Overview of Erythromycin User Reviews

This section contains all of the individual user reviews and antibiotic susceptibilty rankings for ERYTHROMYCIN (Aknemycin, E-Mycin).

If you have used erythromycin as a treatment for acne vulgaris, please share your experience and opinions.

Type of Treatment: Rx Medication – Antibiotic (Oral and Topical) - Macrolide Family

How It Works: Erythromycin is an antibiotic. Antibiotics can improve acne symptoms by limiting the growth of bacteria that contribute to Acne Vulgaris.

When is this medication used? Erythromycin is is used for the treatment of all types of acne, from very mild to severe (Acne Types: 1-4).  In cases of moderate to severe acne (Acne Types: 3-4), erythromycin is often combined with complementary treatments.

Frequency of erythromycin Resistant P. acnes Bacteria: Common. (What does this mean?)

Official Name: Erythromycin
Popular Brand Names: Aknemycin, E-Mycin, Benzamycin (erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide), Stiemycin and Eryacne.
Related Medications: Azithromycin, Clarithromycin, Roxithromycin, Tylosin, Clindamycin.

Important Note: The information provided on this site is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. The Science of Acne strongly encourages you to consult a qualified medical professional before making any treatment decisions. For the complete disclaimer, click here.

Overall (Composite) Ranking for Erythromycin

The COMPOSITE ranking is calculated from a combination of all of the individual rankings for this medication (EFFECTIVENESS, ADVERSE EFFECTS and ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY).

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (WORST) to 5 (BEST).

Share Your Experience with erythromycin – Rate This Medication

Effectiveness Ranking for Erythromycin

Topical erythromycin is a medication that is commonly used to treat acne vulgaris.  Topical erythromycin is generally well reviewed by acne patients.  Oral erythromycin is rarely used for the treatment of acne.

Topical erythromycin can be very effective against mild to moderate acne (Acne Types: 1-2).  However, bacterial resistance to erythromycin is common, and increasing.  Erythromycin-resistant P. acnes bacteria are frequently isolated from the pimples of acne patients. Topical erythromycin is generally not completely effective as monotherapy (used alone) against moderate to severe inflammatory acne (Acne Types: 3-4).

The EFFECTIVENESS ranking is based on patient reports of how effective this medication was at improving their acne symptoms.

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (NOT EFFECTIVE) to 5 (VERY EFFECTIVE).

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Adverse Effects Ranking for Erythromycin

The ADVERSE EFFECTS ranking is based on patient reports about the adverse effects and side effects that they experienced with this medication.

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (NO SIDE EFFECTS) to 5 (SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS).

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Antibiotic Susceptibility Ranking for Erythromycin

The ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY ranking is based on scientific research reports about the antibiotic sensitivity of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), which is a bacterium that is a primary cause of acne symptoms. Our antibiotic susceptibility data is generated from the combined results of over 50 independent scientific studies. For more information about which antibiotics are most effective against P. acnes bacteria, visit the Antibiotic Susceptibility of Propionibacterium acnes page.

Frequency of erythromycin Resistant P. acnes Bacteria: Common. (What does this mean?)

This ranking is scored on a scale of 1 (NOT SUSCEPTIBLE) to 5 (VERY SUSCEPTIBLE).

Share Your Experience with erythromycin – Rate This Medication

User Recommendations for Erythromycin

The USER RECOMMENDATIONS chart indicates how many reviewers recommended this medication as a treatment for Acne Vulgaris. These recommendations are only from The Science of Acne users. For additional reviews of this medication from outside sources, refer to the section below.

There are four options available for this ranking:

YES (definitely recommended)
MAYBE (conditionally recommended)
NO (not recommended)
DON’T KNOW (no opinion)

Outside Reviews of Erythromycin

The following is a list of links to pages that review or discuss the use of this medication. Note: Some of these reviews are not specific to the use of this medication in the treatment of Acne Vulgaris.

Additional Patient Reviews of erythromycin: Acne.org,  WebMD,  Drugs.com, DailyStrength.org, EveryDayHealth.com, DrugLib.com and RXList.com.

Erythromycin Background

Erythromycin (E-mycin) is an antibiotic in the macrolide family. Erythromycin kills bacteria by inhibiting their ability to synthesize new proteins. It has a similar mechanism of action and range of activity as other macrolide family antibiotics (eg. azithromycin and clarithromycin).

Erythromycin is sometimes used as an alternative to penicillin family antibiotics, particularly in individuals with penicillin allergies. Erythromycin is one of the more complex antibiotics and is fairly difficult to synthesize. As a result, the cost of this medication tends to be high compared to other antibiotics. Erythromycin has a relatively short half life in the body (1.5 hours) which may require more frequent doses, or the use of extended release forms of the medication.

In addition it’s use in the treatment of acne vulgaris, erythromycin is used for a number of other types of infection including: Respiratory tract infections, diphtheria, Legionnaires’ disease, rheumatic fever, urinary tract infections and others.

