vancomycin
Vancomycin injection is an antibiotic used to treat some serious bacterial infections in adults and children. It treats bacterial infections in the bloodstream, skin, bone, heart, and lungs. This medication is given as an injection into your vein by a healthcare professional. It's usually infused 2 to 4 times a day. Your prescriber will check the vancomycin levels in your blood to make sure the dose is safe and works well for you. Side effects can include diarrhea and dizziness. If given too fast, it has a risk of causing a serious infusion reaction (previously known as red man syndrome).
What is Vancomycin injection?
What is Vancomycin injection used for?
Treatment of certain serious bacterial infections, including:
- Bloodstream infection (septicemia)
- Heart infection (infective endocarditis)
- Skin infections
- Bone infections
- Lower respiratory tract infections
How Vancomycin injection works
Vancomycin is a type of antibiotic called a glycopeptide antibiotic. It works by stopping bacteria from making their protective layer. This helps kill the bacteria and stop the infection from spreading.
Drug facts
Side effects of Vancomycin injection
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Pain and redness at the injection site
Less Common Side Effects
- Fever
- Chills
- Dizziness
Vancomycin injection serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Severe infusion reaction: itchy skin; hives; redness in the face, neck, or upper body; wheezing; trouble breathing; body aches; dizziness; weakness; chest pain; muscle pain
- Sudden kidney injury: feeling sick or weak; urinating less than usual; blood in urine; confusion; swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet
- Hearing problems: ringing in the ears, hearing loss, dizziness, feeling like the room is spinning
- Severe skin reaction: rash, blistering, skin peeling, hives, painful sores in your mouth or around your eyes, fever, trouble breathing, swollen lymph nodes
- Severe diarrhea: watery diarrhea, bloody stools, fever, belly pain, loss of appetite, nausea
The following Vancomycin injection side effects have also been reported
Side effects that you should report to your care team as soon as possible:
- Allergic reactions—skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
- Hearing loss, ringing in ears
- Kidney injury—decrease in the amount of urine, swelling of the ankles, hands, or feet
- Rash, fever, and swollen lymph nodes
- Redness, blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth
- Severe diarrhea, fever
- Unusual vaginal discharge, itching, or odor
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report these to your care team if they continue or are bothersome):
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Pros and cons of Vancomycin injection
Pros
- Can treat certain hard-to-treat bacterial infections
- Approved for adults and children of most ages
- A possible option for people with a penicillin allergy
Cons
- Can raise the risk of kidney damage
- Need regular blood work and tests to check for appropriate dosing and side effects
- Risk of a serious infusion reaction if injected into the vein too quickly
Pharmacist tips for Vancomycin injection
- It takes about an hour (sometimes longer) to receive the full dose of the vancomycin injection. It's most common to receive this medication in a hospital. But in some cases, it can be given at home by a home health nurse.
- Tell your care team if you have pain, redness, soreness, or swelling where you got your vancomycin injection. This can happen if the medication irritates your skin or veins. To help lessen this risk, your medical team can change where the vancomycin injection is given each time. They can also infuse the medication more slowly.
- The vancomycin injection can sometimes cause a serious allergic reaction if it's given too fast. Watch for itchy skin; rash in the face, neck, and upper body; trouble breathing, dizziness, or chest pain. If this happens and you're not getting the injection in a hospital, get medical help right away.
- Tell your medical team if you notice trouble hearing or problems with balance after starting vancomycin injections. This doesn't happen often, but the medication can affect hearing and balance. If you have these side effects, your prescriber might stop the antibiotic.
- Vancomycin injections can rarely cause infectious diarrhea. Sometimes, symptoms might not show up until a month or two after you finish treatment. Get medical care if you have watery diarrhea, painful stomach cramps, or a fever during treatment or after it ends.
Common questions about Vancomycin
No, vancomycin isn't a penicillin antibiotic. It's a different type of antibiotic called a glycopeptide antibiotic. If you're allergic to penicillin, your prescriber might consider vancomycin as an option. This depends on the infection you have.
No. Vancomycin is generally considered a narrow-spectrum antibiotic. This is because it works only against a specific group of bacteria known as "Gram-positive" bacteria.
Yes, it's possible. Like many antibiotics, vancomycin can cause diarrhea as a side effect. This usually goes away after you finish treatment and stop the antibiotic. But tell your care team right away if you have watery and bloody stools, stomach cramps, or a fever during treatment or after it ends. These can be signs of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhea. This type of infectious diarrhea needs immediate medical care.
You should typically begin to see signs of improvement within a few days after starting Vancomycins. For example, your fever might start to go down and chills or muscle aches might get better. The exact signs and symptoms that can improve depend on the type of infection the antibiotic is treating. Talk to your medical team about what to expect during treatment.
