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Clarithromycin

Treatment Options for Infected Insect Bites

If you are aged 18 years and over, and registered with the NHS in England, you may qualify for a FREE remote video consultation and treatment covering six common conditions, without having to see your GP.

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Clarithromycin key facts

Amish Patel - NowPatientGreen tick
Updated on 23 Oct 2024

Who Manufactures Clarithromycin?

Clarithromycin is manufactured by various generic manufacturers approved by the MHRA.

What Form is Clarithromycin available in?

Clarithromycin is available as an oral suspension or as tablets.

How do I store Clarithromycin?

Store clarithromycin tablets at room temperature, away from excess moisture or heat. Once made up, store clarithromycin suspension in the fridge at temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees, as specified by the manufacturer.

What is Clarithromycin used for?

Clarithromycin is used for the treatment of infected insect bite(s) and sting(s) under the NHS England commissioned Pharmacy First service.

How does Clarithromycin work?

Clarithromycin is an antibiotic that stops susceptible bacteria from growing and spreading.

When will I feel better and what should I do if I do not get better?

You should start to feel better within a few days of taking clarithromycin. If you do not see an improvement after 3 days of using clarithromycin or if your symptoms worsen at any time, speak to your healthcare provider.

Can I drink alcohol while taking Clarithromycin?

Yes, you can drink alcohol with clarithromycin, however, drinking alcohol with clarithromycin may reduce its benefits or delay it from working.

Do I need to take Clarithromycin with food?

You may take clarithromycin with or without food.

Who can and cannot take Clarithromycin?

You may take clarithromycin if you meet the inclusion criteria for infected insect bites for the Pharmacy First service, but may not take clarithromycin if you meet the exclusion criteria for infected insect bites for the Pharmacy First service.

How often do I need to take Clarithromycin?

You will need to take clarithromycin twice a day for 5 days. If you are between 1 and 11 years old your dose will depend on your body weight. Children over the age of 12 and adults will need to take 500 mg twice a day.

What are the side effects of Clarithromycin?

Side effects of clarithromycin include dyspepsia, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, pancreatitis, abnormal liver function tests, decreased appetite, dizziness, headache, hearing impairment, insomnia, skin reactions, altered taste and vision disorders.

Are there any Interactions of Clarithromycin with other drugs?

Clarithromycin interacts with simvastatin, domperidone, ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, ranolazine, midazolam, typhoid vaccine, medicines known to cause QT prolongation, rifampicin, phenytoin and St. John's Wort.

Other important information about Clarithromycin

Take clarithromycin at regular intervals and finish the course even if your symptoms improve. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, do not drive or operate machinery. Seek medical advice in the event of an adverse reaction or if any other new symptoms develop.

Does Clarithromycin interfere with conception and contraception?

Clarithromycin does not affect fertility in men or women and does not stop contraceptives from working. If however, clarithromycin makes you vomit or gives you severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy.

Can I use Clarithromycin when breast feeding?

Clarithromycin can be used in breastfeeding individuals. You are however, advised to monitor your baby for gastrointestinal disturbances, oral candida infection, rashes, drowsiness, irritability, sweating or loss of appetite.

Can I use Clarithromycin if I am pregnant or planning to become pregnant?

Clarithromycin may be taken during pregnancy, but its use is excluded from the Pharmacy First service for infected insect bites if you are pregnant or suspect you are pregnant.

Medical Disclaimer

NowPatient has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that all material is factually accurate, complete, and current. However, the knowledge and experience of a qualified healthcare professional should always be sought after instead of using the information on this page. Before taking any drug, you should always speak to your doctor or another qualified healthcare provider.

The information provided here about medications is subject to change and is not meant to include all uses, precautions, warnings, directions, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or negative effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a particular medication does not imply that the medication or medication combination is appropriate for all patients or for all possible purposes.

Service Guide

Everything you need to know about NHS Pharmacy First

What is NHS Pharmacy First?

