What is Clarithromycin: Uses, Warnings & Interactions

Follow all the prescriber’s instructions.

Take all of the medicine in your prescription to clear up your infection, even if you feel better after the first few doses.

Take two doses every day unless instructed otherwise.

• The extended-release tablet is taken once daily.

Taking clarithromycin tablets:

• Take the tablet with or without food.

• Swallow the tablet whole with a drink of water.

• Store clarithromycin tablets at room temperature. Protect from light.

Taking clarithromycin extended-release tablets:

• Always take the tablet with food.

• Swallow the tablet whole with a drink of water. Do not crush, break, or chew the tablet.

• Store clarithromycin extended-release tablets at room temperature. Protect from light.

Taking clarithromycin oral suspension:

• Shake the bottle well before measuring a dose.

• Use a calibrated oral syringe to measure doses. Do not use kitchen utensils or tableware to measure doses.

• Store clarithromycin oral suspension in a closed bottle at room temperature protected from light. Do not freeze or refrigerate.

• Throw away any unused medicine after 14 days.

Take a dose as soon as you remember.

If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the next dose as scheduled.

Do not take double doses to compensate for a missed dose.

This medicine is not right for everyone. 

Do not use it if you have:

• A history of liver problems caused by clarithromycin

• Known allergies to clarithromycin, erythromycin, or any other macrolide antibiotics

Tell all other healthcare providers who treat you that you are taking clarithromycin.

For some conditions, the healthcare provider may require follow-up visits. Keep all appointments.

Before starting clarithromycin, tell the prescriber if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or if you have:

• Kidney disease

• Liver problems

• Heart problems

• Diabetes

• Myasthenia gravis

• Swollen pancreas

• Porphyria

Clarithromycin can cause serious problems, including:

• Heart rhythm abnormalities 

• Liver problems

• Severe drug reactions 

This medicine may cause dizziness or confusion. Do not drive or engage in other risky activities until you are aware of its effects.

Oral antibiotics can cause severe diarrhea up to two months or more after the last dose. Call a healthcare provider if you experience severe or bloody diarrhea. Do not take any medicine to stop diarrhea until you have talked to your healthcare provider. 

Call your healthcare provider if your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse.

Never take clarithromycin with any of the following prescription drugs:

• Migraine medications called ergots

• The cholesterol drugs simvastatin, lovastatin, and Juxtapid (lomitapide)

• The antipsychotic drug Latuda (lurasidone)

• The gout treatment colchicine (in people with liver impairment)

• Cisapride (very rarely used in the U.S.)

To avoid potentially hazardous drug interactions, tell the prescribing healthcare provider about all prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and supplements you use before taking clarithromycin, particularly:

• Drugs that treat heartbeat rhythms

• Drugs that lower cholesterol, called statins

• Blood pressure drugs called calcium channel blockers

• Drugs that treat diabetes, including insulin

• Blood thinners

• Benzodiazepines

• HIV/AIDS treatments

• Migraine medications called ergots

• Erectile dysfunction and hypertension drugs called PDE5 inhibitors

• Alfentanil, bromocriptine, carbamazepine, cyclosporine, fluconazole, itraconazole, methylprednisolone, nelfinavir, quetiapine, omeprazole, phenobarbital, phenytoin, theophylline, valproate, vinblastine

People taking HIV/AIDS drugs that contain zidovudine should take their dose two hours before or after their clarithromycin dose.

Tell other healthcare providers you are using this medicine before they prescribe new medications.