Erythromycin

[BeaWheesht]

Dd has been prescribed this today and had one 5 ml dose 3 hours ago. It's for a bad cough that isn't improving though nothing heard with stethoscope, apart from the cough and coughing until sick she was fine, eating and playing etc.

Since taking it she wasn't keen on lunch , seems maybe too quick for it to be the meds though? I'm emetephobic so panicking about tummy bugs. She's still playing.

She is on 5ml 4 times a day.

Ds is very intolerant to this drug and gets cramps and sickness.

I'm just not sure at all what to do, this cough needs sorted but I don't want her being sick / having cramps.

Any help?

I would phone your GP and ask for an alternative. DS is allergic to erythromycin which we discovered when he was prescribed it for a chest infection he was given augmentin instead which worked well for him,

Thanks Sirzy - am waiting for a call back. I bet they say just to stop but don't offer an alternative. That's their usual course of action

Ds is allergic to penicillin and extremely intolerant to erththeomycin but dd is ok with penicillin.

Argh am so unbelievably sleep deprived and have so much to do for ds's birthday I could really do without all this. My brain just isn't working, have slept about 3 hours in 3 nights thanks to dd waking and coughing and vomiting.

Call them tomorrow and say he vomits everything out so this is not working as he clearly cannot deal with this drug. Clarithromycin is newer, more expensive, only needs to be taken twice a day, is much better tolerated.

Clarithromycin is prescribed for lots of things, including pneumonia and whooping cough.

Thanks yes clarithromycin is what ds always gets as he's allergic to penicillin and intolerant to erythromycin .

Will see how dd goes, doc said will re prescribe something else if not tolerating. She was sick after 2nd dose but in her sleep from coughing rather than meds I think. Nervous about weekend coming up though and a different doctor not allowing new prescription especially as this weekend is v important and busy.

My dh was prescribed this a few years ago. Honestly I have never seen anybody be so ill. He is the child of a pharmacist and a nurse, we have both worked in the NHS and he was talking about stopping taking it he felt so dreadful. I sent him back to docs and he got an alternative. SO very like your son tbh. Point is my oldest dd was also prescribed this because of potential whooping cough. I was concerned but kept quiet thinking we would see how she was and she sailed through the course. It doesn't necessarily follow that your dd will struggle because ds did. That said by tomorrow you should have a fair idea and if she has symptoms that worry you then go back to the GP tomorrow afternoon and insist on something else.

Thanks northern

I nearly always get erythromycin prescribed (for me) because I am allergic to penicillin and I have to say it makes me feel really ill, sick and off. I find if I have the brand Erythroped A I am not quite as unwell.

Thanks .

She is on amoxycillin now she just couldn't keep the erythromycin down at all - just vomited it back up 20 mins or so later along with absolutely everything in her stomach :( will try and avoid in future, I know it's a side effect not an allergy but its no use if she's vomiting it up before its been absorbed.

Oh poor little lamb It is a rough antibiotic if your body doesn't like it. You should ask your GP to add that to her record that she's sensitive to it and then it won't get precribed again.