Patient leaflet - Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate 500 mg film-coated tablets
1. What Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets are and what they are used for
The name of your medicine is Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate 500 mg film-coated Tablets (referred to as Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets in this leaflet). Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets contain the active ingredient erythromycin ethylsuccinate, which belongs to a group of medicines called macrolide antibiotics.
Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets are used to prevent and treat infections such as:
- Throat and sinus infections
- Chest infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia
- Ear infections
- Mouth and dental infections
- Eye infections
- Skin and tissue infections such as acne
- Stomach and intestinal infections
- Prevention of infection following burns, operations or dental procedures
- Other infections such as sexually transmitted diseases, bone infections or scarlet fever
2. What you need to know before you take Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets
Do not take Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets
- if you are allergic to erythromycin or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
if you are currently taking a medicine called:
- astemizole, terfenadine or mizolastine (widely taken for hay fever and allergies)
- pimozide or amisulpride (for psychiatric conditions)
- domperidone (for nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick))
- ergotamine or dihydroergotamine (used to relieve migraine)
- cisapride (used to treat acid reflux)
- simvastatin (used to lower cholesterol and triglycerides (types of fat) in the blood)
- tolterodine (used for treating overactive bladder with symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency and leakage)
- lomitapide (used to lower increased blood fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides). Taking this medicine at the same time as erythromycin may lead to a rise in enzymes produced by liver cells (transaminases), which indicates that the liver is under stress and may lead to liver problems
- ivabradine
- if you have abnormally low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood (hypomagnesaemia or hypokalaemia)
- if you or someone in your family has a history of heart rhythm disorders (ventricular cardiac arrhythmia or Torsades de Pointes) or an abnormality of the electrocardiogram (electrical recording of the heart) called “long QT syndrome”
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets if you:
- have any liver problems or are taking any medicines which can cause liver problems
- have previously experienced diarrhoea following the use of antibiotics
suffer from a condition called myasthenia gravis which causes muscle weakness
- are pregnant and have been told that you have a sexually transmitted disease called syphilis. In this case erythromycin may not be effective for preventing the transfer of this infection to your baby. Consult your doctor before receiving erythromycin. Alternatively, if you were treated for early stages of syphilis during your pregnancy, and your child is under 1 year and is prescribed erythromycin, consult your doctor before giving erythromycin to your child
- are taking other medicines which are known to cause serious disturbances in heart rhythm
- have heart problems
- are taking erythromycin with 'statins' such as simvastatin (used to lower cholesterol) as serious side effects can occur
Children
If you are treating a young child with antibiotics and they are irritable or vomit when fed, you should contact your physician immediately.
Other medicines and Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
This is especially important if you are taking medicines called:
- astemizole, terfenadine or mizolastine (used to treat allergies such as hay fever)
- domperidone (used to treat nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick))
- pimozide (used to treat mental problems)
- clarithromycin (an antibiotic)
- cisapride (used to treat acid reflux)
- ergotamine or dihydroergotamine (used to relieve migraine)
- digoxin or disopyramide or quinidine (used to treat heart problems)
- hexobarbitone or midazolam (used as sedatives)
- anticoagulants e.g. warfarin, acenocoumarol and rivaroxaban (used to thin the blood)
- valproate, carbamazepine or phenytoin (used to control epilepsy)
- theophylline (used to treat asthma and other breathing problems)
- cyclosporine or tacrolimus (used following organ transplants)
- bromocriptine (used to treat Parkinson's disease) alfentanil, zopiclone or triazolam (used to help you sleep)
- rifabutin (used to treat tuberculosis (TB))
- lovastatin (used to control cholesterol levels)
- hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine (used to treat conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, or to treat or prevent malaria). Taking these medicines at the same time as erythromycin may increase the chance of getting abnormal heart rhythms and other serious side effects that affect your heart
- corticosteroids, given by mouth, by injection or inhaled (used to help suppress the body's immune system – this is useful in treating a wide range of conditions).
If you or your child goes for any medical test, tell your doctor that you are taking Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets, as this may interfere with some test results.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
The active ingredient of Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets may cross the placenta in pregnant women and is excreted in breast milk. Information from studies regarding the risk of birth defects is inconsistent, but some studies have reported heart defects following Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets use in early pregnancy.
Erythromycin should be used by women during pregnancy or while breast-feeding only if clearly needed.
Driving and using machines
Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets are not expected to affect your ability to drive or operate machinery.
Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets contain sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially 'sodium-free'.
3. How to take Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The recommended dose for adults, adolescents and children over 8 years is 2 g daily in divided doses, i.e. 2 tablets twice a day, taken just before or with meals or food.
