Worst Pills, Best Pills

An expert, independent second opinion on more than 1,800 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and supplements

erythromycin (E.E.S., E.E.S. 200, E.E.S. 400, ERY-TAB, ERYC, ERYPED, ERYTHROCIN, ERYTHROCIN STEARATE, PCE, PEDIAMYCIN, PEDIAMYCIN 400)


DISEASE AND DRUG FAMILY INFORMATION

Search results below include Disease and Drug Family Information where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Antibiotics
Antibiotics (drugs used to treat bacterial infections) are overwhelmingly misprescribed in the United States. Despite congressional hearings and numerous academic studies on this issue, it has become the general consensus that 40 to 60% of all antibiotics in this country are misprescribed. New studies continue to confirm the fact that a large proportion of antibiotic prescribing for both children and adults continues to be inappropriate.

DRUG AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PROFILES

A comprehensive review of the safety and effectiveness of this drug. If the drug is not a Do Not Use product, information on adverse effects, drug interactions and how to use the medication are included.
Search results below include Drug and Dietary Supplement Profiles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.


WORST PILLS, BEST PILLS NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Drug Desipramine (NORPRAMIN)
September 2023
Patients taking the oral antidepressant drug desipramine (Norpramin) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, as a Limited Use drug; antidepressants in other drug classes are safer and better tolerated.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antifungal Drug Voriconazole
May 2023
Patients taking the antifungal drug voriconazole (VFEND), which is marketed in both oral and injectable forms, should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Hypertension Drug Felodipine
April 2023
Patients taking the commonly prescribed calcium channel blocker felodipine should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications as well as the dietary supplement St. John’s wort.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Nortriptyline (PAMELOR)
February 2023
Patients taking the frequently prescribed antidepressant nortriptyline (PAMELOR) should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Important Drug Interactions for Sotalol
January 2023
Patients taking the drug sotalol (BETAPACE, BETAPACE AF, SORINE, SOTYLIZE) should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Citalopram (CELEXA)
October 2022
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antidepressant citalopram should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Pravastatin
September 2022
Patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Combination Antiviral COVID-19 Drug PAXLOVID
August 2022
Patients taking the oral combination antiviral drug PAXLOVID (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), which is used to treat COVID-19, should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for Quinidine
June 2022
Patients taking the drug quinidine should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antidepressant Fluoxetine (PROZAC, SYMBYAX)
February 2022
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antidepressant fluoxetine should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Abnormal Heart Rhythm Drug Amiodarone
July 2021
Patients taking the commonly prescribed abnormal heart rhythm drug amiodarone should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antibiotic Erythromycin
June 2021
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antibiotic erythromycin should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Atorvastatin (LIPITOR)
April 2021
Patients taking the commonly prescribed drug atorvastatin, which is a member of the statin family of cholesterol-lowering drugs, should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Calcium Channel Blocker Diltiazem
December 2020
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker diltiazem (CARDIZEM, CARTIA XT, TAZTIA XT, TIAZAC) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Anticoagulant Warfarin
August 2020
Patients taking the commonly used blood thinner warfarin (COUMADIN, JANTOVEN) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with numerous other prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as some dietary supplements.
Important Drug Interactions for Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Simvastatin
June 2020
Patients taking the commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin (FLOLIPID, VYTORIN, ZOCOR) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Calcium Channel Blocker Verapamil
March 2020
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker verapamil — which is used to treat high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and certain abnormal heart rhythms — should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antifungal Drug Fluconazole
December 2019
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antifungal drug fluconazole (DIFLUCAN) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications. Some of these interactions can lead to an increased risk of fatal heart rhythm abnormalities.
Medications That Cause Hearing Problems
November 2019
For most people with hearing loss, the condition likely is age-related or due to long-term exposure to loud noise. But for some patients, the cause of the problem can be found in the medicine cabinet.
Taking These Medications With Grapefruit Can Be Dangerous!
June 2019
Read about the many prescription drugs that can interact in dangerous ways with grapefruit or grapefruit products.
Colchicine Interactions with Other Drugs Can Be Life-Threatening
May 2019
Read about the many prescription medications that can interact in dangerous ways with colchicine, a commonly used drug for treatment of acute gout attacks.
Potentially Dangerous Digoxin Drug Interactions
November 2018
Read about the numerous medications that can interact with digoxin, a drug commonly prescribed for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. These interactions can result in either digoxin toxicity or decreased digoxin effectiveness depending on the other drug being used concomitantly.
Treatment of Bacterial Skin Infections
October 2016
Bacterial skin infections are very common, resulting in several million visits to health care professionals annually. In this article, we explain the best treatment options for different types of bacterial skin infections.
Drugs That Cause Hearing Problems
November 2015
For most people with hearing loss, the condition likely is age-related or due to long-term exposure to loud noise. But for some patients, the cause of the problem can be found in the medicine cabinet. Learn about some commonly used medications that can cause hearing disorders.
Calcium Channel Blockers Plus Most Macrolide Antibiotics: A Dangerous Combination
April 2014
