Drug interactions
Erythromycin + Isoflurane
Severity: Moderate
Erythromycin and Isoflurane: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Both agents can prolong the QT interval, so perioperative co-administration may increase the risk of torsades de pointes. The risk is greater with electrolyte disturbance or underlying heart disease.
What this interaction means in plain words
Erythromycin and Isoflurane can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Erythromycin belongs to Anti Bacterial; Isoflurane belongs to Central Nervous System.
Why it happens
Additive QT prolongation through delayed cardiac repolarization.
What to do
Check an ECG and correct potassium and magnesium before surgery in patients on erythromycin. Monitor the ECG during anesthesia and consider an alternative antibiotic in high-risk patients.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Erythromycin
- Conivaptan + Erythromycin Contraindicated
- Dihydroergotamine intranasal + Erythromycin Contraindicated
- Dihydroergotamine + Erythromycin Contraindicated
- Domperidone + Erythromycin Contraindicated
- Dronedarone + Erythromycin Contraindicated
- Droperidol + Erythromycin Contraindicated
Other interactions of Isoflurane
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Erythromycin with Isoflurane?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Erythromycin and Isoflurane can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Both agents can prolong the QT interval, so perioperative co-administration may increase the risk of torsades de pointes. The risk is greater with electrolyte disturbance or underlying heart disease.
How serious is the interaction between Erythromycin and Isoflurane?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Check an ECG and correct potassium and magnesium before surgery in patients on erythromycin. Monitor the ECG during anesthesia and consider an alternative antibiotic in high-risk patients.
What other medicines interact with Erythromycin?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Erythromycin with, for example, Conivaptan, Dihydroergotamine intranasal, Dihydroergotamine. The full list is on the Erythromycin page.
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