From the Guidelines
The recommended dosage of Clarithromycin is 500 mg twice daily or 1,000 mg once daily.
Dosage Information
- The dosage of Clarithromycin can vary depending on the condition being treated, but 500 mg twice daily is a commonly recommended dose for adults with community-acquired pneumonia 1.
- An alternative dosage is 1,000 mg once daily for extended-release formulations 1.
- For the treatment of Lyme disease, 500 mg twice daily for 14-21 days is recommended for adult patients intolerant of other antibiotics 1.
- It's worth noting that a dose of 1,000 mg twice a day has been associated with a higher mortality rate in the treatment of MAC disease and should not be used 1.
Important Considerations
- The choice of dosage and treatment duration should be individualized based on the patient's specific condition and response to treatment.
- Patients treated with macrolides, including Clarithromycin, should be closely observed to ensure resolution of clinical manifestations 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
2.2 Adult Dosage The recommended dosages of clarithromycin extended-release tablets for the treatment of mild to moderate infections in adults are listed in Table 1. Table 1 Adult Dosage Guidelines Clarithromycin Extended-release Tablets Infection Dosage (every 24 hours) Duration (days) Acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis 1 gram 7 Acute maxillary sinusitis 1 gram 14 Community-acquired pneumonia 1 gram 7
The recommended dosage of Clarithromycin (Biaxin) is 1 gram every 24 hours for the treatment of mild to moderate infections in adults, with durations of:
- 7 days for acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and community-acquired pneumonia
- 14 days for acute maxillary sinusitis 2
From the Research
Dosage of Clarithromycin
The recommended dosage of Clarithromycin (Biaxin) varies depending on the specific condition being treated.
- For community-acquired upper and lower respiratory tract infections, the dosage is 500 to 1000 mg/day for 5 to 14 days 3.
- A once-daily, 5-day clarithromycin extended-release regimen appears to be a suitable choice for treating patients with acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, with a dosage of 1000 mg once daily for 5 days 4.
- The extended-release formulation of clarithromycin allows for convenient once-daily dosing, with a dosage of 1000 mg daily 5.
Special Considerations
- Dosage adjustments are required for patients with severe renal failure, but not for elderly patients or those with hepatic impairment 3, 6, 7.
- Patients with a creatinine clearance < 1.8 L/h may require a dosage adjustment for clarithromycin 6.
- The presence of food appears to have no clinically significant effect on clarithromycin pharmacokinetics 7.
Pharmacokinetics
- Clarithromycin is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, with a systemic bioavailability of about 55% 7.
- The maximum serum concentrations of clarithromycin and its 14-hydroxy metabolite are dose proportional and appear within 3 hours 7.
- Clarithromycin achieves significantly higher drug concentrations in the epithelial lining fluid and alveolar macrophages than in plasma 6.