Clindamycin
Because of the high risk of C. difficile Associated Diarrhea, other antibiotics should be considered before using clindamycin - Christina Shenvi MD PhD
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Clindamycin For the 21st Century
Clindamycin is pretty strong stuff already; it's given mostly for infections caused by anaerobic bacteria (Gram-positive and Gram-negative), where it works by inhibiting protein synthesis. Bacteria aren't the only organism it kills - when combined with cholorquine, it's also an effective malaria treatment. But if you're taking it, it should be for a good reason, becuase it increases the chances of intestinal Clostridium difficile infections even compared to treatment with other broad-spectrum antibiotics, where that can also be a problem. "C diff", an anaerobe that's not as susceptible to clindamycin, can overrun the colon tissue after the gut microbiota are severely disturbed, and the infection…
Resources
The Clindamycin Fact Sheet
The primary role for clindamycin is in skin and soft tissue infections. It is FDA-approved for use in SSTIs due to streptococcus or MSSA, toxic shock syndrome, impetigo, S. aureus osteomyelitis, pyomyositis, and amnionitis
Clindamycin and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Equally Effective for Wound Infections
Since most wound infections were caused by staphylococci, it is not surprising that clindamycin and TMP-SMX were highly and equally effective overall, but it is interesting that cure rates were higher with clindamycin among those with MSSA. TMP-SMX is not recommended for treatment of streptococcal infections, and this study is not informative about how to manage this small subset of wound infections.
Clindamycin as an Alternative Option in Optimizing Periodontal Therapy
Clindamycin is a reliable antibiotic option in periodontal therapy, with an excellent antimicrobial effect on the oral biofilm. Both systemic and local administration proved to be very efficient, easy to administer and clindamycin produces similar results to the popular combination of amoxicillin and metronidazole. However, treatment with clindamycin should take into account its potential side effects as well as avoiding potential allergic risk
Clindamycin: A Scary Antibiotic?
Clindamycin is a powerful antibiotic usually reserved for very serious bacterial infections – of the lungs, skin, blood, female reproductive organs and other internal organs. It carries an FDA black-box warning to alert doctors and patients about possible adverse effects, including swelling of the face and tongue and serious skin reactions.
Is Clindamycin Good for Treating a UTI?
Given the potential for harm, and considering the availability of other treatments with lower risk, I don’t recommend clindamycin for a typical UTI.
No Benefits Seen for Adjunctive Clindamycin in Cellulitis
“The results of this clinical trial do not provide evidence that any feature of cellulitis was improved by the addition of clindamycin,” wrote the investigators. They also concluded that clindamycin was unlikely to be of benefit in invasive group A streptococci infections.
Pharmacology of Clindamycin : Mnemonic
Spectrum: Gram positive and Anaerobes
The benefits and side effects of topical clindamycin for acne
When paired with complementary ingredients, topical clindamycin works to stop acne at its source.
Clindamycin For the 21st Century
So let's have some good antibiotic news to start the week - that's always welcome, given that bacteria don't take weekends or holidays themselves. This new paper describes a synthetic variant on clindamycin, which is itself a synthetic variant (chlorination!) of the natural product lincomycin.
StatPearls
Clindamycin prevents peptide bond formation, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis by reversibly binding to 50S ribosomal subunits. Depending on the organism, infection site, and drug concentration, clindamycin may be a bacteriostatic or bactericidal antibiotic
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