Patient was educated on the side effects of using Vancomycin as follows:
- Opportunistic fungal infections
- The friendly normal flora residing in the human body help prevent growth of opportunistic infections.
- Vancomycin by destroying the normal flora, tips the balance in favor of opportunistic infections.
- So, long term use of Vancomycin carries a risk of opportunistic fungal infections, such as, thrush and yeast infections.
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- A rare, but serious complication of Vancomycin use is cardiac arrest.
- Individuals with history of chronic disturbance in serum magnesium and potassium ions are also at increased risk for arrhythmias with Vancomycin.
- Also, individuals taking Lasix are at increased risk for losing potassium, thus setting the ground for life-threatening arrhythmias.
- Neuropathy
- Vancomycin intake in high doses can lead to reversible hearing loss.
- Sometimes, the damage can be severe causing the hearing loss to be permanent.
- Normal therapeutic doses of Vancomycin in individuals with compromised renal function can lead to incomplete elimination of Vancomycin and elevated drug levels for longer duration, thus precipitating ototoxicity and hearing loss.
