If you take antibiotics and you get a real bad headache from it would you stop?

Question

The medicine is call Erythromycin base 500

Answer 1

Side Effects of This Medicine:

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Fever; headache, nausea; skin rash, redness, or itching; stomach pain (severe); unusual tiredness or weakness; vomiting; yellow eyes or skin-with erythromycin estolate (rare with other erythromycins)

Pain, swelling, or redness at place of injection

Fainting (repeated); irregular or slow heartbeat; loss of hearing (temporary)

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking or receiving erythromycins, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

Acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) (with long-term, high-dose use) or

Amiodarone (e.g., Cordarone) or

Anabolic steroids (nandrolone [e.g., Anabolin], oxandrolone [e.g., Anavar], oxymetholone [e.g., Anadrol], stanozolol [e.g., Winstrol]) or

Androgens (male hormones) or

Antithyroid agents (medicine for overactive thyroid) or

Carmustine (e.g., BiCNU) or

Chloroquine (e.g., Aralen) or

Dantrolene (e.g., Dantrium) or

Daunorubicin (e.g., Cerubidine) or

Disulfiram (e.g., Antabuse) or

Divalproex (e.g., Depakote) or

Estrogens (female hormones) or

Etretinate (e.g., Tegison) or

Gold salts (medicine for arthritis) or

Hydroxychloroquine (e.g., Plaquenil) or

Mercaptopurine (e.g., Purinethol) or

Methotrexate (e.g., Mexate) or

Methyldopa (e.g., Aldomet) or

Naltrexone (e.g., Trexan) (with long-term, high-dose use) or

Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) containing estrogen or

Other anti-infectives by mouth or by injection (medicine for infection) or

Phenothiazines (acetophenazine [e.g., Tindal], chlorpromazine [e.g., Thorazine], fluphenazine [e.g., Prolixin], mesoridazine [e.g., Serentil], perphenazine [e.g., Trilafon], prochlorperazine [e.g., Compazine], promazine [e.g., Sparine], promethazine [e.g., Phenergan], thioridazine [e.g., Mellaril], trifluoperazine [e.g., Stelazine], triflupromazine [e.g., Vesprin], trimeprazine [e.g., Temaril]) or

Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) or

Plicamycin (e.g., Mithracin) or

Valproic acid (e.g., Depakene)—Use of these medicines with erythromycins, especially erythromycin estolate, may increase the chance of liver problems

Aminophylline (e.g., Somophyllin) or

Caffeine (e.g., NoDoz) or

Oxtriphylline (e.g., Choledyl) or

Theophylline (e.g., Somophyllin-T, Theo-Dur)—Use of these medicines with erythromycins may increase the chance of side effects from aminophylline, caffeine, oxtriphylline, or theophylline

Astemizole (e.g., Hismanal) or

Terfenadine (e.g., Seldane)—Use of astemizole or terfenadine with erythromycins may cause heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat; these medicines should not be used together

Carbamazepine (e.g., Tegretol)—Use of carbamazepine with erythromycin may increase the side effects of carbamazepine or increase the chance of liver problems

Chloramphenicol (e.g., Chloromycetin) or

Clindamycin (e.g., Cleocin) or

Lincomycin (e.g., Lincocin)—Use of these medicines with erythromycins may decrease the effectiveness of these other antibiotics

Cyclosporine (e.g., Sandimmune) or

Warfarin (e.g., Coumadin)—Use of any of these medicines with erythromycins may increase the side effects of these medicines

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of erythromycins.  

Answer 2

I'd page my doctor right away to ask if the headache is actually related to the medication and not something happening by chance. Only your doctor can advise you whether you should take a medication or not--remember also to tell the doctor the names of the other medications you're on to make sure there's not an interaction.

Answer 3

Headaches aren't a side effect to this drug (in a general sense).

Don't stop taking it unless the prescribing doctor says so.

Answer 4

It is not likely that the antibiotic is giving you the headache. You have to finish your antibiotics, as long as you don't have a life threatening reaction. Take some Tylenol for your head. If it is really bothering you, you should ask your parents, anyway.