Daptomycin

Daptomycin is a prescription medication used to treat serious skin and blood infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (a type of bacteria). Daptomycin belongs to a group of drugs called lipopeptide antibiotics, which work by binding to bacteria and killing them.

This medication comes in an injectable form to be given directly into the vein (IV) by a healthcare professional.

Common side effects of daptomycin include upset stomach and diarrhea. Daptomycin can also lower your blood pressure, which can cause dizziness or fainting. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how daptomycin affects you. Get out of bed slowly to avoid dizziness or fainting.

Daptomycin is a prescription medication used to treat serious skin and blood infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (a type of bacteria).

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Daptomycin may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Cubicin

Serious side effects have been reported. See "Drug Precautions" section.

Common side effects of daptomycin include the following:

• difficulty sleeping
• sore throat
• diarrhea
• low blood pressure
• increased sweating
• itching or rash
• elevated creatine phosphokinase (a protein measured in the blood)
• abnormal liver function test results (measured in the blood)

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• statin medications used to lower cholesterol such as simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), pitavastatin (Livalo), rosuvastatin (Crestor), lovastatin (Mevacor), or pravastatin (Pravachol)

This is not a complete list of daptomycin drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with daptomycin including the following:

• hypersensitivity (severe allergic reaction). Tell your healthcare provider about any signs or symptoms of hypersensitivity, which include the following:
  • chest pain
  • swelling of the face, eyes, lips, tongue, arms, or legs
  • difficulty breathing
  • fainting
  • rash
• rhabodmyolysis. Report any muscle weakness or pain, especially in the arms or legs, which may be a sign of rhabdomyolysis (muscle damage).
• peripheral neuropathy. Report any tingling, burning, numbness, or itching in your arms, hands, legs, or feet, which may be signs of peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage).
• diarrhea. Diarrhea is a common problem caused by antibiotics, and it usually ends when the antibacterial is stopped. Even after starting treatment with antibiotics, some patients can develop watery and bloody stools (with or without stomach cramps and fever) as late as 2 or more months after having taken their last dose of the antibacterial. If diarrhea is severe or lasts more than 2 or 3 days, contact your doctor, as this may be a sign of an infection of the bowels.
• Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) associated diarrhea. Some antibiotics can kill the “good” bacteria in the colon leading to a growth of C. difficile bacteria. This “bad” bacterium can cause diarrhea and other digestive problems, and these problems may even occur 2 months after the last dose. Extra caution for this side effect is advised in the elderly population. Tell your healthcare provider if you experience any or all of the following symptoms:
  • watery diarrhea (at least three bowel movements per day for two or more days)
  • loss of appetite
  • abdominal pain or tenderness
  • nausea
  • fever

Daptomycin can cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you.

Do not take daptomycin if you are allergic to daptomycin or any of its ingredients.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of daptomycin, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking daptomycin, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to any ingredient in daptomycin
• have or have had kidney problems
• have or have had liver problems
• have gastrointestinal (stomach and bowel) problems, especially colitis
• have a bloodstream infection or heart valve infection that was not healed by other antibiotics
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Daptomycin falls into category B. There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with daptomycin.  But in animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication, and the babies did not show any medical issues related to this medication.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if daptomycin crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using daptomycin.

Daptomycin comes in injectable form to be given directly into the vein (IV) by a healthcare professional. The injection will be over a 2 minute period or if infused, may last over 30 minutes.

The daptomycin dose your doctor recommends will be based on the following:

•  the condition being treated
•  other medical conditions you have
•  other medications you are taking
•  how you respond to this medication
•  your kidney function
•  your liver function
•  your weight

The recommended dose range for daptomycin in adults is based on weight and ranges from 4 mg/kg to 6 mg/kg once daily for 7-14 days for serious skin infections or 2-6 weeks for bloodstream and heart valve infections. Daptomycin should be injected over 2 minutes or infused over 30 minutes.

Patients with kidney problems may require lower doses daily or every other day.

Daptomycin has not been studied for use in children.

Daptomycin is usually administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting making it unlikely for an overdose to occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Store daptomycin under refrigeration at 2-8°C (36-46°F).
• Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.