Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For oral vancomycin, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to oral vancomycin. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Studies with oral vancomycin have not been done in either humans or animals.

Breast-feeding—Vancomycin passes into breast milk. However, when taken by mouth, only small amounts of vancomycin are absorbed into the mother's body. In addition, vancomycin is not absorbed very much from the digestive tract (stomach and intestines) of the nursing infant and, therefore, is not expected to cause problems in the nursing infant.

Children—Although there is no specific information comparing use of oral vancomycin in children with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults.

Older adults—Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of oral vancomycin in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking oral vancomycin, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Cholestyramine (e.g., Questran) or
• Colestipol (e.g., Colestid)—Use of these medicines with oral vancomycin may decrease the effects of oral vancomycin; oral vancomycin and these medicines should be taken several hours apart

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of oral vancomycin. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Kidney disease, severe, or
• Other inflammatory bowel disorders—Patients with these medical problems may have an increased chance of side effects