LINCOMYCIN: CHARACTERISTICS, WHAT IT IS FOR, EFFECTS - MEDICINE - 2025

The lincomycin is a natural antibiotic belonging to the group of lincosamides, which is extracted from a bacterium called Streptomyces lincolnensis. It can be administered orally, intramuscularly or intravenously.

It is an antibiotic indicated in the treatment of serious infections caused by sensitive gram-positive aerobic strains, such as streptococci, pneumococci and staphylococci or by susceptible anaerobic bacteria.

Image recovered from TQFarma.

What is lincomycin for?

It is normally indicated in patients allergic to penicillin or in cases where the doctor considers that the use of penicillin is not adequate. It is easily absorbed by most tissues, so it is effective in treating infections caused by germs sensitive to this substance, such as:

• Upper respiratory tract: tonsillitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis, scarlet fever and as adjunctive treatment in diphtheria.
• Lower respiratory tract: acute, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia.
• Skin and soft tissues: boils, cellulitis, impetigo, abscesses, acne, wound infections, erysipelas, lymphadenitis, paronychia, mastitis and cutaneous gangrene.
• Bones and Joints: Osteomyelitis and Septic Arthritis.
• Septicemia and endocarditis.
• Bacillary dysentery.

Contraindications

Lincomycin is not indicated for the treatment of mild or viral infections.

Orally, the presentation of lincomycin (capsules) usually contains lactose, so it is contraindicated in patients with intolerance to this component.

The injectable solution presentation contains benzyl alcohol, so it should not be administered to premature infants or infants less than one month old.

It should not be administered in patients who are hypersensitive or allergic to this active principle or to clindamycin. Nor should it be given to people who have or have had monilial infections. It is not indicated in patients with meningitis or acute renal failure.

Precautions

Lincomycin should be administered with great care in people with the following conditions:

• Neuromuscular disorders or under treatment with neuromuscular blockers: since lincomycin has blocking properties and can double or increase its effect on the patient.
• Colitis or a history of this condition.
• Liver or kidney disease (acute renal failure).
• Endocrine or metabolic diseases.

There is a risk of pseudomembranous colitis and growth of non-susceptible organisms. The treating physician must make a functional assessment of the involved organs before and during treatment with lincomycin, especially if it must be prolonged. Periodic liver, kidney and blood count tests are suggested.

As with other antibiotics, lincomycin treatment has been associated with episodes of severe colitis, which can be life-threatening. In the event of diarrhea, immediately stop treatment and consult a doctor.

Like any other drug, lincomycin must be administered by prescription and medical monitoring during pregnancy and lactation.

Although a study carried out in 322 pregnant women who were administered 500 milligrams of lincomycin four times a day for one week did not present any harmful effects on the mother or the fetus, there are no sufficiently controlled and documented studies, so there are no can guarantee its safety in the fetus.

In the case of breastfeeding, the antibiotic is eliminated through breast milk, which is why it is considered incompatible with breastfeeding and it is necessary to use substitute drugs or suspend breastfeeding.

Interactions

Lincomycin alters (raises) the analytical values ​​of transaminases (ALT / SGGPT AST / SGOT) and alkaline phosphatase in blood. It antagonizes with erythromycin and is cross-resistant when co-administered with clindamycin. It also interacts with the following medications or components:

• Chloroform
• Cyclopropane
• Enflurane
• Halothane
• Isoflurane
• Methoxyflurane
• Trichlorethylene
• Kanamycin and novobiocin
• Erythromycin

Finally, the absorption of lincomycin is reduced if it is administered together with antidiarrheals that reduce intestinal motility or absorbents, so it is recommended to avoid the intake of food or drink from two hours before to two hours after taking the drug.

The consumption of alcoholic beverages together with this antibiotic increases the risk of side effects.

Side effects

Like any medicine, lincomycin can produce certain adverse reactions that may appear more or less frequently in each patient, ranging from very common (more than 1 in 10 patients), frequent (1-10 in 100 patients), uncommon (1-10 out of 1000 patients), rare (1-10 out of 10,000 patients) and very rare (less than 1 in 10,000 patients).

