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Telithromycin Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of telithromycin include vision blurred, nausea, and dizziness, based on 3,061 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025.

Telithromycin side effects

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

1
Vision Blurred11.3%346
2
Nausea10.7%329
3
Dizziness7.2%221
4
Aspartate Aminotransferase Increased6.9%212
5
Alanine Aminotransferase Increased6.8%209
6
Fatigue6.7%205
7
Vomiting6.5%198
8
Pyrexia6.4%197
9
Dyspnoea5.8%179
10
Diarrhoea5.5%169
11
Asthenia5.3%162
12
Hepatitis4.9%149
13
Jaundice4.4%136
14
Abdominal Pain4.1%125
15
Headache4.0%122

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

Report severity

59.3%Serious1,816 reports
28.0%Hospitalizations856 reports
5.2%Fatal159 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Telithromycin drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside telithromycin. 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
Amoxicillin1.4%42
2
Clavulanate-potassium1.2%36
3
Warfarin1.1%34
4
Acetaminophen1.0%31
5
Prednisone0.9%28
6
Azithromycin0.9%27
7
Levofloxacin0.8%24
8
Ibuprofen0.7%20
9
Ethinyl-estradiol0.6%19
10
Ceftriaxone-sodium0.6%18
11
Drospirenone0.6%17
12
Simvastatin0.6%17
13
Clarithromycin0.6%17
14
Moxifloxacin-hydrochloride0.6%17
15
Atorvastatin-calcium0.5%16

Taken alongside

1
Fluticasone5.0%153
2
Acetaminophen4.9%151
3
Aspirin4.4%134
4
Albuterol4.3%133
5
Levothyroxine-sodium4.1%125
6
Prednisone3.9%120
7
Ibuprofen3.4%105
8
Montelukast-sodium3.4%104
9
Furosemide3.4%103
10
Hydrochlorothiazide3.3%102
11
Atorvastatin-calcium3.1%95
12
Amoxicillin2.6%81
13
Fexofenadine-hydrochloride2.6%81
14
Salmeterol-xinafoate2.6%79
15
Budesonide2.4%72

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 telithromycin side effects

56.5% of telithromycin adverse event reports involve female patients and 29.6% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 70%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female56.5%
Male29.6%
Unknown13.9%

Age group

< 20.2%
2–110.3%
12–171.7%
18–6470.3%
65+27.4%

What is telithromycin used for

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

Abdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAcute SinusitisAcute TonsillitisAgitationAllergic SinusitisAngina PectorisAntibiotic TherapyAphoniaArthropod BiteArthropod-borne DiseaseAstheniaAsthmaAtrial FibrillationAtypical Mycobacterial Infection

Showing 15 of 174 indications

Telithromycin brand names and reporting trend

Telithromycin is sold under the brand name Ketek.

Brand names

Ketek218

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking telithromycin with another medication?

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