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Erythromycin Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of erythromycin include drug hypersensitivity, nausea, and off label use, based on 21,714 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 4.9% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Erythromycin side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for erythromycin.

1
Drug Hypersensitivity19.7%4,269
2
Nausea5.4%1,179
3
Drug Ineffective4.9%1,057
4
Off Label Use4.8%1,045
5
Diarrhoea4.8%1,040
6
Vomiting4.8%1,034
7
Fatigue4.6%991
8
Rash4.4%952
9
Dyspnoea4.2%908
10
Headache3.7%800
11
Dizziness3.3%714
12
Pain3.3%712
13
Chronic Kidney Disease3.2%687
14
Pneumonia3.1%667
15
Hypersensitivity3.0%650

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that erythromycin caused these reactions.

Report severity

62.4%Serious13,553 reports
27.7%Hospitalizations6,005 reports
9.0%Fatal1,957 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Erythromycin drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside erythromycin. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Acetaminophen4.9%1,071
2
Amoxicillin4.6%993
3
Pantoprazole-sodium4.5%981
4
Prednisone4.4%964
5
Omeprazole4.1%897
6
Methotrexate4.1%892
7
Adalimumab4.1%892
8
Doxycycline3.9%844
9
Lansoprazole3.8%822
10
Cenegermin-bkbj3.7%810
11
Diclofenac3.6%784
12
Hydroxychloroquine-sulfate3.3%722
13
Esomeprazole3.3%717
14
Leflunomide3.2%702
15
Pregabalin3.2%699

Taken alongside

1
Acetaminophen14.6%3,173
2
Albuterol11.4%2,467
3
Ergocalciferol9.5%2,071
4
Aspirin9.4%2,031
5
Levothyroxine-sodium8.8%1,909
6
Omeprazole8.2%1,787
7
Furosemide8.1%1,757
8
Prednisone7.7%1,679
9
Fluticasone7.2%1,561
10
Ibuprofen6.8%1,472
11
Lisinopril6.6%1,431
12
Gabapentin6.4%1,384
13
Atorvastatin-calcium6.2%1,354
14
Pantoprazole-sodium6.1%1,323
15
Amoxicillin5.7%1,227

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports erythromycin side effects

61.8% of erythromycin adverse event reports involve female patients and 27.6% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 55%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female61.8%
Male27.6%
Unknown10.5%

Age group

< 23.7%
2–113.9%
12–172.7%
18–6454.8%
65+34.9%

What is erythromycin used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking erythromycin when the adverse event was reported.

Abdominal DiscomfortAbdominal DistensionAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAbscessAccidental ExposureAcneAcne CysticAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcrochordonActinic KeratosisActinomycosisAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute SinusitisAcute Tonsillitis

Showing 15 of 1,028 indications

Erythromycin brand names and reporting trend

Erythromycin is sold under several brand names including Erymax, E-mycin E, Bristamycin.

Brand names

Erymax20,465
E-mycin E583
Bristamycin281
Erythromycin Estolate227
Erythrocin96
Ilotycin Gluceptate1

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking erythromycin with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.