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Drug Interactions With Erythromycin/Benzoyl Peroxide
Although erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide may not cause significant drug interactions with most medications, you may not be able to use this drug in combination with certain other skin products. For example, using this skin gel with other topical acne medications may increase your risk for skin irritation. If you use certain skin products, your healthcare provider may recommend you stop using them while using erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide.
Erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide (Benzamycin®) may react with a few other topical medications. Some of the drugs that may lead to interactions with erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide include but are not limited to:
- Clindamycin skin products (Cleocin T®, Clindets®, Clindagel®, ClindaMax®, Evoclin®)
- Other topical acne medications.
The following sections explain in detail the potentially negative reactions that can occur when erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide is combined with any of the drugs listed above.
Clindamycin Skin Products
Erythromycin (one of the active ingredients in erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide) can make clindamycin less effective. In general, these medications should not be used together.
Other Topical Acne Medications
Using erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide with other acne medications may cause excessive skin irritation. Talk to your healthcare provider before using other acne lotions, creams, or gels while using erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide.
It is possible that not all erythromycin/benzoyl peroxide drug interactions were discussed in this article. Therefore, you should talk with your pharmacist or healthcare provider about the specific interactions that may apply to you.
Written by/reviewed by: Susan Lakey, PharmD, MPH
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD