to feel better. Stopping Biaxin too soon could lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The length of time your healthcare provider recommends you take Biaxin will depend on the type and severity of your infection. Some infections can be treated with as few as seven days of Biaxin; others require much longer use.
People with severe kidney disease (or people with both liver and kidney disease) may need a lower or less frequent Biaxin dosage, as the liver and kidneys help to remove the medication from the body. Typically, the dosage is reduced by half or taken half as often.
General Information on Dosing With Biaxin
Some considerations for people taking Biaxin include the following:
- The medication comes as regular (immediate-release) tablets, extended-release tablets (Biaxin XL), and an oral suspension (a liquid).
- The regular tablets and oral suspension are usually taken twice a day (sometimes three times a day for certain infections). Biaxin XL is taken just once a day.
- Make sure to shake the oral suspension well before each dose.
- You can take Biaxin tablets or oral suspension with food or on an empty stomach. However, Biaxin XL tablets must be taken with food, as they may not work as well if you take them on an empty stomach.
- Biaxin can be taken at any time of the day; however, make sure to take your dose at the same time(s) each day -- every 12 hours (if you take it twice daily) or every 24 hours (if you take it once daily).
- For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Biaxin will not work if you stop taking it too soon.
- If you are unsure about anything related to your dosage or Biaxin dosing in general, please talk with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.
