Clarithromycin and Mycobacterium abscessus infection - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Mycobacterium abscessus infection is reported as a side effect among people who take Clarithromycin (clarithromycin), especially for people who are female, 60+ old, have been taking the drug for < 1 month also take Cefoxitin, and have Mycobacterium chelonae infection.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Mycobacterium abscessus infection when taking Clarithromycin. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 44,030 people who have side effects when taking Clarithromycin from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Clarithromycin?

Clarithromycin has active ingredients of clarithromycin. It is often used in sinusitis. eHealthMe is studying from 45,044 Clarithromycin users. Check the latest studies of Clarithromycin.

What is Mycobacterium abscessus infection?

Mycobacterium abscessus infection (rapid growing bacterial infection) is found to be associated with 51 drugs and 158 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Mycobacterium abscessus infection.

On Jul, 06, 2026

44,030 people reported to have side effects when taking Clarithromycin.
Among them, 73 people (0.17%) have Mycobacterium abscessus infection.

Could Clarithromycin cause Mycobacterium abscessus infection?

Among these 73 people:

How long have people been on Clarithromycin when they have Mycobacterium abscessus infection? *

What is the gender of people who have Mycobacterium abscessus infection when taking Clarithromycin? *

female: 60.56 %
male: 39.44 %

What is the age of people who have Mycobacterium abscessus infection when taking Clarithromycin? *

What are other drugs people take besides Clarithromycin? *

Cefoxitin: 21 people, 28.77%
Minocycline: 16 people, 21.92%
Linezolid: 15 people, 20.55%
Imipenem And Cilastatin: 13 people, 17.81%
Moxifloxacin: 12 people, 16.44%
Azithromycin: 11 people, 15.07%
Prednisone: 8 people, 10.96%
Tacrolimus: 8 people, 10.96%
Vancomycin: 7 people, 9.59%
Mycophenolate Mofetil: 7 people, 9.59%

What are other side effects people have besides Mycobacterium abscessus infection? *

Drug Resistance (reduction in effectiveness of a drug): 17 people, 23.29%
Mycobacterium Chelonae Infection (bacterial infection): 10 people, 13.70%
Weight Decreased: 8 people, 10.96%
Skin Abscess: 7 people, 9.59%
Abscess Limb (limb infection): 7 people, 9.59%
Bacteraemia (presence of bacteria in the blood): 7 people, 9.59%
Lymphadenitis (inflammation or enlargement of a lymph node): 7 people, 9.59%
Pathogen Resistance: 5 people, 6.85%
Drug Ineffective: 5 people, 6.85%
Disease Recurrence: 5 people, 6.85%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Mycobacterium Chelonae Infection (bacterial infection): 8 people, 10.96%
Mycobacterium Avium Complex Infection: 7 people, 9.59%
Staphylococcal Infection (an infection with staphylococcus bacteria): 4 people, 5.48%
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukaemia (cancers of the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow): 4 people, 5.48%
Idiopathic Pneumonia Syndrome (pneumonia-like symptoms): 4 people, 5.48%
Bacteraemia (presence of bacteria in the blood): 4 people, 5.48%
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (an autoimmune disease, which means the body's immune system mistakenly, attacks healthy tissue): 3 people, 4.11%
Bronchiectasis (abnormal widening of the bronchi or their branches, causing a risk of infection): 3 people, 4.11%
Microscopic Polyangiitis (inflammation involving multiple blood or lymph small-vessel): 3 people, 4.11%
Cytomegalovirus Infection: 2 people, 2.74%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Clarithromycin and have Mycobacterium abscessus infection?

- Check whether Mycobacterium abscessus infection is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Clarithromycin:

Clarithromycin (45,044 reports)

Browse all side effects of Clarithromycin:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Mycobacterium abscessus infection:

Mycobacterium abscessus infection (51 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Mycobacterium abscessus infection:

Mycobacterium abscessus infection (158 conditions)

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on clarithromycin (the active ingredients of Clarithromycin) and Clarithromycin (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.