Chloramphenicol: What is it and what is it for?

What is chloramphenicol?

Chloramphenicolis a synthetic medicine classified as an active ingredientby medical science, with a broad-spectrum antibiotic effect to treat patientswith serious infectionscaused by bacteria in the body.

What is chloramphenicol for?

• Chloramphenicolis a bacteriostatic antibiotic, which acts by inhibiting the synthesis of proteins of bacterial cells, activity that does not kill these microorganisms butdoes prevent their development and growth, causing their death by old age.
• It is used to treat:
  • Typhoid fever, typhus. (1)
  • Meningitis infection.
  • Septicaemia.
  • Epiglottitis.
  • Pneumonia.
  • Infections of theconjunctivamembrane and areas annexed to the eye such as eyelids and cornea. (2)

Dosage and routes of administration of chloramphenicol

Chloramphenicol is sold as5 mg/ml ophthalmic solution, 500 mg tablets and powder form to prepare solution for injection. The route of administration will depend on the pathology to be treated, the presentation to be used and the judgment of the attending physician, but it can be as follows:

• Ophthalmic solution: Adults and children, place 1-2 drops, 3-4 times a day.
• Tablets: Adults, 1 capsule every 6 hours.
• Injection: Adults, 12.5 mg/kg of body weight is recommended, every 6 hours intravenously. In premature and full-term infants up to 2 weeks, 6.25 mg/kg body weight every 6 hours intravenously. In infant infants aged 2 weeks or older 12.5 mg/kg body weight every 6 hours or 25 mg per kg body weight every 6 hours.

Important: The dose described is informative, being at thediscretion of the doctor in charge of the treatment.

What products contain chloramphenicol?

Some of the medicines that contain chloramphenicol are:

• Colircusi chloramphenicol®
• Cortisone®
• Ophthalmolose cusi chloramphenicol®
• Lebrocetin®

Colircusi Chloramphenicol®

• in the form of eye drops, which contains chloramphenicol® as the active ingredient.
• It is indicated in the treatment of infections of the anterior pole of the eye .

Cortisone®

• Cortison® is a medicine that contains the combination of hydrocortisone and chloramphenicol, in a concentration of 25 mg/g + 20 mg/g in the form of an ointment.
• It is used in the treatment of dermatoses, produced by bacterial agents sensitive to chloramphenicol.

Ophthalmolose cusi chloramphenicol®

• Ophthalmolosa cusi chloramphenicol® is a drug in the form of an ointment, which contains chloramphenicol as the active ingredient.
• This drug is indicated for the treatment of bacterial infections in the eyeball, such as conjunctivitis.

Lebrocetin®

• Lebrocetin® is a medication in the form of capsules, containing 250 mg chloramphenicol.
• It is indicated for the treatment of infections caused by microorganisms sensitive to chloramphenicol and resistant to all other antimicrobials.

Chloramphenicol Side Effects

The use of chloramphenicol can cause in certain patients some of the following Adverse reactions :

• Possible allergic reactions due to contact with any component of the formula.
• Headache and mild depression.
• Nausea, vomiting , glossitis, stomatitis and diarrhea .
• It can give rise to an idiosyncratic reaction in the bone marrow in the nursing infant, since it is excreted through breast milk.
• It can produce gray syndrome in newborns (neonatal poisoning by chloramphenicol).

You should know: If you notice the appearance of any of these symptoms or another not included in this list, stop using it and consult your doctor.

Contraindications and warnings of chloramphenicol

This drug is contraindicated in the following circumstances:

• Hypersensitivity to any of the formula’s components.
• During pregnancy and lactation .
• In people with renal or hepatic insufficiency.

To highlight: Provide your doctor with all the information about your health history, before starting treatment with chloramphenicol.

Avoid if you have:

• Medication with other drugs or other prophylactic agents.

Warnings:

• Antibiotic drugs such as chloramphenicol should be kept under constant monitoring with hematological tests in patients with liver failure.
• This drug should not be used beyond the duration of treatment indicated by your doctor.
• Keep this medicine out of the reach of children.
• Do not combine the consumption of this medicine with other drugs for other pathologies, without the approval of your doctor.
• Keep this medication stored in a cool, dry place.
• Do not use this antibiotic or any other that has expired.