Clarithromycin

What is 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 different 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.

How does Clarithromycin work?

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.

Clarithromycin is most 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).

What doses of Clarithromycin are there?

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.

How to take Clarithromycin

Antibiotics like Clarithromycin are time-sensitive, which means that you need to take them at specific times each day. When it’s time to take your pill, simply swallow it whole with water.

If you don’t take it as directed, your infection could get worse. Follow our clinician’s instructions as closely as possible.

How long does it take Clarithromycin to work?

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.

What should I do if I make a mistake when using Clarithromycin?

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.