Erythromycin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Erythromycin is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 8 brand and generic names. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Available as
- Tablet, delayed release · Tablet · Coated particles · Topical · Capsule · Oral pellets · Swab · Capsule, delayed release
- Sold as
- 8 products — E-Mycin, Pce and Erygel, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $2 per gm — not your price
Every erythromycin product we track (8)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 2 | 72/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 3 | 64/100 | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 4 | 58/100 | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 5 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 6 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Swab | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 7 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 8 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $2 | View → |
What erythromycin pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Combination products containing erythromycin
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
Erythromycin recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
Erythromycin Tablets
CGMP Deviations; presence of N-Nitroso-Desmethyl-Erythromycin above the recommended acceptable intake limit
Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc · Apr 29, 2026
Erythromycin Tablets
CGMP Deviations; presence of N-Nitroso-Desmethyl-Erythromycin above the recommended acceptable intake limit
Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc · Apr 29, 2026
How long erythromycin keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some erythromycin labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 35 days.
The in-use limits erythromycin labels print, quotedErythromycin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for erythromycin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadBecause of the low levels of erythromycin in breastmilk and safe administration directly to infants, it is acceptable in nursing mothers. The small amounts in milk are unlikely to cause adverse effects in the infant. Monitor the infant for irritability and possible effects on the gastrointestinal flora, such as diarrhea, candidiasis (thrush, diaper rash). One case report and unconfirmed epidemiologic evidence indicates that hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in infants might occur with maternal use of erythromycin during the first two weeks of breastfeeding; however, if it occurs, the frequency is very low and others have questioned this relationship.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised November 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about erythromycin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 20,545 reports naming erythromycin, and the FDA flagged 62% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- drug hypersensitivity4,256 reports
- nausea1,408 reports
- vomiting1,241 reports
- diarrhoea1,190 reports
- rash1,150 reports
- dyspnoea1,127 reports
- fatigue1,104 reports
- headache939 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean erythromycin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
Can you take erythromycin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run erythromycin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is erythromycin sold under?
We track 8 erythromycin-containing products in the U.S.: E-Mycin, Pce, Erygel, Eryc Sprinkles, Akne-Mycin, Erycette, Erythromycin and Ilotycin. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does erythromycin come in?
Across the brands we track, erythromycin is currently marketed as tablet, delayed release, tablet, coated particles, topical, capsule, oral pellets, swab and capsule, delayed release, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic erythromycin?
Yes. Our catalog lists 3 generic erythromycin products alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Has erythromycin been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 2 recall records whose product description mentions erythromycin. The most recent: Erythromycin Tablets (Apr 29, 2026). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Erythromycin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/erythromycin
- MLA
- “Erythromycin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/erythromycin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for erythromycin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.