Learn about new evidence demonstrating the dangers of combining calcium channel blockers, a widely used class of drugs for treating high blood pressure, with the commonly used macrolide antibiotic clarithromycin and other related antibiotics. Also find out which macrolide antibiotic does not have this dangerous interaction with calcium channel blockers.
Update on Grapefruit Juice-Drug Interactions
July 2012
This article updates and expands our earlier list of drugs that can have harmful interactions with grapefruit juice. The list now includes 82 different drugs.
Pitavastatin (LIVALO): 8th Cholesterol-Lowering Statin Marketed in the U.S.
December 2010
Find out why you should not use the newest entry into the crowded statin market.
Corticosteroid Drug Interactions
November 2010
This article discusses 36 drugs that, when used by people also using a corticosteroid, can either cause toxic interactions with the steroid or decrease the steroid's effectiveness.
The Dangers of Combining Sleeping Pills With Other Medication
September 2010
The article list 34 other medications that can harmfully interact with sleeping pills, increasing their sedative properties and causing excessive sedation. Excessive sedation at night could increase the risk of falls, should the person get up in the night for some reason. Moreover, excessive sedation causing respiratory depression could be dangerous for people with certain disorders, such as lung disease.
Interactions With Cancer Drug Vincristine (ONCOVIN)
August 2010
The article lists 34 prescription drugs that can have harmful interactions with vincristine. Recognizing signs of toxicity from vincristine early, as described in the article, is urgent because most of the side effects are reversible when the interacting drug is stopped and the patient receives corrective treatment.
Oral Drugs for Diabetes: Avoiding Hypoglycemia
May 2010
After explaining the symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) the article lists 42 prescription drugs that can interact with one or more diabetes drugs to increase the chance of hypoglycemia.
Aripiprazole (ABILIFY) Drug Interactions
April 2010
The article lists 53 drugs that can interact with the psychiatric drug ABILIFY to either increase the amount in the body, which can lead to toxicity, or decrease the amount rendering the drug less effective.
Digoxin Drug Interactions
March 2010
The article lists 35 different interacting drugs that can either increase blood levels of digoxin, leading to the serious problem of digitalis toxicity or decrease blood levels, causing the drug to be less effective.
Quetiapine (SEROQUEL) Interactions With Other Drugs
February 2010
Quetiapine (SEROQUEL) can interact with 26 different drugs, increasing its blood levels and causing dangerous side effects such as slowed breathing, dizziness and fainting. The article also lists 10 other interacting drugs that can result in lower blood levels, rendering the drug less effective.
Oxycodone: Be Careful What You Take With It
September 2009
The article lists 24 drugs that can increase the toxicity of oxycodone if taken together with the drug and 11 other drugs that can weaken its effectiveness as a painkiller if they are simutaneously used.
Muscle Damage from Interactions Between Statins and Other Commonly Prescribed Drugs
July 2009
The article lists 38 prescription drugs that can harmfully interact with statin drugs. The article also advises that No matter what statin you are taking and regardless of any interacting drugs, you should notify your prescriber immediately if you develop muscle pain, weakness or a darkening of your urine. .
Alpha-Blockers for Prostate Enlargement: Some Important Drug Interactions
June 2009
Taking alpha-blockers in combination with drugs for erectile dysfunction and with other drugs can cause dizziness and fainting. In this article we will discuss alfuzosin (UROXATRAL), doxazosin (CARDURA), tamsulosin (FLOMAX) and terazosin (HYTRIN) and drugs with which they can have harmful interactions.
Colchicine Interactions with Other Drugs Can Be Life-Threatening
December 2008
This article lists 27 drugs that can have life-threatening interactions with the widely-used gout drug, colchicine, resulting in dangerously elevated levels of colchicine. Too much colchicine in the body leads to toxicity such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and muscle pains. Even worse, it can impair the bone marrow’s ability to make red and white blood cells, causing severe anemia and dangerously low numbers of white blood cells. When the number of white blood cells is reduced, your body may have difficulty fighting infections. Most people who have died from colchicine toxicity have had bone marrow toxicity or had preexisting kidney problems. Every patient on colchicine — whether on other drugs or not — should be alert for evidence of colchicine toxicity as described above.
Macrolide Antibiotic Drug Interactions
February 2008
The article discusses the adverse drug interactions between either of two widely-prescribed macrolide antibiotics, erythromycin (as in ERYTHROCIN) and clarithromycin (BIAXIN)and more than 40 other drugs that are listed in a table in the article. It also describes the nature of the adverse interactions that can occur.
The Widely Used Antibiotic Erythromycin And Fatal Heart Rhythm Disturbances
November 2004
You should not take erythromycin in combination with one of the interacting drugs listed in this article. If you are, you should contact your physician immediately. As mentioned above, erythromycin is an important antibiotic when used appropriately. Therefore, we do not recommend against its use when it is not used with one of these interacting drugs.
Grapefruit Juice and Prescription Drugs: Some Dangerous Interactions
February 2004
The January 5th issue of the Medical Letter, a widely respected source of independent information about pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, has a review of the increasingly researched problem of the interaction between grapefruit juice and many prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Like most interactions between chemicals in the body, this one involves the impairment, by grapefruit juice, of the body’s ability to metabolize many drugs, leading to higher than expected — and sometimes dangerous — levels of these drugs.This article lists the drugs.
Drug-Induced Taste Disorders
September 2003
DO NOT stop taking any of the drugs listed in the table without first consulting your physician. You should report any alteration in your sense of taste to your physician if you are taking a drug.
Drug Induced Psychiatric Symptoms (Part 2)
November 2002
This is the second of a two-part series on drug-induced psychiatric symptoms that began in last month’s Worst Pills, Best Pills News. The information is based on the July 8, 2002 issue of The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. Article lists drugs and adverse effects.
Grapefruit Juice and Drug Interactions
June 2002
Grapefruit juice can interact with a number of therapeutically important drugs that could lead to the possibility of toxicity. These drugs are listed in the article.