Additional Names for Erythromycin: A/T/S, Abboticin, Acnasol, Acnederm, Acne Hermal, Acneryne, Acnetrim, Akne-Mycin, Aknederm, Aknefug, Aknilox, Althrocin, Benzamycin (with benzoyl peroxide), Clarex, Clinac, Dankit, Davercin, Deripil, Dermamycin, E-Base, E-Glades, E-Solve 2, E.E.S., EES, Egéry, Elislit, Emcin Clear, Emgel, Eridosis, Eritax, Erithromycin, Eritrocina, Eritroderm, Eritromicin, Eritromicina, Eromycin, Ery, Ery Pads, Ery-Sol, Ery-Tab, Eryacnen, Eryaknen, Eryc, Erycette, Erycin, Erycreat, Eryderm, Erydermec, Erydiolan, Eryfluid, Erygel, Eryhexal, Erymax, Erymed, Erythra-Derm, Erythro, Erythrocin, Erythrocot, Erythrogel, Erythromil, Erythromycine, Erythromycini, Erythromycinum, Erythropen, Érythromycine, Erytrodol, Erytromycine, Escumycin, Etromycin, Euskin, Hexabotin, Ilosone, Iloticina, Ilotycin, Inderm, Lagarmicin, Lauromicina, Meromycin, Monomycin, MY-E, Pantomicina, Pediamycin, Propionylerythromycin, Robimycin, Romycin, Rythinate, Sansac, Sansacné, Septix, Staticin, Stiemycine, Stimycine, T-Stat, Theramycin Z, Tiloryth and Zineryt.

Important Note: The information provided on this site is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases. The Science of Acne strongly encourages you to consult a qualified medical professional before making any treatment decisions. For the complete disclaimer, click here.

Cost and Availability of Erthromycin

If possible, erythromycin should be obtained through consultation of a qualified medical professional.  Many doctors and dermatoloigsts are familiar with this medication and commonly prescribe topical erythromycin for acne vulgaris.  Oral erythromycin is less commonly used.   Erythromycin is available in both generic and brand name formulations. Generic erythromycin tends to be inexpensive to moderately expensive when compared to other commonly used antibiotics. Brand name erythromycin and proprietary combinations of erythromycin with other medications tend to be moderately to very expensive.

Related Articles from The Science of Acne

In Depth: Erythromycin and Acne
Overview: Avoiding Negative Drug Interactions
A Guide to Buying Prescription Medications on the Internet
Overview: Prescription Medications Used in Acne Treatment
In Depth: Antibiotic Susceptibility of Propionibacterium acnes

References and Sources

Books

PDR Staff Writers. 2011. 2011 Physicians’ Desk Reference
Gallagher. 2011. Antibiotics Simplified, Second Edition
Habif. 2009. Clinical Dermatology
Goodheart. 2006. Acne For Dummies
Bartlett. 2012. Johns Hopkins Antibiotics Guide 2012 (Johns Hopkins Medicine)

Online Resources

Erythromycin @ PubMed Health - The National Institute of Health (US) offers basic comprehensive information about most common medications.
Erythromycin @ Wikipedia - Wikipedia is an excellent resource for learning about how medications work.
Erythromycin Physician’s Insert - The physician’s insert for a medication contains nearly all of the relevant information, including indications, dosage information and background data.

Scientific Research Articles

Gammon, et al. 1986. Comparative efficacy of oral erythromycin versus oral tetracycline in the treatment of acne vulgaris. A double-blind study.
Eady, et al. 2006. Erythromycin resistant propionibacteria in antibiotic treated acne patients: association with therapeutic failure.
Burke, et al. 2006. Benzoylperoxide versus topical erythromycin in the treatment of acne vulgaris.
Chalker, et al. 1983. A double-blind study of the effectiveness of a 3% erythromycin and 5% benzoyl peroxide combination in the treatment of acne vulgaris.
Habbema, et al. 2006. A 4% erythromycin and zinc combination (Zineryt®) versus 2% erythromycin (Eryderm®) in acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind comparative study.
Korting, et al. 1989. Efficacy and tolerability of combined topical treatment of acne vulgaris with tretinoin and erythromycin in general practice.
Lesher, et al. 1985. An evaluation of a 2% erythromycin ointment in the topical therapy of acne vulgaris.
Eady, et al. 2008. The effects of acne treatment with a combination of benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin on skin carriage of erythromycin resistant propionibacteria.
Gupta, et al. 2003. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Parallel Group Study to Compare Relative Efficacies of the Topical Gels 3% Erythromycin/5% Benzoyl Peroxide and 0.025% Tretinoin/Erythromycin 4% in the Treatment of Moderate Acne Vulgaris of the Face.
Bernstein, et al. 1980. Topically applied erythromycin in inflammatory acne vulgaris.
Bojar, et al. 2006. The short-term treatment of acne vulgaris with benzoyl peroxide: effects on the surface and follicular cutaneous microflora.