Theramycin

Oral:

Oral erythromycin is a prescription medication used to treat infections caused by bacteria, such as respiratory tract infections, intestinal infections, ear infections, urinary tract infections, skin infections, and venereal disease.

Topical:

Topical erythromycin is a prescription medication used to treat acne vulgaris. The ophthalmic ointment is used to treat infections of the eye.

Injectable:

Injectable erythromycin is a prescription medication used to treat infections caused by bacteria, such as respiratory tract infections, intestinal infections, urinary tract infections, skin infections, and venereal disease.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• Other antibiotics
• Anticoagulants, such as warfarin (Coumadin)
• Astemizole (Hismanal)
• Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
• Cisapride (Propulsid)
• Clozapine (Clozaril)
• Colchicine
• Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune)
• Digoxin (Lanoxin)
• Disopyramide (Norpace)
• Ergotamine
• Felodipine (Plendil)
• Lovastatin (Mevacor)
• Phenytoin (Dilantin)
• Pimozide (Orap)
• Terfenadine (Seldane)
• Theophylline (Theo-Dur)
• Triazolam (Halcion)
• Verapamil (Calan, Verelan)

This is not a complete list of erythromycin drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Oral:

Serious side effects have been reported with erythromycin including the following:

• Severe skin rash
• Itching
• Hives
• Difficulty breathing or swallowing
• Wheezing
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes
• Dark skin
• Pale stools
• Unusual tiredness
• Vaginal infections

Topical:

Serious side effects have been reported with erythromycin including the following:

• Irritation at the site of application, including dryness, redness, itching, and burning
• Redness, itching, stinging, or burning of the eye

Ophthalmic erythromycin can also cause blurred vision. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how erythromycin affects you.

Injectable:

Serious side effects have been reported with erythromycin including the following:

• Cardiac complications, including QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias
• Allergic reactions with skin reactions ranging from mild rash to widespread redness, necrosis, and detachment of the epidermis

Do not take erythromycin if you:

• are allergic to erythromycin or to any of its ingredients
• are taking terfenadine (Seldane)
• are taking astemizole (Hismanal)

Before taking erythromycin, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to erythromycin or to any of its ingredients
• are allergic to azithromycin (Zithromax), clarithromycin (Biaxin), or dirithromycin (Dynabac)
• have or have had yellowing of the skin or eyes
• have liver problems
• have heart problems
• have stomach problems, especially colitis
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Erythromycin falls into category B.

There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with erythromycin. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication, and the babies did not show any medical issues related to this medication.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Erythromycin has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from erythromycin, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.