If you are aged 18 years and over, and registered with the NHS in England, you may qualify for a FREE remote video consultation and treatment covering six common conditions, without having to see your GP.
Pharmacy First is the name of a new service which is available to ALL NHS patients across England and will allow you to get treated with prescription-only medications, without having to visit your GP or obtain a prescription.
The FREE service is subject to eligibility requirements. To check if you qualify, select the condition you would like to get treated in the search box and answer the screening questions.

What conditions do you treat with NHS Pharmacy First?

We assess and treat the following conditions:

  • Sinusitis
  • Sore throats
  • Infected insect bites
  • Impetigo
  • Shingles
  • Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women

If treatments are prescribed, they are dispensed and delivered to your home or workplace from NowPatient’s online pharmacy.

Is this a safe service?

Yes. Our formulary of medications prescribed and conditions treated are controlled, governed, and continuously risk-assessed by the NHS. Our service is conducted through remote video consultations, also known as synchronous consultations. This builds patient safety and prescribing appropriateness into our service, ensuring our clinicians can be satisfied with who and what they are treating. There is no guarantee of supply of medications, and any medications supplied are at the sole discretion of our assessing clinician.

How will I know that the service is being provided by a trustworthy clinician?

Our clinicians are board-certified pharmacists who can also prescribe selected medications for six common treatable conditions, which is set out by the NHS. Our clinicians are registered with their respective regulatory bodies. For example, a pharmacist is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Each clinician undergoes an extensive background check including a disclosure and barring service check (DBS). In addition, they undergo a rigorous license verification process. When you book an appointment with one of our clinicians you will see their full name, license number, and any specialized credentials they have.

Is the service available in the United States and the United Kingdom?

No. At the moment, it is only available in England.

Can I use NowPatient’s NHS Pharmacy First feature if I live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

This service is commissioned by NHS England and is only available to patients in England. You will not be able to use the feature if you live in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

Do I need to pay for this service?

This is a FREE service for NHS-registered users. If you are prescribed medication at the end of your assessment and you are not exempt from NHS prescription charges, then you will need to pay a single NHS prescription charge, which is currently £9.90. If you are exempt from prescription charges, for example, if you are on Income Support or aged over 60, then you will not be charged.

How do I know if I qualify?

If you suspect you are suffering from any of the following conditions:
  • Sore throats
  • Sinusitis
  • Infected insect bites
  • Impetigo
  • Shingles
  • Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women
You will need to complete a screening quiz. This will allow us to check if the service is suitable for you.
To get started, go to the tools page. Select NHS Pharmacy First. You should then select the following action – ‘Treat Condition’
You will be taken to a selection screen where you will need to select the condition that you are looking to treat. After you have selected the condition, you will need to complete a short screening quiz, which will determine if you are suitable for the service. If you do not qualify, we will signpost you to the right NHS care provider or service.

What are the next steps, if I qualify?

If you do qualify, you will be able to book a consultation with one of our NHS Pharmacy First trained clinicians. To do this, you will need to select a date and time that is convenient for you, along with the preferred language of the clinician you wish to choose. You will then see a list of all available clinicians. From this list, you can filter clinicians by gender and then select the clinician you would like to confirm for your booking.
Once you have approved this, you will see a summary of the appointment including preliminary information about the consultation. At this point, you will also be able to add a reminder to your calendar.
Always ensure your account health profile is up to date before any consultation. This ensures that our clinicians have the most up-to-date information about your current health status and anything that may influence their prescribing decisions. You will receive a push notification and email reminding you of your consultation, 30 minutes before it is due to start.
You can ‘star’ the NHS Pharmacy First quick action widget to have it display in the ‘My Favourite Widgets’ section of your dashboard, for ease of future booking or checking active or past orders.

Will you have access to my GP records?

Yes, as an NHS patient, our pharmacists will be able to access to your GP record including medications, observations, and investigations. This ensures we are able to assess and treat your condition safely and appropriately.

What happens during the remote video consultation?

During the consultation, the clinician will ask you a series of questions that will allow the clinician to diagnose your health condition and consider possible treatment options. At the end of the consultation, the clinician will decide if a treatment plan is a safe and appropriate option for you.

