Uses
Telavancin injection is used alone or with other medications to treat serious skin infections caused by certain types of bacteria. It is also used alone or with other medications to treat certain types of pneumonia caused by bacteria when there are no other treatment options available. Telavancin injection is in a class of medications called lipoglycopeptide antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infection.
Antibiotics such as telavancin injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.
Side Effects Of Telavancin Injection
Telavancin injection may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- metallic or soapy taste
- decreased appetite
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- foamy urine
- chills
- headache
Some side effects of telavancin injection can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
- watery or bloody stools, stomach cramps, or fever up to two or more months after stopping treatment
- fast or irregular heartbeat
- fainting
- return of fever, chills, sore throat, or other signs of infection
Telavancin injection may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while using this medication.
Warnings & Precautions
Before using telavancin injection:
- tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to telavancin , vancomycin, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in telavancin injection. Ask your pharmacist or check the Medication Guide for a list of the ingredients.
- tell your doctor if you are receiving heparin. Your doctor will probably tell you not to use heparin if you are receiving telavancin injection.
- tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following before you take telavancin injection: anagrelide (Agrylin); anticoagulants (”blood thinners”) such as warfarin (Coumadin); azithromycin (Zithromax); chlorpromazine; cilostazol; ciprofloxacin (Cipro); citalopram; donepezil (Aricept); dronedarone (Multaq); escitalopram (Lexapro); haloperidol (Haldol); medications that control the heart rhythm or rate such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Nexterone, Pacerone), disopyramide (Norpace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), flecainide (Tambocor), procainamide, quinidine, and sotalol (Betapace, Sorine, Sotylize); levofloxacin (Levaquin); methadone (Dolophine, Methadose); ondansetron (Zofran, Zyplenz); pimozide (Orap); vandetanib (Caprelsa); and thioridazine. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Many other medications may also interact with telavancin injection, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking, even those that do not appear on this list.
- tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had a prolonged QT interval (a rare heart problem that may cause irregular heartbeat, fainting, or sudden death) and if you have or have ever had heart disease.
- tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
Dosage Of Telavancin Injection
Telavancin injection comes as a powder to be mixed with liquid and injected intravenously (into a vein). It is usually infused (injected slowly) over a period of 60 minutes once every 24 hours for 7 to 21 days. The length of your treatment depends on the type of infection you have and how your body responds to the medication.
You may experience a reaction while you receive a dose of telavancin injection, usually during your infusion or soon after your infusion has completed. Tell your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms while you receive telavancin injection: difficulty swallowing or breathing, swelling of your tongue, lips, throat or face, hoarseness, itching, hives, rash, flushing of the upper body, fast heartbeat, or feeling faint or dizzy.
You may receive telavancin injection in a hospital or you may administer the medication at home. If you will be using telavancin injection at home, your healthcare provider will show you how to infuse the medication. Be sure that you understand these directions, and ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions. Ask your healthcare provider what to do if you have any problems infusing telavancin injection.
You should begin to feel better during the first few days of treatment with telavancin injection. If your symptoms do not improve or get worse, tell your doctor.
Use telavancin injection until you finish the prescription, even if you feel better. If you stop using telavancin injection too soon or skip doses, your infection may not be completely treated and the bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics.
Other
Before having any laboratory test, tell your doctor and the laboratory personnel that you are using telavancin injection.
It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.
Source
All information on telavancin injection has been provided courtesy of MedLinePlus from the National Library of Medicine and from the FDA.
