Clarithromycin

Many people get respiratory or skin infections each year, and they can often be resolved with a course of antibiotics. Clarithromycin is an antibiotic that’s used to treat bacterial infections that can affect your ears, lungs, chest and throat. It’s also a helpful treatment for skin infections.

By targeting specific bacteria to kill them or stop them multiplying, it should work to improve both your symptoms and your health. There are two doses available depending upon the severity of your infection. Our clinician will let you know which dose to take, and how often to take it, in order to make sure that it’s most effective.

Macrolide antibiotics like Clarithromycin work by preventing bacteria from growing. They do this by stopping it from making proteins that are vital for its survival. In higher concentrations, macrolide antibiotics also kill bacteria, which is why they are such an effective treatment option for bacterial infections.^[1]

Clarithromycin is commonly prescribed for tonsillitis (an infection that affects your tonsils at the back of your throat, making it hard for you to eat or swallow and giving you a fever), or skin infections like impetigo or eczema (where your eczema is infected).

Clarithromycin is available in two different doses depending on your needs: 250mg or 500mg. The kind of infection you have, how strong your symptoms are and your personal health history all help determine which dose is most appropriate for you.

Swallow the tablet whole with at least half a glass of water in the morning. If you’re taking two tablets, then take one in the morning and one in the evening.

Make sure to complete the full course of antibiotics, as leaving your treatment unfinished can make the infection return.

You should start to feel better within a few days of starting treatment, but the exact time it takes for your symptoms to improve can vary depending on what kind of infection you have. Skin infections, for example, might take longer to heal than infections like tonsillitis.

You should always do your best to follow the exact advice of your prescribing clinician when you take Clarithromycin. This will ensure that it’s most effective in treating your condition.

If you forget your dose, take it as soon as you remember. You’ll need to skip the dose if it’s almost time for your next dose, though, and add the missed dose on to the end of your course of treatment. If you’ve missed a dose and you’re not sure what to do, contact one of our clinicians for guidance.

Never double up on a dose if you miss one. Taking too much Clarithromycin isn’t usually a big problem, but you should let a clinician know if you’re experiencing side effects.