Erythromycin and its side effects

 What are the side effects from taking Erythromycin?

Side effects may occur while taking erythromycin

Erythromycin is a very common antibiotic prescribed by doctors in certain cases of bacterial infections. This antibiotic, because of its wide usage, has been a subject of study to understand its benefits as well as its possible side effects. Some side effects that are commonly reported by patients are nausea, vomiting, redness of eyes, itching, and irritation of skin. However, there may be serious side effects that include severe diarrhea, myasthenia gravis, and liver problems. Let us take a closer look.

All antibiotics have their own side effects and erythromycin is no exception. However, it is not necessary for every individual to experience same side effects and in same intensity. There are people who tolerate this drug easily and experience no side effects. Whether or not adverse effects are experienced, they are mild in nature and go away during the course of treatment and do not require any special attention or medication. Because of the nature of studies, it is difficult to tell how common or rare specific side effects have been. Then there is the fact that the antibiotic is available for use in many forms having different side effects.

Some reactions or side effects that have commonly been reported by patients that have been prescribed E-Mycin are as follows.

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Upset stomach
• Pain in the abdomen
• Loss of appetite

Doctors prescribe erythromycin for the treatment of severe conditions of acne in teenagers. In such cases, the common side effects are as follows.

• Irritation
• Dryness
• Scaling
• Inflammation
• Redness

EryPed is also commonly prescribed for eye infections. Though it is a mild antibiotic, some patients report side effects that include irritation and redness of eyes.

All these symptoms described above are of mild nature and do not turn into anything serious. However, there are some side effects that must be brought to the attention of the doctor as soon as possible so as to not suffer from any threatening situation. Some acute side effects are as follows.

As described above, diarrhea is seen commonly in some of the patients. However, when it is bloody diarrhea or the problem is unbearable that there is a need to stop or alter the dose of the antibiotic. Erythromycin is prescribed only when the health care provider thinks that the benefits to the patient far outweigh the perceived risks.

In some cases, continued use of erythromycin has been seen to lead to symptoms of serious lever problems that include yellowing of eyes and skin, darkening of urine (yellow), pain in upper abdomen, and increased liver enzymes.

Symptoms of myasthenia gravis are also accompanied in rare instances. These include muscle weakness, blurry vision, and droopy eyelids. Vomiting and serious stomach upset is seen in infants which is shown in the form of irritability when breast feeding. It may be indicative of an ailment called pyloric stenosis.

It is possible for a patient to not experience any of the side effects explained in this article. It is hard for a doctor to know beforehand if a person would exhibit some or any of the side effects after consuming erythromycin.

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