Clindamycin
Semisynthetic antibiotic of lincosamides class Clindamycin is applied to treat the infections of a bacterial type caused by susceptible organisms: infections of upper respiratory tract (including pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media), respiratory infection (bronchitis, pneumonia, including aspiration, lung abscess, empyema, fibrosing alveolitis), bone and joint infections (osteomyelitis, septic arthritis), infections of the skin and soft tissue (including acne, boils, cellulitis, impetigo, infected wounds, abscesses, erysipelas), septicemia (primarily anaerobic), pelvic infections and intra-abdominal infections (including peritonitis, abscesses of the abdominal cavity, etc.
It is recommended not to take Clindamycin when consuming dairy products to ensure proper digestion. Make sure to drink plenty of water at the time of the treatment, doing so you will help to purify the organism and recover faster.
Clindamycin has a broad spectrum of action, as it is a bacteriostatic drug. It binds to the 50S ribosome subunit and inhibits protein synthesis in microorganisms. The medication is quickly and completely absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and the simultaneous intake of food slows down the absorption without changing the concentration of the drug in the plasma. Clindamycin easily penetrates into biological fluids and tissues.
Contraindications
Taking this medication is forbidden to people, who experience the following: hypersensitivity (especially to lincomycin), previous cases of regional enteritis, ulcerative colitis or antibiotic-associated colitis. This medication should not be used in cases of myasthenia gravis severe liver and/or kidney disease. It should not be used among infants (up to 1 month of age).
The active components of this medicine can penetrate into the breast milk. So, Clindamycin should be taken cautiously during breastfeeding because of a potential risk for a baby. Taking Clindamycin during pregnancy is contraindicated.
The patients with severe hepatic impairment should take Clindamycin with extreme caution. Clindamycin in UK should be taken with caution in elderly patients.
Side Effects
Like many other medications the drug Clindamycin may cause some side reactions. The patients taking Clindamycin, most often claim to have hypotension, abdominal pain, pseudomembranous colitis, esophagitis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, goiter, jaundice, liver function abnormalities, an unpleasant or metallic taste in the mouth, and generalized rashes from mild to moderate severity. Most often the unwanted effects disappear shortly after the treatment.
If after taking Clindamycin you get any negative symptoms that bother you, then you should contact your doctor and tell about the symptoms you are having. If you’ve got breathing problems, high temperature, or skin redness, then you should seek medical help immediately.
Application and Dosage Regimen
The medicine is taken orally. The right dosage can be set only by your healthcare provider, because there are some factors that influence the individual dose. Commonly, adults and children over 15 years old (average child weight is 50 kg) with diseases of moderate severity are prescribed 1 capsule (150 mg) 4 times a day (every 6 hours). In the case of severe infections, a single dose can be increased to 2-3 capsules (300-450 mg) per day for adults and children over 15 years of age.
Children over 3 years old usually take 15-25 mg / kg per day, and the daily dosage should be divided into 3-4 equal doses taken during a day. In the case of severe infections, the daily dose can be increased to 25-40 mg / kg of body weight, divided into 3-4 identical intakes.
Patients with severe hepatic or renal insufficiency do not need to adjust the dosage regimen if the drug is prescribed with an interval of at least 8 hours.
If you should take the drug intravenously, then the medication is diluted to a concentration not exceeding 6 mg / ml; the diluted solution is injected intravenously during 10-60 minutes. It is not recommended to inject the drug in a jet.
Special Information
While taking Clindamycin in UK and 2-3 weeks after stopping the treatment course (3-15% of cases) the patients may experience pseudomembranous colitis. Taking this medication is often manifested by diarrhea, leukocytosis, fever, abdominal pain (sometimes accompanied by the release of blood and mucus with feces).
If these phenomena occur in mild cases, then it is sufficient to discontinue the treatment, consult the doctor and change the drug into another one.
Before taking the drug Clindamycin you should inform your doctor about all the medications and food supplements you are taking. During the treatment it is recommended to be under the constant doctor’s control.
When taking any medicine follow all the doctor’s instructions. Take into consideration that the information on the drug in the article has an informative purpose. You should contact your doctor and get all necessary information about this medication.