Antimicrobials

Aminoglycosides

Patient information sheet: Aminoglycoside treatment

You have been prescribed an antibiotic which is called an aminoglycoside. Aminoglycoside antibiotics include drugs such as gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin. Aminoglycosides have been available for the treatment of bacterial infections for over 30 years and are highly effective agents. Your doctor has prescibed an aminoglycoside for you because they consider it to be the best option to treat the infection you have, at this time

Unfortunately, like most medications, there are potential side effects that may occur when aminoglycosides are used. Aminoglycosides may cause reversible kidney damage in 5-10% of patients receiving more than 5 days of treatment with aminoglycoside, and may cause irreversible hearing loss or imbalance and dizziness in less than 3% of patients receiving more than 10-14 days of therapy.

• To minimize risk of kidney damange, your caregivers are monitoring your kidney function weekly, with the use of blood test
  
  
• To minimize the risk of hearing loss, you should report any symptoms of ringing in the ears, feeling of fullness in the ears, earache, or hearing loss to your caregivers immediately, so that your aminoglycoside therapy can be re-evaluated.
  
  
• To minimize risk of problems with your balance, you should report any symptoms of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, unsteady walking, and loss of balance to your caregivers immediately, so that your aminoglycoside therapy can be re-evaluated.
  
  
• If it is necessary to treat your infection for more than 14 days, you will undergo a hearing function test and a test to evaluate your balance. These tests will be done about 2 weeks after aminoglycoside therapy began. A second test will be done 2-3 weeks after the first test. Additional testing will also be done at any time that you report symptoms of hearing or balance problems.
  
  

If you have any additional questions about your aminoglycoside therapy, please speak with your doctors or the ward pharmacist. Your nurse can arrange for either your pharmacist or physician to come and speak with you about your aminoglycoside therapy