Amikacin

Amikacin is an intravenous antibiotic which is used in treatment of severe infections. Amikacin has been available for many years and its use is limited to infections that are resistant to routinely used antibiotics. It is normally administered every eight hours.

Side effects:

Amikacin is a rather well tolerated antibiotic and has very few side effects. The most important one is damage to the kidneys. This problem can be prevented by monitoring the kidney function tests as well as the level of Amikacin in the blood. Fluid retention is another potential side effect which is not as important as kidney problems. Patients who are treated with Amikacin should have frequent blood tests to monitor their kidney function tests as well as the Amikacin level.