What is Erythromycin?

Anatomy of a Drug

Erythromycin Chemical Formula

Erythromycin is one of those medications that are popular and common man is aware of them because of it being prescribed frequently by doctors and also because of its availability as an over the counter drug. It is an antibiotic drug that is widely used to treat bacterial infections just like penicillin. In fact, it is used for patients that have an allergy to penicillin. It is available in the market under many brand names such as E.E.S, Robimycin, MY-E, EryPed, and so on. The fact to be remembered with this drug is that it works in certain bacterial infections and is not to be taken for the treatment of viral infections such as cold, flu, and some other infections caused by virus. If a person takes this drug unnecessarily or over uses the drug, he will become habitual to the dose and the drug will not have the desired effect when he suffers from bacterial infections.

Though it is common for people to take E-Mycin for the treatment of bacterial infection, it is not effective across all bacterial infections. There are specified bacterial infections that can be treated or prevented by using erythromycin. Acne, pneumonia, and Chlamydia are some of the conditions in which doctors prescribe this antibiotic drug. One of the of-label uses of EES is in the treatment of gastro paresis. You may be surprised to know that sometimes doctors hesitate to prescribe the drug in some specific areas of the country. Though the safe amounts of the drug can be taken by children, the medications made using erythromycin for the treatment of acne should not be used by children under the age of 12.

Erythromycin is prescribed by doctors in many medical conditions and is to be taken orally in the form of a pill or a capsule. However, it can also be injected in the body of the patient if the doctor feels he needs instant relief using this drug. Some of common medical conditions for which doctors prescribe Erythromycin are listed below
• Infections of the respiratory tract including whooping cough and pneumonia
• Infections of skin such as pimples and acne
• Intestinal infections
• Inflammation around pelvic area
• Syphilis
• Chlamydia

Some people who suffer from strep throat are given this drug to prevent rheumatic fever in them. As told earlier, doctors prefer penicillin over erythromycin and use it only when they find the patient is allergic to penicillin. Again, the drug is not effective in treating all bacterial infections and is to be used depending upon its efficacy in specific areas of the country.

It has been observed that E-Mycin is a safe medication having low or no side effects on patients with even children consuming the drug safely. This is precisely why the drug is prescribed for treating even pregnant women. The drug has been tested for safety on pregnant animals and it has not produced any side effects in their case. It has got a category B rating which means it is safe for pregnant women.

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