Intravenous Erythromycin Lactobionate-Induced Severe Nausea and Vomiting

Abstract

Intravenous erythromycin lactobionate has been used for several years to treat various infectious diseases. Several cases of severe nausea and vomiting associated with its use have been reported in Europe but only a few cases have been reported in the U.S. The official product information does not refer to severe nausea and vomiting associated with its intravenous use; however, we report six additional cases of severe nausea and vomiting associated with rapid administration of erythromycin lactobionate, and review the current literature on the characteristics of this adverse effect.