Drug interactions
Bacitracin + Vancomycin
Severity: Major
Bacitracin and Vancomycin: major interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Both drugs can injure the kidney, and systemic bacitracin in particular causes dose-related renal tubular damage. Giving them together, especially when vancomycin is parenteral, raises the risk of acute kidney injury, and ototoxicity from vancomycin may add to the concern.
What this interaction means in plain words
Bacitracin and Vancomycin can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for.
Bacitracin belongs to Miscellaneous; Vancomycin belongs to Anti Bacterial.
Why it happens
Additive nephrotoxicity from two agents that each damage renal tubular cells.
What to do
Avoid systemic bacitracin with vancomycin; if unavoidable, monitor serum creatinine and urine output frequently and adjust doses to renal function and vancomycin levels.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Does the benefit of taking both outweigh the risk in my case?
- Do I need any blood test, ECG or other check while on both?
- What early warning signs should I watch for, and what should I do if they appear?
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Other interactions of Vancomycin
- Amikacin + Vancomycin Major
- Capreomycin + Vancomycin Major
- Cephaloridine + Vancomycin Major
- Cidofovir + Vancomycin Major
- Cisplatin + Vancomycin Major
- Colistin + Vancomycin Major
Other interactions of Bacitracin
- Bacitracin + Cidofovir Contraindicated
- Adefovir + Bacitracin Major
- Aldesleukin + Bacitracin Major
- Amikacin + Bacitracin Major
- Bacitracin + Carboplatin Major
- Bacitracin + Cisplatin Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Bacitracin with Vancomycin?
MediHelp rates the interaction as major. Bacitracin and Vancomycin can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for. Both drugs can injure the kidney, and systemic bacitracin in particular causes dose-related renal tubular damage. Giving them together, especially when vancomycin is parenteral, raises the risk of acute kidney injury, and ototoxicity from vancomycin may add to the concern.
How serious is the interaction between Bacitracin and Vancomycin?
MediHelp rates it major, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid systemic bacitracin with vancomycin; if unavoidable, monitor serum creatinine and urine output frequently and adjust doses to renal function and vancomycin levels.
What other medicines interact with Vancomycin?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Vancomycin with, for example, Amikacin, Capreomycin, Cephaloridine. The full list is on the Vancomycin page.
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