Erythromycin is an antibiotic. It's widely used to treat chest infections, such as pneumonia, skin conditions, such as acne and rosacea, dental abscesses, and sexually transmitted infections.
In children, erythromycin is often used to treat ear infections or chest infections.
It’s available on prescription as tablets, capsules, a liquid you swallow or a skin solution to treat skin conditions like acne. It can also be given by injection, but this is usually only done in hospital.
Key facts
- You’ll usually take erythromycin 2 or 4 times a day, or as prescribed by your doctor.
- For most infections, you should feel better within a few days. For skin conditions like acne and rosacea, it may take a couple of months before you see an improvement.
- The most common side effects of erythromycin are feeling or being sick, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
- Drinking alcohol with erythromycin may reduce its benefits or delay it working.
- Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while you're taking erythromycin. It can increase the amount of erythromycin in your body and increase the chance of side effects.