Is it ok to take oral erthyromycin and apply benzamycin topical at the same time?

[sonal28]

I have been taking oral erythyromycin for the past 5 months and its been working really well. But I don't want the bacteria to become resistant to it. So now I am also applying benzamycin (benzoyl peroxide + erythyromycin) topical at night because I read somewhere that bacteria can't escape oxidation from Benzoyl peroxide so the resistant bacteria don't get a chance to multiply. I am wondering if it is ok to take the oral and topical medicine at the same time?

[loiloi]

Yes it is ok to use topical and oral medicines concurrenty. If oral Erythromycin continues to work well, you have not developed a resistance to it. Should this occur, your doctor can change you to another oral antibiotic such as Lymecycline or Oxytetracycline.
Another option would be to take oral antibiotics and use a topical retinoid gel such as Retin-a (tretinoin) or Differin (adapalene).
You don't say if you are male or female, but female acne patients often respond well to an anti-androgen contraceptive pill such as Diane35 (called Dianette in the UK) or Yaz/Yasmin. You could take this with an oral antibiotic for a few months till it becomes effective, then stop the antibiotics. If you take the pill and an oral antibiotic together use a condom as tetracyclines may reduce the contraceptive effective of the pill.
Best Wishes, Eloise.