If you have a bad infection you may be told to take up to 4 g (8 tablets) daily.
Use in children (below 8 years)
For younger children, infants and babies, Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate suspensions are normally recommended. The recommended dose for children age 2-8 years, for mild to moderate infections, is 1 gram daily in divided doses. The recommended dose for infants and babies, for mild to moderate infections, is 500 mg daily in divided doses. Continue to take this medicine until the course is completed or until your doctor tells you to stop; do not stop taking your medicine, even if you feel better. If you stop the treatment too early your problem could come back.
If you take more Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets than you should
If you accidentally take more medicine in one day than your doctor has told you to, or if a child has taken some of the medicine by mistake, contact your doctor or go to your nearest hospital emergency department immediately.
An overdose of Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets could cause temporary hearing loss, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
If you forget to take Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets
If you forgot to take a dose of your medicine, take it as soon as you remember. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop taking Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets
Do not stop taking Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets just because you feel better. It is important that you complete the course of tablets that your doctor has prescribed for you. If you stop taking the tablets too soon, the infection may return, your condition may get worse or the bacteria may become resistant to the medicine.
If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
If you notice any of the following, stop taking Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets and contact your doctor immediately:
- difficulty breathing
- fainting
- swelling of the face, lips or throat
- skin rashes
- severe skin reactions including large fluid-filled blisters, sores and ulcers
- ulcers in the mouth and throat (as these may be signs of an allergic reaction)
- a life-threatening irregular heartbeat called Torsades de Pointes, abnormal ECG heart tracing or heart stopping (cardiac arrest)
- yellowing of the skin and/or eyes, which are signs of liver problems including jaundice
- serious skin rashes that may involve blistering and can cover large areas of the torso, face and limbs (conditions known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis and erythema multiforme)
Contact a doctor immediately if you experience a serious skin reaction: a red, scaly rash with bumps under the skin and blisters (exanthematous pustulosis). The frequency of the side effect is not known (cannot be estimated from the available data)
If you develop severe or prolonged diarrhoea during or after taking Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets, tell your doctor immediately.
Tell your doctor if any of the other following side effects gets serious or lasts longer than a few days:
Common
- feeling sick or being sick (vomiting, diarrhoea, anorexia)
- stomach pains
- loss of appetite
- increase in the level of some liver enzymes in your blood
Uncommon
- Inflammation of the kidneys
- abnormal counts of some blood cells (eosinophilia)
- dizziness, feeling like you or everything around you is spinning (vertigo) and confusion
Rare
- pain in your upper abdomen that may spread to your back (pancreatitis)
- dark urine
- enlarged liver, liver failure
- impaired hearing (deafness)
- ringing or buzzing in the ears (tinnitus)
- feeling of discomfort, lack of wellbeing (malaise) and fever
Very rare
- reversible loss of hearing (usually with high doses)
- uncontrollable muscle contractions (convulsions) and hallucinations
- abnormal heart rhythm (including palpitations, a faster heartbeat)
infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (a severe stomach condition affecting newborn babies)
Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data
- damage to the blood, kidneys or nervous systems
- visual impairment/blurred vision (mitochondrial optic neuropathy)
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
This medicine does not require any special storage conditions but it is best to keep Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets in the original blisters and box in a dry place.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and foil after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
If your tablets become discoloured or show any other signs of deterioration, consult your pharmacist who will tell you what to do.
6. Contents of the pack and other information What Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets contain
- The active substance is erythromycin ethylsuccinate. Each 500 mg film-coated tablet contains 500 mg of erythromycin, equivalent to approximately 587.3 mg erythromycin ethylsuccinate.
The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: pregelatinized starch, anhydrous calcium hydrogen phosphate, sodium starch glycolate Type A, povidone K 30, magnesium stearate.
Tablet coating: hypromellose, titanium dioxide, macrogol, quinoline, Yellow Aluminium Lake and iron oxide yellow.
What Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets look like and contents of the pack
Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets are yellow, oval shaped film-coated tablets, debossed with “K” on one side and plain on the other side.
Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate film-coated tablets are available in blister packs of 10, 12, 14, 24, 28, 30, 56 or 84 tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Dawa Limited, 5 Sandridge Close, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 1XD, United Kingdom.
Manufacturer
Drugsrus Limited, 5 Sandridge Close, Harrow,
Middlesex, HA1 1XD, United Kingdom.
This leaflet was last revised in February 2026.
Blind or partially sighted? Is this leaflet hard to see or read?
Call 020 8423 2111 to obtain the leaflet in a format suitable for you.
0229/L-9