Lincomycin: What is it and what is it for?

What is lincomycin?

Lincomycin is a medicine classified as an active ingredient with natural antibiotic effect, which belongs to the group of lincosamides extracted from the bacteriumStreptomyces lincolnensis, which is used as a bacteriostatic to eliminate bacteria that cause infections. (1)

What is lincomycin for?

• Lincomycin is a bacteriostatic antibiotic, whose mechanism of action is based on the inhibition of protein synthesis of bacteria preventing their development and reproduction. With this, it eliminates both bacteria and infections caused.
• It is used to treat:
  • Upperrespiratorytract infections.
  • Lower respiratory tract infections.
  • Skinand tissue infections. (2)
  • Infections of the bones and joints. (3)
  • Septicemia and endocarditis.
  • Bacillary dysentery.
  • Infections caused by organisms susceptible to the active substance.

Dosage and routes of administration of lincomycin

Lincomycin comes as ampoules with 300 mg with 1 ml and ampoules with 600 mg with2 ml. The route of administration is intramuscular or intravenous and the dose will depend on the medical evaluation, however in an informative way it is dosed as follows:

• Intramuscular dose: For moderate infections, 600 mg every 24 hours and in those more complicated, up to 600 mg every12 hours.
• Intravenous dose: Administer600 to 1000 mg every 8 to 12 hours, up to a maximum recommended dose of 8 g/day in life-threatening infections.
• Dose in children (over 1 month of age) intramuscularly: The recommended dose is 10 mg/kg/day.
• Dose in children (over 1 month of age) intravenously: 10 to 20 mg/kg/day divided into 2 to 3 doses.

What products contain lincomycin?

Some of the medicines that contain lincomycin are:

• Lincocin®
• Bactokin®
• Libiocid®
• Lincover®

Lincocin®

• Lincocin® is a medicine that has properties as a natural antibiotic, which comes in the form of capsules or injectable solution.
• It is used in the treatment of infections caused by susceptible gram- positive aerobic strains .

Bactokin®

• Bactokina® is an Antibiotic drug that originates from the bacterium Streptomyces lincolnen sis and is available as an injectable solution.
• It is used to treat infections caused by streptococci, staphylococci, and pneumococci or by susceptible anaerobic bacteria.

Libiocid®

• Libiocid® is an ampoule with 600 mg of lincomycin as active principle.

Lincover®

• Lincover® has natural antibiotic properties, as it contains lincomycin in capsules and injectable solution.

Side Effects of Lincomycin

Treatment with lincomycin may cause some of the following adverse effects in certain patients :

• Allergic reactions due to contact with any component of the formula.
• Diarrhea, severe colitis, or pseudomembranous colitis.
• Nausea, vomiting , abdominal pain, or muscle spasms.
• Leukopenia, agranulocytosis, eosinophilia, thrombocytopenia, erythema multiforme,exfoliative and vesiculobullousdermatitis
• Rarely aplastic anemia, pancytopenia, tinnitus, vertigo, tinnitus.
• It can create an increase in the action of neuromuscular blocking agents.

Important: If any of these symptoms or one not included in the list appear during treatment with this drug, please stop using it and notify your doctor .

Contraindications and warnings of lincomycin

The use of lincomycin is contraindicated in the following situations:

• Hypersensitivity to any of the formula’s components.
• During the period of pregnancy.
• During the lactation period,
• In patients with severely impaired renal function.

To emphasize: Provide your doctor with all the Information about your medical history , before starting treatment with lincomycin.

Avoid if you have:

• History of hypersensitivity to lincomycin or clindamycin .
• History of severe renal failure.

Warnings:

• Products such as lincomycin must be administered with a prescription or prescription.
• This medication should be stored in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
• Keep this pharmaceutical product out of the reach of children.
• Use this drug with the doses indicated by your treating doctor, avoid self-medication.