Tigecycline is a prescription-only antibiotic for treating stubborn and resistant infections. It is administered intravenously and is not available in oral form. Tigecycline is prescribed for bacterial infections of the skin, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, abdominal area, and surgical sites. It has a range of side effects and is generally inappropriate for children.
This medication is one of the few antibiotics which has some success against notoriously dangerous, gram-negative bacterial infections such as MRSA which are very difficult to treat. Gram-negative bacterial infections are often found in hospitals and clinical settings. They are harmful pathogens, some of which show extreme resistance to classical antibiotic treatment. The high resistance and adaptation of these bacteria has resulted in many of them being classified as "super bugs." There are very few successful treatment options for these infections, but tigecycline has shown a considerable amount of efficacy.
Tigecycline is a popular choice for the treatment of complex skin infections, including those which have penetrated through the skin layers to the soft tissue and muscle plains beneath. Certain respiratory infections, such as bacterial pneumonia, are prescribed intravenous tigecycline because these infections spread rapidly, pose a serious threat, and are known to show resistance to conventional antibiotics.
Those suffering from intra-abdominal and gastrointestinal infections are commonly prescribed tigecycline because the drug has shown particular success in fighting these types of infections. It is used to combat post-operative infections at the wound site, particularly if the surgery was performed in the abdominal or gastrointestinal region. The drug is also used to prevent infection after surgery, especially if the patient is at higher risk of infection from bacteria such as intestinal bacteria and MRSA, or where there are instances of super bug outbreaks in the clinical setting.
Once in the body, tigecycline does not kill the infecting bacteria, but instead prevents it from multiplying and reaching maturity. By depriving the bacteria of the nutrients required to mature and replicate, the bacteria already present are isolated and unable to complete the life cycle. This means that the infection cannot spread and the bacteria eventually die naturally.
Side effects include vomiting and diarrhea as well as allergic reactions such as hives, moderate to severe headaches, and light sensitivity. Other more severe side effects include acute, diffuse pain in the stomach and back. Tachycardia, or a rapid, irregular heartbeat, is a relatively common side effect; if this drug is used in patients with a history or cardiac health problems, closely monitoring is necessary. Tigecycline can interact adversely with a number of other drugs including warfarin and a variety of herbal and homeopathic remedies. Pediatric infections are seldom treated with it because adverse side effects are often likely to occur and tend to be more severe than in adult cases.