If it is, the clinician will discuss the various treatment options that may be available, so that you can jointly agree on the option that is most suited to you. Once you have jointly agreed on a treatment plan, the clinician will issue a prescription order which will be available in your ‘shopping cart’ at the end of the consultation.

Also, with your consent, the clinician may wish to inform your GP of the treatment that was prescribed. We recommend that you agree to this since your GP is responsible for your overall care and they should have a record of this consultation and medication prescribed. In addition, our clinician may take the opportunity to advise you on your overall health including advice on healthy living or stop smoking.

What happens at the end of the consultation?

At the end of the consultation, you will receive a notification which will summarise the outcome. It will also advise if any signposting to other NHS services were made or if referrals were made to your GP, along with any other advice that was given to you by the clinician.

If a GP referral letter was issued, you will be able to view a copy of this in the ‘My Documents’ section of your dashboard.

If you were prescribed a treatment plan, it will now be available in your shopping cart. When you go to your shopping cart, you will be able to checkout and make a payment or claim an exemption. Remember, you only make a payment If you are NOT exempt from NHS prescription charges. Once the checkout is complete, your prescription order will be sent to our NHS online pharmacy for processing.

What if the clinician does not prescribe a treatment?

We operate a safe and effective service. This means that our clinicians always exercise their clinical judgment when prescribing. Unfortunately, we do not operate a service where you can demand a certain medication. If you are not prescribed anything, then you will not be charged.

Will I get status updates for my order?

Yes. When you place an order with NowPatient, we will keep you fully updated with the status of your order. Every time the status of your order changes, you will be notified immediately. These notifications will appear in your ‘My Notifications’ section on your dashboard. You can click the notification and it will take you to your active orders screen which will give you a timeline overview of the progress of your order. This can also be accessed using the ‘My Orders’ quick action widget which is on your dashboard. Here, you can access active and past orders.

How will my order be delivered?

All orders are shipped in discreet and unmarked packaging. This means it is suitable for delivery wherever you require (home, work, or a neighbour). For thermo-sensitive orders (e.g. Insulin or weight loss injections) we use cold chain-validated packaging. Your parcel will normally receive an estimated delivery window from the courier on the day of delivery.

For your protection and safety, your first order can only be delivered to the address that is registered with the NHS. Future orders can be delivered to any other address, for example, your workplace.

Do you ship cold-chain or temperature sensitive products?

Yes. We use a specialist courier service for all thermo-sensitive deliveries. This is to ensure that cold chain integrity is always maintained and thus the product quality, safety and efficacy.

Learn more about how we handle the delivery of temperature sensitive products.

Where do you deliver?

We currently deliver to all postcodes in England. Some postcodes in rural areas may have a slightly longer delivery time.

When will my order arrive?

We aim to ship all orders placed Monday – Friday before 3pm on the same day. Orders placed outside these times will be shipped the next working day. All deliveries are shipped with Royal Mail, DPD, or DHL who deliver Monday – Saturday.
Our delivery options have the following delivery times:
  • Royal Mail Standard Tracked & Signed for Delivery for NHS prescriptions – 2/3 day delivery (normally 48 hours)
  • DHL Express Tracked Delivery – 1/2 day delivery (normally 24 hours)
  • Royal Mail Special Delivery – Next working day (Royal Mail Guaranteed before 1pm)

What should I do if my order has not arrived?

Delivery is normally made promptly after your dispatch notification is received. You can check the tracking details of your order in the ‘My Notifications’ section of your dashboard, at any point after dispatch.

Unfortunately, packages can sometimes get lost in the delivery system, if after 10 days you have not received your delivery, please contact us and we will do all we can to resolve the problem.

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Your Questions Answered

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What does NowPatient do?

NowPatient is an online pharmacy & telehealth service that is available in the US and UK. Our service is FREE and packed with useful features that can help you save money on the cost of your medications, access virtual treatments, and provide tools that can help improve your overall health.

Get started today and benefit from medication remindersGet Treated PrivatelyNHS online pharmacyGP appointment bookingRx savings cardDrug CouponsUS drug savings programshealth conditions informationgenetic testinghome test kitsBMI RisksType 2 Diabetes Riskspollen meterair quality monitor, and lots more!

