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drug_recall erythromycinErythromycin is an antibiotic that has been on the market and widely prescribed for over fifty years. Used to treat everything from a sore throat to syphilis, erythromycin has long been thought of as a safe antibiotic medication. In September of 2004 a report came out in the New England Journal of medicine which systematically documented the increased occurrence of heart attack in patients taking this drug.
The study researched almost five thousand Medicaid patient records and found that people who take this antibiotic are twice as likely to have an erythromycin heart attack. They also found that when taken in combination with other drugs, erythromycin heart attack can be up to five times more likely. These cases of erythromycin heart attack often lead to cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death.
Erythromycin heart attack chances increased when other medications were taken simultaneously, according to the study. When the antibiotic was taken with blood pressure drugs and other medications , the chances of erythromycin heart attack were six deaths for every one thousand people.
The drugs that increase the likelihood of erythromycin heart attack include the blood pressure drugs verapamil and diltiazem. The antibiotic clarithromycin also increased the likelihood of erythromycin heart attack. Fluconazole, (the yeast infection medicine) and other anti-fungal medications like ketoconazole or itraconazole also increase the risk of erythromycin heart attack. The experts who conducted this study also warned that AIDS drugs like protease inhibitors and even grapefruit juice can increase the risks of an erythromycin heart attack.
All of these drugs seem to act similarly in the body. When taken with erythromycin, these drugs increase the concentration of this antibiotic in the blood stream. When the concentration of erythromycin is elevated by these other medications, salt can build up in the cells of the heart muscle. This increases the length of time between heart beats which can result in erythromycin heart attack.
Heart doctors have known for some time that erythromycin may increase the chances of a heart attack based on experiences with their patients, but it seems that family doctors aren''t often aware of the risks of erythromycin heart attack. Amoxicillin apparently carries no increased risk of heart attack.
If you suspect that you or someone you know has suffered from an erythromycin heart attack, you may be eligible to seek compensation in a personal injury or wrongful death claim. To learn more about erythromycin heart attack cases, you may wish to speak with a lawyer who can advise you of your legal rights and options.
For years, erythromycin has been used as a broad based antibiotic to treat bacterial infections and used in HIV positive individuals. The common use of the drug has been under the assumption that the drug was considered to be safe and effective. A new ...
Erythromycin is a common antibiotic drug that is used to treat a wide range of symptoms. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown the drug generally thought of as safe actually dramatically increases the risk of cardiac arrest. Eryt...