Adult Dosing
Bacterial infections
- 40-50 mg/kg/day PO div q6-8h based on erythomycin component
- MAX: 2 gm/day based on erythomycin component
Pediatric Dosing
Acute otitis media, sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis
Child >2 month
- 40-50 mg/kg/day PO divided q6-8 hours based on erythomycin component
- MAX: 2 gm/day based on erythomycin component
[Outline]
- Fatal severe reactions may occur with the administration of sulfonamides. Suspend therapy at the first appearance of skin rash or any sign of adverse reaction
- Oral erythromycin may cause hepatic dysfunction, with or without jaundice
- The sulfonamides should not be used for the treatment of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections
- Combination therapy may cause mild to life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis. Therefore do not administer in patients with history of diarrhea
- Carefully monitor creatine kinase (CK) and serum transaminase levels in patients receiving concomitant lovastatin and erythromycin because it may cause rhabdomyolysis with or without renal impairment
- As erythromycin is principally excreted by the liver, it should be cautiously administer in patients with impaired hepatic function
- Erythromycin may aggravate the weakness of patients with myasthenia gravis
- Sulfonamides should be given with caution to patients with impaired renal or hepatic function and to those with severe allergy or bronchial asthma
- Freqent dosing may cause hemolysis in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient individuals
Caution: Use cautiously in
Pregnancy Category:C
Breastfeeding: Erythromycin: Excreted in breastmilk in small quantities and safely administered directly to infants, hence not expected to cause adverse events in the breastfed infant. Monitor the infant for irritability, diarrhea and candidiasis. As per one case report and unconfirmed epidemiologic evidence the risk of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in infants might increase by maternal use of erythromycin during breastfeeding. Sulfisoxazole: In full term healthy infants, sulfisoxazole is considered acceptable for use, after the new born period. However alternative agents may be preferred in stressed, premature, jaundiced infants due to the risk of bilirubin displacement and kernicterus. This drug should be avoided while breastfeeding a G6PD-deficient infant. This information is based upon LactMed database (available at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT last accessed 25 February 2011). According to manufacturer data a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother, because of the potential for the development of kernicterusin neonates due to the displacement of bilirubin from plasma proteins by sulfisoxazole.Erythromycin: This drug is compatible and considered safe with breastfeeding based upon data from AAP Policy Guidelines (available at http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/3/776 last accessed February 2011)

US Trade Name(s)
US Availability
erythromycin/sulfisoxazole (generic)
- SUSP: [200 mg/600 mg]/5 mL

Canadian Trade Name(s)
Canadian Availability
Pediazole
- SUSP: [200 mg/600 mg]/5 mL

UK Trade Name(s)
UK Availability

Australian Trade Name(s)
Australian Availability
[Outline]