In people with healthy kidneys, it takes about 20 to 30 hours for vancomycin to leave your system after a dose. This is based on the half-life of vancomycin, which is how long it takes for half the medication to get cleared from your body. This time frame can be longer if you have kidney problems. This is because the medication can't clear as fast when the kidneys aren't working as well. Talk to your medical team if you have questions about how long vancomycin stays in your system.
Yes. The Vancomycin can treat infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a type of superbug that's hard to treat with many other antibiotics.
During studies, fatigue wasn't commonly reported by people getting Vancomycins. But keep in mind that it's common to feel tired when your body is fighting off an infection. Tell your care team if you feel more tired than usual so they can help you figure out what's going on.
Yes. Vancomycin also comes as capsules that you take by mouth, not just as an injection. But the pill form treats different infections than the injection. The pill is only approved to treat infectious diarrhea caused by C. diff and gut inflammation caused by S. aureus bacteria.
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Risks and warnings for Vancomycin injection
Vancomycin injection can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Infusion reactions
- Risk factors: Children | People receiving certain anesthetics | Receiving the vancomycin injection too quickly
If the vancomycin injection is given too fast, it can cause a reaction. This reaction was previously called "red man syndrome." Common symptoms are itching and redness in the face, neck, and upper body. More serious signs can include trouble breathing, wheezing, chest pain, or muscle pain.
To lower this risk, the medical team will give you the vancomycin injection slowly. They'll watch you during treatment for any infusion reactions.
Tell your medical team right away if you notice any signs of an infusion reaction. They might stop or slow the vancomycin injection. They might even choose a different option to treat your infection.
Sudden kidney problems
- Risk factors: Age 65 years and older | History of kidney problems | Not enough fluids in the body | Being very ill | Taking other medications that can harm the kidneys | Higher dose of the vancomycin injection | Receiving the vancomycin injection for a long time
Although uncommon, the vancomycin injection can sometimes cause serious kidney problems. The risk is higher for some people, like older adults or people getting high doses of vancomycin.
Your prescriber will check your kidneys with blood tests during treatment. Tell your medical team right away if you feel unusually tired or notice swelling in your legs or feet. If there are signs of kidney problems, your prescriber might lower your vancomycin dose or stop the medication.
Hearing problems
- Risk factors: Older adults | History of hearing problems | Kidney problems | Higher dose of vancomycin | Taking other medications that can cause hearing problems
People who receive the vancomycin injection can sometimes have hearing problems. They can be either temporary or permanent. These side effects are more likely with higher doses of vancomycin. The risk might also be higher if you take other medications that affect hearing.
Your prescriber might check your hearing during treatment. Tell your medical team right away if you notice trouble hearing, ringing in your ears, or feeling dizzy. You might need to stop this medication.
Severe skin reactions
The vancomycin injection can sometimes cause rash and other severe skin reactions. This can include drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS).
Watch for signs like a new rash, blisters, peeling skin, sores in your mouth or on your lips, or high fever. If you notice any of these, tell your nurse or get medical help right away. The medical team will stop vancomycin right away and switch you to a different antibiotic.
Severe infectious diarrhea
Antibiotics including vancomycin injection can change the normal bacteria in your gut. This can let harmful bacteria called Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) grow too much and cause a serious infection. It can lead to severe diarrhea, even up to 2 months after you stop the antibiotic.
To lower this risk, your prescriber will use the lowest dose of vancomycin for the shortest time needed. Tell your care team right away if you have severe watery or bloody diarrhea, fever, stomach pain, or loss of appetite.
Risk of low white blood cell counts
- Risk factors: Taking other medications that cause blood problems | Receiving vancomycin injections for a long time
Some people receiving the vancomycin injection have had temporary low white blood cell counts. This can make it easier to get other infections. If you need vancomycin for a long time, your prescriber might check your white blood cell count from time to time.
Vancomycin injection dosage
Typical dosage for Vancomycin injection
The vancomycin injection is given into a vein by a healthcare professional. It's usually given in a hospital, but it can sometimes be given at home by a visiting nurse.
Your prescriber will find the vancomycin dose for you based on a few things. This includes your age, the type of infection that's treated, and the vancomycin levels in your blood.
- Adults: The typical dose is 500 mg infused into the vein every 6 hours, or 1 gram infused every 12 hours.
- Children: The prescriber will determine the dose based on your child's age and weight. The typical dose is 10 mg/kg of body weight infused into the vein every 6 to 12 hours.
- Note: Generic vancomycin injection is approved for children of all ages. But the brand name Tyzavan is only approved for children ages 1 month and older.
Your dose might be different if you have kidney problems.
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Treatment of certain serious bacterial infections, including:
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