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Vancomycin is the active ingredient in a medicine (an antibiotic) called Vancomycin Mylan. It is presented as a powder to be made up into a solution for intravenous administration. It is used to treat infections caused by gram-positive bacteria that are sensitive to vancomycin.
Vancomycin action
Vancomycin is a strong antibiotic and is active against Gram-positive bacteria. It is used in severe bacterial infections that are resistant to treatment with less toxic antibiotics such as penicillins and cephalosporins. Vancomycin is used only in those cases where there are strict indications for its use, because as a result of its use there may be a risk of drug resistance.
When is vancomycin used?
Vancomycin is an antibiotic used to treat severe infections such as:
• endocarditis,
• bone and bone marrow infection
• pneumonia,
• soft tissue infection,
• bacteremia caused by methicillin-resistant staphylococci,
• endocarditis caused by intestinal streptococci – in this case, treatment is carried out using vancomycin combined with an aminoglycoside.
Vancomycin is also sometimes used prophylactically to prevent bacterial contamination during and after major surgery. Prophylactic administration of vancomycin is used especially during cardiovascular surgery, thoracic surgery, and implantation of prostheses or devices such as a pacemaker. Vancomycin is also used in cases where there is a risk of infective endocarditis, in certain heart diseases.
Administration and dosage of vancomycin
Vancomycin can be administered orally or intravenously. It is given orally to treat colitis caused by antibiotic-sensitive microorganisms. In this case, intravenous vancomycin does not work. In other instances, vancomycin is administered as an intravenous infusion solution. The dosage of vancomycin is selected individually for a given patient and must be under constant, strict supervision by a physician. One vial of the preparation contains vancomycin hydrochloride in a dose corresponding to 1000 mg of vancomycin. Usually 2 g of vancomycin is administered daily in divided doses of 500 mg every 6 hours or 1000 g given twice a day (every 12 hours). Vancomycin therapy usually lasts 4 weeks. In preoperative prophylaxis, patients receive 1000 g of vancomycin intravenously before the start of anesthesia, and the next dose is given 12 hours after surgery.
Contraindications to the use of vancomycin
Hypersensitivity to this antibiotic is an absolute contraindication to the use of vancomycin. Precautions and side effects Vancomycin is a very potent and toxic antibiotic. May be highly irritating to tissues and cause necrosis at the injection site. Pain and thrombophlebitis may occur during its use. Vancomycin can also reduce the function of the heart muscle. Heart rate should be closely monitored while this antibiotic is administered. Vancomycin also has adverse effects on the kidneys and liver. Giving this antibiotic with other medications can cause strong interactions.