Drug interactions
Erythromycin base + Sertraline
Severity: Moderate
Erythromycin base and Sertraline: 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
Erythromycin is a recognised cause of QT prolongation and torsades de pointes. Sertraline has a modest QT effect, and erythromycin also weakly inhibits CYP3A4, so combining them can add to arrhythmic risk, especially in at-risk patients.
What this interaction means in plain words
Erythromycin base and Sertraline 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.
Why it happens
Additive QT prolongation; erythromycin may also modestly raise sertraline exposure through CYP3A4 inhibition.
What to do
Prefer a non-QT-prolonging antibiotic when possible. If the combination is needed, correct electrolytes and monitor the ECG in patients with cardiac risk factors.
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?
Pro+ members
Unlock the full page
Create an account and start a Pro+ trial to unlock the full management advice for Erythromycin base and Sertraline, the additional notes, the evidence detail and the whole-prescription interaction checker.
- Full clinical management advice
- Additional notes
- Evidence detail
- Interaction checker for a whole prescription
Try Pro+ free for 7 days on the web. No card needed.
Other interactions of Sertraline
- Isocarboxazid + Sertraline Contraindicated
- Methylene blue + Sertraline Contraindicated
- Phenelzine + Sertraline Contraindicated
- Pimozide + Sertraline Contraindicated
- Selegiline transdermal + Sertraline Contraindicated
- Selegiline + Sertraline Contraindicated
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Erythromycin base with Sertraline?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Erythromycin base and Sertraline 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 is a recognised cause of QT prolongation and torsades de pointes. Sertraline has a modest QT effect, and erythromycin also weakly inhibits CYP3A4, so combining them can add to arrhythmic risk, especially in at-risk patients.
How serious is the interaction between Erythromycin base and Sertraline?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Prefer a non-QT-prolonging antibiotic when possible. If the combination is needed, correct electrolytes and monitor the ECG in patients with cardiac risk factors.
What other medicines interact with Sertraline?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Sertraline with, for example, Isocarboxazid, Methylene blue, Phenelzine. The full list is on the Sertraline page.
Full monographs, dosing and an interaction checker in the MediHelp app
Open the complete reference, check multi-drug interactions and use dosing tools in the MediHelp app.
