Clarithromycin

Clarithromycin is an antibiotic used to treat skin infections such as infected eczema. It belongs to a group of medicines known as macrolides, which work by preventing the production of certain proteins.

Eczema is marked by dry, itchy skin due to a faulty skin barrier. This leads to water loss, leaving your skin dry and cracked. Scratching can make the damage worse. Consequently, your skin barrier can deteriorate further, making it easier for microorganisms to get in. This is why people with eczema are more prone to skin infections.

Macrolides, which include clarithromycin, are a type of antibiotic known as bacteriostatic. This means they work by stopping the production of proteins, which is essential for bacteria to grow.

When you take Clarithromycin, it attaches to a protein unit in bacteria, which stops the 'translation' process from mRNA to tRNA—both are crucial for making proteins. This action halts protein production, preventing bacteria from growing and eventually causing them to die.

The bacteria most often found in eczema infections is Staphylococcus aureus, responsible for about 90% of these cases.

The usual way to treat bacterial infections is with antibiotics. These can be applied directly to the skin, like Fucidin H, which is a powerful antibiotic cream, or taken by mouth, like Clarithromycin. If your symptoms aren't too bad, your doctor will likely suggest a topical treatment like Fucidin H. However, for more serious cases, an oral antibiotic is typically recommended.

If antibiotics aren't effective or the infection keeps coming back, doctors often prescribe steroids as an alternative treatment. Steroids can reduce the inflammation, redness, and itching linked to infected eczema. This approach also helps avoid the excessive use of antibiotics, which can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Like all medicines, Clarithromycin can cause side effects, which might affect some people. Common side effects include:

For further details on other side effects, have a look at the patient information leaflet.

Getting treatment for skin infections with us is easy. Just answer a few questions online, pick your treatment, and have it delivered to your door the next working day. It's convenient and all done from home.

We also offer a personalised aftercare service. This means we'll follow up with you to ensure everything is going well during and after your treatment. If you have any questions, you can message your clinician online, and they'll respond as soon as they can.