Drug Class: What is Erythromycin and why is it prescribed?
Erythromycin is an antibiotic used to treat many kinds of infections, including:
- Acute pelvic inflammatory disease
- Gonorrhea
- Intestinal parasitic infections
- Legionnaires disease
- Listeriosis
- Pinkeye
- Rectal infections
- Reproductive tract infections
- Skin infections
- Syphilis
- Upper and lower respiratory tract infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Whooping cough.
Erythromycin is also prescribed to prevent rheumatic fever in people who are allergic to penicillin and sulfa drugs. Erythromycin is prescribed before colorectal surgery to prevent infection.
