Z pack dosage

[Worriedsick2019]

Hi All. I have a question I have searched on here to find but cannot. I see a lot of people asking about z pack curing chlamydia/gonorrhea and the common response is “It has to be 1g at once to work.” I’m confused by this. 1 g is 1,500mg. The typical z pack is 1,500mg total over the course of 5 days. 500mg on day one and then 250mg the next four days. So my question is, why would it HAVE to be 1,000mg of z pack at once to work rather than also 1,500 over 5 days?

[Dadz1990]

Hey,

Zpack works differently for different illnesses. Years of studies have shown the best treatment for chlamydia is 1g taken at once. That doesn't mean that  a higher dosage won’t work, it’s just proven not to be as effective.

Just for information Zpack seems to becoming less effective at treating chlamydia especially in the rectal area so some countries have changed the prescription method for zpack (most use doxycycline now but for ones with zpak) 1g as single dose on day one followed by one 500mg for the following two days.

Also I wouldn’t rellly on Zpack for gonnorhea its become someone resistant and not many professionals reccomend it, for the ones that do 2g as a single dose is most likely to work.

[Worriedsick2019]

First, thank you for the reply! A lot of good information. I’m still left with the question of wondering how 1,000mg of zithromycin taken at once is more efficient than 1,500mg taken over 4 days. Could there really be that much difference when in fact you’re taking MORE total over four days? For reference, i’m referring to chlamydia/gon in the penis from receiving oral sex. Thanks again!

[Dadz1990]

The tablets have an half life. That means over time the dosage in your body lowers. To a level where it’s not effective anymore. The 1g STAT keeps the dosage high enough to kill chlamydia. Taking 500g first and 250g won’t achieve that level at all or not for long enough.

That’s the science

[Worriedsick2019]

So taking 750mg in 24 hours does nothing but only 250mg more does the trick?

[Dadz1990]

Like I said, it’s not that 750mg over 24 hours won’t do anything it may or may not. But 1g stat needs to be absorbed into the body this enables enough of the drug to fight the infection at a high enough level to sustain it. And it’s not 1g over 24 hours it’s 1g stat. So your comment hear is not comparable.

[auntiejessi]

To clarify a couple of things further -

People aren't taking a ZPack when they treat chlamydia. They are taking the same medication in a different way.

Azithromycin is often taken as a ZPack, and it works really well for loads of infections. It doesn't for chlamydia.

Also, 1gm isn't 1,500mg. It's 1000 mg.

[Dadz1990]

Hey,
Thanks Jessi for the input. I think we have a difference in dialect here. In the UK (not sure where poster is) Zpack is slang for Azithromycin. It’s not a name for a specific dosage.
Interesting lesson learnt.

[auntiejessi]

Yes, a ZPack is azithromycin, but a ZPack is actually a pre-packaged 5 day course, at least here in the US. And I just learned that it's Z-Pak. Cute.

This is an image of what it looks like -

https://www.grxstatic.com/d4fuqqd5l3dbz/products/tms/Package_14438.JPG