Gery

Description

Gery Ointment is not recommended for:

• Children, as its safety and efficacy haven’t been established.
• Individuals with a history of hypersensitivity to erythromycin, porphyria, hepatic impairment, or pregnancy.

Use with caution if you have:

• A history of hepatic disorders, arrhythmias, or prolonged QT interval.
• Myasthenia gravis, as it may aggravate muscle weakness.
• Severe renal impairment (especially with lactobionate).

Your doctor may monitor your liver function during treatment, particularly if treatment exceeds 10 days or you have a history of erythromycin usage.

Potential Side Effects

Common side effects include contact sensitization, dryness, erythema (redness), skin irritation, and skin tenderness.

Potentially fatal side effects can include hepatotoxicity, cholestatic jaundice, raised serum transaminases, and eosinophilia.

Drug Interactions

Erythromycin can interact with several medications, potentially leading to serious side effects. Be sure to inform your doctor about all medications you’re taking.

Some significant interactions include:

• HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (e.g., simvastatin): Increased risk of rhabdomyolysis.
• Colchicine: Increased risk of toxicity.
• Benzodiazepines (e.g., alprazolam, midazolam): Increased sedation.
• Theophylline: Erythromycin may decrease theophylline concentration.
• Cimetidine: May increase erythromycin concentration.
• Calcium channel blockers (e.g., verapamil, amlodipine, diltiazem): Can lead to hypotension, bradyarrhythmia, and lactic acidosis.
• Sildenafil: Increased systemic exposure.
• Ciclosporin, carbamazepine, tacrolimus, alfentanil, disopyramide, rifabutin, quinidine, methylprednisolone, cilostazol, vinblastine, bromocriptine: Increased or prolonged adverse effects.
• Digoxin: Increased risk of toxicity.
• Oral anticoagulants: Increased bleeding risk.

Potentially Fatal Interactions:

• Cisapride, pimozide, astemizole, terfenadine: Can cause QT prolongation, cardiac arrhythmias, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and torsades de pointes.
• Ergotamine, dihydroergotamine: Can lead to acute ergot toxicity.

How it Works

Erythromycin works by inhibiting protein synthesis in susceptible bacteria. It does this by binding irreversibly to the 50S ribosomal subunit, which blocks the processes needed for bacterial growth.