Our service is operated by experienced medical professionals in the United States and the United Kingdom. You can view the online services that we provide by clicking Features.

UK users can safely and securely buy medicines online that treat a wide range of medical conditions. UK customers can also order NHS prescriptions online with the benefit of free tracked delivery.

US customers, regardless of insurance coverage, can enjoy huge savings on prescription medications using our various drug savings programs including drug coupons, savings card and manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs.

Where is NowPatient located?

NowPatient has offices in the United Kingdom and United States.

In the UK, we are located at:

NowPatient
28 Chipstead Valley Road
Coulsdon
Surrey
CR52RA

In the US, we are located at:

NowPatient
8911 North Capital of Texas Highway
Suite 4200 #1263
78759
Austin, TX

How can I contact NowPatient?

To contact NowPatient, please use the contact form available on the Contact Us page.

Alternatively, if you need to speak to us, you can reach us on the following numbers:

UK telephone number – 020 388 51 500
US telephone number – 1-866-967-1977

Who owns NowPatient?

NowPatient is owned and operated by Infohealth Ltd, a licensed online pharmacy with services spanning the UK, US and Rest of the World. Infohealth Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company number 04004930 and our registered office is at Lynwood House, 373 – 375 Station Road, Harrow, England, HA1 2AW.

Our website is www.nowpatient.com. Our App is called “NowPatient” and can be downloaded from the App Store (for Apple devices) or Google Play (for Android devices).

Can you tell me more about your NHS online pharmacy?

NowPatient’s Pharmaceutical services in the UK are provided by Infohealth Limited trading as ‘Infohealth Pharmacy’.

Our dispensing pharmacy is regulated and authorized for internet sales by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), registration number 1036487. You can view our license credentials on the General Pharmaceutical Council website. Our superintendent pharmacist who is responsible for the safe and effective oversight of medicines supplies is Mr Amish Patel (Registration Number 2042705).

Medicines are not ordinary items of commerce. All medicines or healthcare product sales are made under the supervision of a registered pharmacist who is licensed by the GPhC. At all times, we endeavour to provide a professional and transparent service whose primary goal is to ensure that the best interests of the patient are served.

How do I make a complaint?

From time to time, we accept that our service levels may not be up to your expectations. NowPatient welcomes concerns, compliments and complaints as valuable feedback that will help us learn from your experiences and make improvements. Feedback can be provided via our clear and transparent Complaints Procedures.

Can you tell me more about NowPatient’s prescribing services for treatments offered?

Our prescribing services are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). We provide the following regulated activity:

• treatment of disease, disorder, or injury
• transport services, triage, and medical advice are provided remotely
• caring for adults over 65 years old
• caring for adults under 65 years old

NowPatient prescribing services are run by Infohealth Limited. The Clinical Safety Officer and nominated individual is Mr Navin Khosla.

Can you tell me more about NowPatient’s US services?

Our head of US services is Dr. Jamie Winn.

You can lower the cost of your prescription medications using our various savings programs which include drug coupons, savings card and manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs.

We do not provide any prescribing services or dispensing services in the United States.

Is NowPatient legit and can I trust information from NowPatient?

Yes. NowPatient provides trustworthy and accessible clinical, health education and prescription services. We are also trusted by the NHS to deliver clinical and NHS repeat prescription dispensing across the whole of England. In the United States, we work with over 65,000 pharmacies to deliver considerable costs savings for our users.

NowPatient is operated by experienced licensed medical professionals in the United Kingdom and United States. Our Medical Team can be found here.

Our service is trusted by thousands of patients worldwide. You can read their reviews on our Trustpilot:

NowPatient Trustpilot

What are NowPatient’s opening hours?

Our office hours are:

UK – Monday-Friday 9am-6pm GMT
US – Monday-Friday 8am-5pm EST

Please note that we are closed at weekends.

In the event of a medical life-threatening emergency please call:

UK – 999
US – 911

In the event of a medical emergency which is not life-threatening please call:

UK – 111

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