Pregnancy
There is not enough reliable data on the use of topical erythromycin in pregnant women to determine if it poses any risks.
Animal studies showed no birth defects or harm to reproduction in female rats given erythromycin orally (not topically) at 350 mg/kg/day (about twice the maximum human dose) before and during mating, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. Similarly, no signs of birth defects or harm to embryos were observed when oral erythromycin was given to pregnant rats and mice at 700 mg/kg/day and to pregnant rabbits at 125 mg/kg/day (about 1-3 times the maximum human dose).
However, due to the lack of animal studies with topical erythromycin or controlled human studies, topical erythromycin should be given to a pregnant woman only if she and her doctor decide that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Breastfeeding
It is unknown if topical erythromycin is found in breast milk. Caution should be exercised when topical erythromycin is administered to a nursing woman.
Infants exposed to erythromycin may have a decreased appetite, diarrhea, rash, or somnolence (sleepiness), so it is important to monitor the infant.
Do not apply erythromycin to the nipple area and make sure the infant’s skin does not come into contact with the areas of skin that have been treated with erythromycin.
References
- Uptodate.com. (2024). Erythromycin (topical) [online] Available at: https://www-uptodate-com.eresources.mssm.edu/contents/erythromycin-topical-drug-information?search=erythromycin&source=panel_search_result&selectedTitle=1~143&usage_type=panel&display_rank=1. [Accessed 18 Nov. 2024].
- Epocrates.com (2024). Erythromycin (topical) [online] Available at: https://online.epocrates.com/drugs/2510/erythromycin-topical/Monograph. [Accessed 18 Nov. 2024].
- DailyMed. (2024). Erythromycin (topical). Available at: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=erythromycin&pagesize=20&page=2&vfile=. [Accessed 18 Nov. 2024].