Erythromycin
What is it? and What does it do?
erythromycin tablets
Erythromycin is an antibiotic used by people who are found to be allergic to penicillin to treat bacteria infections by preventing them from growing and multiplying. It is classified as a macrolide antibiotics, along side azithromycin and clarithromycin, and is commonly used to treat bacterial infections that cause acute pelvic inflammatory disease, erythrasma, various skin infections and upper and lower respiratory tract infections.
The History of Erythromycin
Erythromycin was formerly called Ilotycin as tribute to the Philippine province of Iloilo where it was first collected by a Filipino scientist named Abelardo Aguilar. A research team that was led by J. McGuire was then able to isolate erythromycin from the strain Streptomyces erythraea from the soil samples that was sent by Abelardo Aguilar to Eli Lilly and Company.
The company, Eli Lilly and Company, formally launched the product, Ilosone, in 1952 after being granted the patent on the same year. It is now more commonly referred to as EES or erythromycin ethylsuccinate.
The Uses of Erythromycin
erythromycin uses
Currently, erythromycin is available in enteric-coated tablets, gels, injections, ointments, ophthalmic solutions, oral suspensions and slow release capsules like eryc. Aside from EES and eryc, some of the most common brand names of erythromycin are e mycin and stearate. However, erythromycin is not considered over-the-counter medicine since you need to have a prescription for it during every purchase.
Erythromycin is specially used to treat the following bacterial infections –
- Acute pelvic inflammatory diseases
- Chlamydia
- Diphtheria or upper respiratory tract infection
- Erythrasma or skin infection
- Eye infections
- Gonorrhea
- Intestinal amebiasis
- Listeriosis
- Pneumonia caused by streptococcal pneumoniae, mycoplasma pneumoniae, legionella pneumophila
- Staphylococcal infections of the skin
- Streptococcal infections of the throat or more commonly referred to as strep throat
- Streptococcal infections of the skin
- Syphilis
- Whophing cough
erythromycin molecular structure
Erythromycin is also used in patients who have an adverse reaction to penicillin to prevent the recurrence of rheumatic fever and endocarditis or infections of the heart valves for patients with valvular anomalies especially when they undergo dental procedures. However, there are certain bacterial infections like Haemophilus influenzae that are resistant to erythromycin hence; it is typically treated in combination with another medication like sulfonamides.
Erythromycin is also sometimes used to treat acne, diabetic gastroparesis, Lyme disease and tetanus however; the FDA does not approve it for these purposes. Nevertheless, erythromycin is still not effective to treat viral infections like the flu or the common cold.
The Side Effects of Erythromycin
Erythromycin in general is safe for use regardless of age unless one is allergic to it however; erythromycin products that are applied on the skin should not be given to children below 12 years of age.
It is best to be aware of certain erythromycin side effects to avoid unnecessary worrying and trip to the doctor. Antibiotics like erythromycin do give out certain undesirable side effects like –
- Hearing problems
- Severe dizziness
- In rare case, it can cause liver damage.
- Mild diarrhea
- Myasthenia gravis or muscle weakness
- Nausea or upper stomach pain
- Night sweats
- Pseudomembranous colitis is a potentially fatal condition when there is a large amount of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract.
- Pyloric stenosis in infants
- QT prolongation is when your heart rhythm changes and is especially dangerous for people with QT syndrome.
- Vomiting
- Yeast infections since erythromycin kills both good and bad bacteria
Erythromycin can often cause strange results on medical tests so it is advisable to inform your medical practitioner and laboratory technician that you are taking the drug.
How to Use Erythromycin
erythromycin consumer
Erythromycin may be taken on an empty stomach however; it should be taken as prescribed even if you feel better already. Moreover, do not take it longer than prescribed without first going back to your medical practitioner for follow up consult in case the ailment did not go away. You increase your risk of developing infections that are resistant to antibiotics that will be more difficult to treat.
Moreover, enteric-coated and slow release erythromycin capsules should never be chewed, crushed or open no matter what. It is imperative that these are swallowed whole to protect your body and crushing the pill will damage the enteric coating damage your stomach and allow the slow release capsule to release too much drug at the same time. However, the chewable kind must be chewed prior to swallowing.
In the event of a liquefied erythromycin, it is important to be precise in measuring hence; you need to utilize a specialty spoon for measuring dosages. It is often not advise to use your regular dinner spoon for this purpose and it would be better to request for a dosage spoon from your pharmacist. Furthermore, it is important to shake before dispensing.
In our busy schedule, it is likely that one may miss a dose and in the case of antibiotic, it is important to take the missed dose as soon as you remember unless it is time for the next dose. It is also important to remember not to double the dose to make up for the missed one.
In the event that you did overdose on erythromycin, you need to call 911 right away or your local emergency number or poison control for help especially if you started to feel stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and/or hearing loss.
What to Avoid
erythromycin tablets
It is important to know that there are certain things you need to avoid while you are taking erythromycin. Erythromycin can make a person sunburn faster than usual so it is important to wear sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 or higher when you are stepping outside. It would also help if you wear protective clothing like hats and jackets. It would also be best to avoid going to tanning beds and beaches for now.
It is also important to avoid self-medicating while you are on erythromycin. If you are experiencing some side effects like nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, do not take any medication without explicit advise from your medical practitioner to avoid having any complications from mixing multiple medications.
If you are taking any maintenance medications like birth control pills or vitamins, it is also important to ask your medical practitioner for advise if you can proceed or suspend these. This is because erythromycin has been known to decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills so you might want to double check with our medical practitioner first.
You also need to avoid breastfeeding while you are taking erythromycin since this is passed through the milk. Extended exposure to erythromycin in infants have been associated with the increase risk of pyloric stenosis that causes severe vomiting.
It might scare you to take erythromycin especially after reading all this but it is actually a very helpful drug when taken properly and timely. You just need to remember to follow your doctor’s prescription and always read the drug label and instructions.
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