Influence of alcohol consumption on erythromycin ethylsuccinate kinetics

Abstract

The effect of ethyl alcohol ingestion on erythromycin kinetics was studied. Nine healthy volunteers, four males and five females, participated in the study. They received, in two separate occasions, 500 mg of erythromycin ethylsuccinate ester given with water or with an alcoholic beverage. The antibiotic was assayed in plasma, using a microbiological method. Absorption and disposition parameters were calculated according to classical pharmacokinetic techniques. A longer lag time and a decrease in AUC were observed when the antibiotic was given with alcohol. The differences were statistically significant. It is likely that the effect of alcohol on gastric emptying could be responsible for the delayed absorption of the antibiotics.