Active Ingredient: Erythromycin
Otitis media and otitis externa, mastoiditis.
For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments:
Oral
2 - 4 g
From 0.5 To 1 g 4 time(s) per day every day
For mild to moderate infections 2g daily in divided doses. Up to 4g daily in severe infections.
No special dosage recommendations.
Intravenous
15 - 50 g per kg of body weight
From 3.75 To 12.5 g per kg of body weight 4 time(s) per day every day
The usual dose is 1 to 2 g per day equivalent to 25 mg/kg/day in divided doses (generally 3-4 single doses).
Dosage can be increased up to 4 g per day equivalent to 50 mg/kg/day in severe infections.
The maximum daily dose is 4 g.
1 months to up to 12 years old: The daily dose for infants and children up to 12 years old for most infections is 15-20 mg of erythromycin/kg of body weight divided over 3-4 single doses. This dose may be doubled depending on the indication.
Use adult dosage with care. Elderly patients, particularly those with reduced renal or hepatic function may be at increased risk for developing erythromycin-induced hearing loss, when erythromycin doses of 4 g/day or higher are given.
Erythromycin can be administered in continuous or intermittent infusion.
The infusion should be administered over 60 minutes as a rapid infusion is more likely to be associated with local irritative effects as well as QT interval prolongation, arrhythmias or hypotension. A longer period of infusion should be used in patients with risk factors or previous evidence of arrhythmias. Not less than 100 ml of diluent should be used for preparing intermittent I.V. solutions so as to minimise venous irritation. For 100 ml of infused solution, this corresponds to about 35 drops/minute, for 250 ml of infused solution 85-90 drops/minute and for 500 ml of infused solution 170-180 drops/minute.
The erythromycin concentration should not exceed 5mg per ml and an erythromycin concentration of 1mg/ml (0.1% solution) is recommended.
Erythromycin should only be administered intravenously. Intra-arterial injection is strictly contraindicated. It can lead to angiospasm with ischaemia. Intramuscular administration and IV bolus injection are also contraindicated.
Intravenous therapy should be replaced by oral administration after 2-7 days. In the interest of sustaining successful treatment, erythromycin should be continued for a further 2-3 days after symptoms have disappeared.
Liability Disclaimer : RxReasoner has utilized reasonable care in providing content and services that are accurate, complete and up to date. However, RxReasoner does not accept any responsibility or liability about it. The content and services of RxReasoner are for informational purposes only and they are not intended to be a substitute for the knowledge, expertise, skill, and judgment of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, or other healthcare professionals involved in patient care. RxReasoner offers no medical advice. Users are responsible for the use of the provided content. A shown indication or treatment should not be construed to indicate that the medication is safe, appropriate, or effective in any given patient or under any particular circumstances. The absence of an indication or treatment should not roule out the existence of other appropriate medications. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or medicament. RxReasoner is not liable for any damages allegedly sustained arising out of the use of its content and services.
