• Reference Number: HEY1466-2024
• Departments: Pharmacy
• Last Updated: 30 June 2024

What are Aminoglycoside Antibiotics?

Aminoglycosides are a group of antibiotics used to treat certain types of serious bacterial infections.  Aminoglycoside antibiotics include gentamicin, tobramycin and amikacin.

Gentamicin is used for serious bacterial infections including those of the urinary tract (e.g. kidneys and bladder), gastrointestinal tract (e.g. in the abdomen), infections of the lungs (e.g. in bronchiectasis) and heart valves (infective endocarditis).

Tobramycin and amikacin are given less often than gentamicin.  They are used in the treatment of lung infections (e.g. tobramycin is used in cystic fibrosis and occasionally bronchiectasis).

How are Aminoglycosides given?

Aminoglycosides are usually given into a vein, either as a slow injection or via a drip (infusion).  The dose and frequency will be calculated based on your age, weight, height and how well your kidneys are working.

Aminoglycosides can be given on their own but are often used together with other antibiotics.  Your clinical team may have decided to give you this antibiotic because it is the most effective antibiotic for your infection or because there is a reason you cannot have other antibiotics.

Why have I been given this leaflet?

Like all medicines, aminoglycosides (gentamicin/ tobramycin/ amikacin) can occasionally cause side effects.

Aminoglycosides can, very rarely, cause damage to your ears which can lead to hearing and balance problems.  This can make you feel dizzy or cause you to lose your balance.  Sometimes you can get a ringing in your ears or hearing loss. This is more likely to happen if you receive aminoglycosides for more than five days.  In some patients these side effects cannot be reversed once they happen.

Aminoglycosides can also occasionally damage the kidneys or cause an allergic reaction.

Your clinical team will do blood tests regularly while you are on this antibiotic.  These tests are to check your kidney function and to see the amount of drug in your blood to make sure you are on the right dose.

Is there anything I can do?

The risk of these side effects is different for each patient.  It is important that you tell your clinical team (doctor/nurse/pharmacist) if you have any balance or hearing problems.  You should also tell them if you have any kidney problems and if you are taking any other medicines, including over the counter medicines (bought in a pharmacy) or herbal/alternative remedies.  Aminoglycosides don’t mix well with some other medicines.

A careful assessment should then be done to work out the most appropriate treatment plan.  This may require additional testing of your hearing and balance or changing the antibiotic(s).

Please let the clinical team know if you experience any of the following:

• Changes in your hearing (especially not hearing high pitched sounds).
• Ringing in your ears.
• Changes to balance or co-ordination.
• Feeling dizzy or that your head is ‘spinning’.
• Changes in vision (e.g. blurred vision, inability to focus,  flickering eye movements,  objects moving back/forth or up/down).

Any signs of an allergic reaction, including rash, itch, swelling or redness of the skin, fever, shortness of breath, a tight chest or wheezing.

Who can I speak to if I have any questions?

The doctors, nurses or pharmacists looking after your care will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Contact numbers

Hull Royal Infirmary, Department of Pharmacy, tel: 01482311665

Castle Hill Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, tel: 01482463278