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Original poster

Erythromycin - violently ill

98 replies

Litluts · 05/03/2019 18:28

I was prescribed erythromycin yesterday. 2 tablets to be taken 4 times a day. I've had 10. I have been violently ill since about noon today. And I mean constant nausea, vomiting profusely (literally just liquid bile).
I have stopped taking them (last ones were taken this morning).
I rang GP surgery at 3pm to speak to a GP but they had all gone home Hmm

Is there anything I can do to stop the nausea? Or do I have to wait for it to come out of my system? The leaflet lists it as a side effect 'feeling sick or being sick', but it only says to report the side effect, not what the fuck to do about it.

I'm already on lansoprazole for my stomach. Would taking one of them help? I can honestly say, I've rarely been so violently ill in my life.

Bastard things. I feel like I've been poisoned. Angry

Not sure if it's relevant, but I'm allergic to penicillin?

OP posts:
katseyes7 · 05/03/2019 20:13

Erythromycin is horrific for causing vomiting and gastric upsets. l was given it when l was about 20 for an ear infection. lt came back up within about 20 minutes of taking it. l was told to 'persevere' with it but l couldn't see the point - l didn't keep it down long enough for it to do any good! And like PP have said, really, really bad retching!
l'm interested to see other posters saying about allergies - l've been allergic to penicillin since l was first given it when l was two, for croup and bronchitis. My dad was allergic to it as well.

Takeapolaroid · 05/03/2019 20:13

I had it from the dentist and stopped taking it after horrible stomach pains and waking up in the night feeling sick. I wouldn’t take it again.

MaxNormal · 05/03/2019 20:15

@TwistinMyMelon has your area not had the EMA update regarding flouroquinolones then?

Randomnumbers7483 · 05/03/2019 20:16

Weirdly enough I am the opposite and cannot take clarythromicin AT ALL which is in the same family of drugs but can take erythromicin with absolutely no issues. My point is that there are other options of antibiotics you may be able to take.

Also you can get antibiotic cream that can be inserted vaginally with an applicator (similar to canesten) so infections in that region can be treated that way rather than oral antibiotics. I found that way more effective as that treated it quickly, whereas oral antibiotics just damped the infection down and didn’t actually get rid of it. It was only finally a course of antibiotic cream each night that helped. Plus this means no sickness side effects.

TwistinMyMelon · 05/03/2019 20:17

The reason why many people who are on here who have had bad reactions to erythromycin also have penicillin allergies is that often erythromycin used to be used for infections which would usually require penicillin, eg chest infections, throat infections etc. However now other antibiotics are now used instead precisely because erythromycin is known to trigger gastritis type reactions e.g. upper abdo pain and vomiting.

It is not an allergy, it is a side effect, and a common one at that. Many antibiotics are associated with GI side effects.

GerryblewuptheER · 05/03/2019 20:19

Oh God dd1 got given this for tonsillitis.

She ended up lying on the bathroom floor completely out of it, had to be carried to the sofa and brought even the tiniest sip of water back up. She also got down to vomiting bile stage. She didnt even appear that ill during asthma flare ups I've never seen anything like it. Honestly thought shed end up in a&e on a drip. Dr prescribed something else in the end as I just had to make her stop taking it.

It was worse than the tonsilitis it was given for. Not sure if it would he considered an allergic reaction or not but I've refused it ever since.

Hope you feel better soon Flowers

quirkychick · 05/03/2019 20:19

Another one allergic to penicillin. I usually get awful stomach pains and shits with erythromycin, but last time I took it I took probiotics with it and was fine. It might be too late for op, though.

TwistinMyMelon · 05/03/2019 20:22

@MaxNormal - I'm sure they have but our local microbiology guidelines still recommend cipro for penallergy in pyelonephritis. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Erythromycin - violently ill
TwistinMyMelon · 05/03/2019 20:22

In primary care anyway

TwistinMyMelon · 05/03/2019 20:23

They don't like us using it in hospital due to risk of c.diff.

MC68 · 05/03/2019 20:25

My son was violently ill with exactly the same medication & upon tellingbthe Drs they said it was an allergic reaction & to stop taking it immense, they gave him a different one.
He is now not allowed to take an meds ending in mysin as he’ll have an/will be allergic to them Shock

badg3r · 05/03/2019 20:25

Gosh sounds miserable. I am allergic to both penicillin and erythromycin. The one time I took erythromycin I immediately started to swell up - within around fifteen minutes I could hardly open my eyes. It was pretty dire. I take cephalexin and ciprofloxacin if I need antibiotics and have not had bad reactions to either. Get well soon!

TwistinMyMelon · 05/03/2019 20:26

As far as I can see the ema update just says it should not be used in minor infections, but pyelonephritis is a fairly serious infection so it is hardly used frequently.

Elephantina · 05/03/2019 20:33

Same quirkychick - allergic to penicillin (and nitrafurantoin, in fact - both true allergies), and erythromycin give me terrible stomach pain. I didn't get the shits with it last time though, just pain.

I've had absolutely explosive shits with Ofloxacin as well, it was awful. I guess it's the same family?

How are you feeling OP? I'm surprised it's gone on this long if it's 12 hours since you last took one, maybe it's something else! I hope it starts easing for you soon. Flowers

TinselAngel · 05/03/2019 20:37

Last time I took it I was so sick I got a bit of whiplash.

ScarletBitch · 05/03/2019 20:48

I would ring 111, you perhaps are allergic to the antibiotic.

TheGirlWhoLived · 05/03/2019 20:49

Clarithromycin is equally vile if you ever get a chest infection

Original poster
Litluts · 05/03/2019 20:54

It's not a kidney infection.

OP posts:
Maldives2006 · 05/03/2019 20:56

Yes I had it as a precaution at around 18 weeks preganant because I had a previous pre premature rupture of membranes

Maldives2006 · 05/03/2019 20:57

Luckily just made me nauseous but no vomiting, try taking a probiotic tablet daily with antibiotics.

Original poster
Litluts · 05/03/2019 21:01

I'm trying to sip a cup a soup. Feeling a little better, well haven't vomited in a half hour - fingers crossed. 111 haven't called me back, but I'm hoping the worst of it has passed. The vomiting is so violent I actually half wet myself! Blush

OP posts:
ladymalfoy · 05/03/2019 21:03

2 weeks ago prescribed 1000mgs a day for acne roceasia . 3 days later violently ill. I’ve self prescribed 1 250 tablet a day and okay so far. It is an awful reaction.

quirkychick · 05/03/2019 21:08

Hope you feel better soon, op.

I'm fine with clarithromycin, just erythromycin (I think my gp said it's quite good at stripping you of your gut bacteria Shock). Dd2 had flucloxacillin, as mentioned upthread, it made for some awful nappies when she was younger.

notanothernam · 05/03/2019 21:19

I felt much better after eating something, I think it's meant to do something to your stomach (like a pp says bacteria or something!)

SavageBeauty73 · 05/03/2019 21:21

I had such a bad reaction I was vomiting and hallucinating (I thought I was in the trenches in the Second World War!!). I'm also allergic to Penicillin.