Clindamycin how long to take

Drug information provided by: IBM Micromedex. Clindamycin is used to treat bacterial infections. This medicine may be given to patients who have had an allergic reaction to penicillin. Clindamycin will not work for colds, flu, or other virus infections. In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines.

Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of clindamycin in children.

Although appropriate studies on the relationship of age to the effects of clindamycin have not been performed in the geriatric population, no geriatric-specific problems have been documented to date. However, elderly patients are more likely to have colitis, which may require caution in patients receiving clindamycin. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding.

Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur.

In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below.

The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription. Your doctor should test you to help make sure you stay safe while you take this drug. These tests check your:. There are other drugs available to treat your condition. Some may be better suited for you than others. Talk with your doctor about other drug options that may work for you.

Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.

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The findings may one day lead to new therapies and approaches. Genetic cancer research has linked nearly every human gene with cancer. A new article argues that this makes new research more difficult. What is clindamycin? Important warnings. Clindamycin side effects. Serious side effects. Clindamycin may interact with other medications. Clindamycin warnings. How to take clindamycin. Clindamycin is also available as a skin preparation for the treatment of acne, and as a cream for use in vaginal infection.

There are two separate medicine leaflets available which provide more information about these, called Clindamycin skin preparations for acne and Clindamycin cream for bacterial vaginosis. Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking clindamycin it is important that your doctor knows:. Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them.

The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with clindamycin. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to clindamycin, speak with your doctor or pharmacist for advice. Never take more than the prescribed dose. If you suspect that you or someone else might have taken an overdose of this medicine, go to the accident and emergency department of your local hospital. Take the container with you, even if it is empty.

Because of the risk of colitis, doctors should only prescribe clindamycin if they suspect that a different antibiotic would be inappropriate.

Doctors should only prescribe clindamycin to people who are allergic to penicillin or if they suspect that a different antibiotic would be inappropriate. If possible, the doctor should take samples from the infection site to check which bacteria are causing the infection. Clindamycin capsules may irritate the esophagus, the tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach.

To avoid this irritation, take clindamycin capsules with a full glass of water. The dosages of clindamycin capsules for adults are:. For people who have difficulty swallowing, clindamycin comes in granules that a person can dissolve in water. The cream comes with an applicator. Insert the amount of one applicator, which is around mg of clindamycin, into the vagina once daily at bedtime for 3 or 7 consecutive nights.

Cleocin vaginal cream is safe for pregnant women to use in the second and third trimesters. A pregnant woman requires 7 days of treatment. Pregnant women should not use clindamycin vaginal suppositories. Researchers have yet to confirm the safety of suppositories during pregnancy. To use a suppository, insert one suppository pill, which is equivalent to mg of clindamycin, into the vagina once daily at bedtime for three consecutive nights.

Doctors prescribe clindamycin lotion , gel , and solution to treat acne. Topical clindamycin can cause diarrhea. Anyone who has had colitis should avoid using this treatment. If a person has a very serious infection and they cannot take other antibiotics, they may receive injectable clindamycin in the hospital.

Diarrhea is the most common side effect when taking antibiotics. One of the most common side effects of a majority of antibiotics is diarrhea.