Kanamycin, Injection

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KEY POINTS

• This medicine is given by injection to treat certain serious infections.
• Keep all appointments for tests to see how this medicine affects you.
• This medicine may cause severe diarrhea, affect your hearing, kidneys, nerves, and balance, or cause other unwanted side effects. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that are serious, continue, or get worse.
• Do not take any other medicines unless they are approved by the healthcare provider who prescribed this one. Tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take.

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What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: aminoglycoside antibiotic

Generic and brand names: kanamycin, injection; Kantrex Injection

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is given by injection (shot) to treat certain serious infections. It is not used to treat colds, the flu, or mild infections.

This medicine may be used to treat other conditions as determined by your healthcare provider.

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before receiving this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had:

• An allergic reaction to any medicine or to sulfites (a preservative)
• Asthma
• Hearing problems
• Kidney disease
• Myasthenia gravis
• Parkinson's disease
• Problems with balance

Females of childbearing age: this medicine is not usually given to pregnant women because it can harm the baby. If you are pregnant, tell your healthcare provider. Do not become pregnant during treatment with this medicine. If you become pregnant, contact your healthcare provider right away. Do not breast-feed while you are receiving this medicine.

How do I use it?

This medicine is given by your healthcare provider. It is given as a shot into a muscle or by IV infusion (slow drip through a needle into a large vein).

Follow your healthcare provider's instructions exactly while you are being treated with this medicine. Treatment may continue for several days in order to eliminate the infection completely.

If you are not staying in the hospital, keep all appointments for injections and blood tests.

Your healthcare provider may adjust your medicine dose based upon your blood tests.

What should I watch out for?

This medicine may affect your hearing, kidneys, nerves, and balance. If you notice any numbness, skin tingling, muscle twitching, seizures, change in urinating, hearing loss, ringing or roaring in your ears, vision problems, severe dizziness, or trouble keeping your balance, contact your healthcare provider right away. Some of these problems may happen after you stop treatment with this medicine. Your healthcare provider will watch you closely and may do urine or hearing tests.

You will also need to have blood tests regularly to see how this medicine affects you. Keep all appointments for these tests.

While you are being treated with this medicine, do not take any other medicines unless they are approved by the healthcare provider who prescribed this one.

This medicine may cause or worsen diarrhea. If you develop severe diarrhea or diarrhea that lasts more than 2 or 3 days while taking this medicine, or for several weeks after you stop taking this medicine, contact your healthcare provider right away. Do not take medicine to treat diarrhea without your provider's approval.

Make sure you drink plenty of water while you are receiving this medicine. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

You may feel pain or burning at the site of injection. Contact your healthcare provider if either becomes severe.

This medicine may make you dizzy. Do not drive or operate machinery unless you are fully alert.

Adults over the age of 65 may be at greater risk for side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

If you need emergency care, surgery, lab tests, or dental work, tell the healthcare provider or dentist you have received this medicine.

Contact your healthcare provider if your condition does not improve in a few days or if it gets worse.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for help.): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat).

Serious (Report these to your healthcare provider right away.): Severe or bloody diarrhea; hearing loss; ringing or roaring in your ears; sense of fullness in your ears; trouble or decreased urinating; muscle twitching, pain or weakness; trouble breathing; fever; severe dizziness or trouble keeping your balance; severe nausea or vomiting; increased thirst; numbness or skin tingling; severe or ongoing headache; vision problems; confusion; seizures.

Other: Nausea, vomiting, mild headache, skin irritation where the injection was given.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods, may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• Amphotericin b (Abelcet, AmBisome, Amphotec)
• Antiviral medicines such as cidofovir (Vistide), efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir (Atripla), elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir (Stribild), emtricitabine (Emtriva), emtricitabine/tenofovir (Truvada), foscarnet (Foscavir), rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir (Complera), and tenofovir (Viread)
• Cancer medicines such as carboplatin and cisplatin
• Diuretics (water pills) such as bumetanide, ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), furosemide (Lasix), mannitol (Osmitrol), and torsemide (Demadex)
• Immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), and tacrolimus (Astagraf, Prograf, Protopic)
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) such as celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac (Cambia, Voltaren, Zipsor), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen, ketorolac, nabumetone (Relafen), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan), oxaprozin (Daypro), piroxicam (Feldene), and sulindac (Clinoril)
• Osteoporosis medicines such as alendronate (Fosamax), ibandronate (Boniva), and risedronate (Actonel, Atelvia)
• Other antibiotics such as ampicillin, ampicillin/sulbactam (Unasyn), bacitracin, capreomycin (Capastat), cefazolin (Ancef, Kefzol), cefotetan, cefoxitin (Mefoxin), colistimethate (Coly-Mycin), paromomycin, penicillin, piperacillin/tazobactam (Zosyn), polymyxin B, ticarcillin/clavulanate (Timentin), and vancomycin (Vancocin)
• Zoledronic acid (Reclast, Zometa)

If you are not sure if your medicines might interact, ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider. Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

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This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Do not share medicines with other people.