Some of these adverse reactions can be:

• Gastrointestinal: nausea and vomiting; glossitis, stomatitis, abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea and / or colitis and anal itching. Esophagitis in the case of oral administration of the drug.
• Hematopoietic: neutropenia, leukopenia, agranilocytosis and thrombocytopenic purpura. In some isolated cases, aplastic anemia and pacytopenia have been reported in which lincomycin has not been ruled out as a causative agent.
• Hypersensitivity: angioneurotic edema, serum sickness, and anaphylaxis. Rare cases of erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
• Skin and mucous membranes: pruritus, skin rash, urticaria, vaginitis and rare cases of exfoliative and bullous vesicular dermatitis.
• Hepatic: Jaundice and abnormalities in liver function tests. A relationship between possible functional liver disorders and lincomycin has not been established.
• Renal: rare cases of elevated urea, oliguria and proteinuria; causal relationship with the use of lincomycin has not been established.
• Cardiovascular: hypotension and rare cases of cardiorespiratory arrest; both reactions in cases of parenteral administration (intramuscular or intravenous) rapid or little diluted.
• About the senses: Tinnitus (bumps or sounds inside the ear) and occasionally vertigo.
• Localized reactions: irritation, pain, and abscess formation on intramuscular administration, or thrombophlebitis at the injection site.

Although side effects usually occur at the time of drug administration, in some cases they can occur up to several weeks after you have stopped taking it.

Presentations and uses

Lincomycin can be presented in capsules (500mg) and injectable ampoules (600mg / 2 ml intramuscular or intravenous).

• Intramuscular use: adults 600mg / 2 ml every 12-24 hours depending on the severity of the case. Children older than one month: 10 mg / kg every 12-24 hours depending on the severity of the case.
• Intravenous use: adults and children, diluted as an infusion in a concentration determined by the doctor based on the severity of the case.
• Subconjunctival use: for the treatment of eye infections, 75 mg / dose.
• Oral use: adults 1 capsule of 500 mg 3 or 4 times a day, depending on the severity of the case.
• Children older than one month: 3060 mg / kg / day divided into 3 or 4 doses, depending on the severity of the case.
• Patients with renal insufficiency: they should take proportionally smaller doses of this medicine.

Tips

Like most antibiotics, it is advisable to complete the treatment indicated by the doctor, even when the symptoms of the disease for which they were prescribed have diminished or disappeared completely.

This becomes much more important in the case of treatment for streptococcal infection; Serious cardiac problems can develop in the medium or long term if the infection has not been completely cured.

It is also important to comply with the periodicity in the intake or application of the drug, since it works better when there is a constant amount in the blood. If a dose is missed it should be taken as soon as possible.

However, doubling the dose is not recommended in the case of longer forgetfulness. It is advisable in these cases to allow 2 to 4 hours to pass between the forgotten dose and the next.

If any allergic reaction or abnormality is observed after the administration of the medicine, its use should be stopped immediately and consult with the doctor.

Research and other applications

An experiment in rats carried out in Brazil concluded that the use of topical lincomycin is effective in repairing the periodontal ligament and restoring the dentoalveolar joint, as well as reducing inflammation in cases of dental reimplantation.

Used in veterinary medicine, lincomycin has been shown to be effective in the control of respiratory diseases in pigs and for the promotion of growth, mainly in the pig starter stage.

It has also been used successfully in uncomplicated superficial cases of canine pyoderma, one of the most common skin diseases in dogs.

The use of lincomycin has been found to be highly effective in the treatment of acute tonsillitis and acute sinusitis.

References

1. Monograph copyrighted by Vidal Vademecum (2016). Recovered from vademecum.es.
2. Lincomycin: Information for Patients. Recovered from medizzine.com.
3. Although in the antibiogram the Shigella that produces bacillary dysentery appears resistant to lincomycin, in many cases it has proven to be effective due to the high levels found in the intestinal contents.
4. Nascimento, Dias and others (2009). Effect of lincomycin treatment of root surface in dental replantation: A study in rats. Recovered from revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br.
5. Salleras JM (1987). Lincomicine effects on the control of swine respitory diseases. National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA). Recovered from agris.fao.org.
6. Rejas López J and others (1998). Pyoderma Canina, what antibiotic to use? Little animals. 22-31. Recovered from agrovetmarket.com.
7. Montiel, Rodríguez and Oñate (1985). Efficacy of lincomycin in the treatment of acute tonsillitis. Recovered from bases.bireme.br.
8. Suáres, Suáres, Uriol and Mercado (1992) Comparative study of the efficacy of two lincomycin regimens in the treatment of acute sinusitis. Recovered from bases.bireme.br.