Chloramphenicol, Ophthalmic
“This page provides important general information for pet owners whose animals have been prescribed Chloramphenicol, Ophthalmic during a consultation by Dr Noor in Perth.”
(klor-am-fen-uh-kol)
Description: Chloramphenicol, Ophthalmic
This is an antibiotic medicine used on the surface of the eye.
Other Names for this Medication:
- Chloromycetin®
- Chloroptic®
Common Dosage Forms:
- For animals: there is no standard, ready-made veterinary product.
- For people: there is no standard, ready-made human product.
- A pharmacist who is allowed to make custom medicines (a compounding pharmacist) may prepare this medicine as eye drops (a liquid) or as an eye ointment, following your veterinarian’s instructions.
Antimicrobial Classification:
Highly Important
Key Information
- This is an antibiotic used on the eye, and it is prescribed for severe eye infections.
- Wear disposable gloves when handling this medicine, and wash your hands after you are done.
- Give the medicine in a clean way so germs do not get into it. Keep the lid closed tightly whenever you are not using it.
- After you put this medicine in the eye, wait 5 minutes before putting any other eye medicine in.
- Keep it at room temperature and protect it from moisture and direct light; do not freeze it. Do not use it if the color looks different, if it turns cloudy, or if you can see particles floating in the liquid. If the medicine was specially made (compounded), throw it away on the expiration date listed.
How is this medication useful?
Chloramphenicol eye medicine is used in animals for certain eye infections caused by bacteria.
What should I tell my veterinarian to see if this medication can be safely given?
Many different factors can change how well this medicine works for your animal. Talk with your veterinarian about the points below so you can make treatment choices together.
Other medicines can affect how chloramphenicol works. Tell your veterinarian and pharmacist about everything your animal receives, including:
- other eye medicines
- vitamins
- supplements
- herbal products
Also share how much you give and when you give each one.
Tell your veterinarian about any health problems your animal has now, or has had before.
If your animal has had the same illness or problem before, tell your veterinarian what was used last time and whether it helped or did not help.
If your animal is pregnant or nursing, discuss the possible risks of using this medicine.
Tell your veterinarian and pharmacist about any side effects your animal has had from medicines in the past. Examples include:
- allergic reactions
- not wanting to eat
- diarrhea
- itching
- hair loss
How long until I will know if this medication is working, and how long will the effects of this medication last?
- This medicine should begin working within 1 to 2 hours, even though you may not be able to see changes right away.
- Your animal should start to feel better within 1 to 2 days.
- This medicine does not last long in the body. Its effect ends within 24 hours.
When should this medication not be used or be used very carefully?
No medicine is completely safe for every patient. Your veterinarian will talk with you about any special concerns for your animal.
This drug SHOULD NOT be used in animals:
- If your animal is allergic to it.
This drug should be used WITH CAUTION in animals:
- If your animal is pregnant or nursing.
- If your animal has anemia (a low red blood cell level).
- If your animal is very young.
If your animal fits any of the situations listed above, talk with your veterinarian about weighing the possible risks against the possible benefits.
What are the side effects of this medication?
Side effects that usually are not serious include:
If any of these signs are strong, get worse, or do not go away, contact your veterinarian.
- Mild burning or stinging, eye irritation, or redness.
Side effects that may be serious or indicate a serious problem:
If you notice any of these signs, contact your veterinarian right away.
- Trouble breathing or swelling in the throat, which may be a severe allergic reaction to this medicine.
- Being unusually tired, or having unusual bruising or bleeding.
If my animal gets too much of this medication (an overdose), what should I do?
- When chloramphenicol is used as an eye medicine, giving too much is unlikely. However, side effects or poisoning could happen if your animal eats the medicine.
- If that happens, contact your veterinarian or an animal poison control center for advice.
- A consultation fee may be charged.
How should this medication be given?
- For this medicine to work properly, give it exactly the way your veterinarian instructed.
- Always read the prescription label so you confirm you are giving it correctly.
- Wash your hands before you give this medicine.
- To keep the medicine clean, do not touch the tip of the dropper. Do not let the tip touch your animal’s eye or anything else.
- If any medicine remains on your animal’s face after dosing, wipe it away gently using a damp cloth or a tissue.
- If you are giving more than one eye medicine:
- wait 5 minutes between each one before giving the next
- put eye drops in before eye ointments so the drops can soak into the eye
- If you are using this as an eye liquid for a horse, your veterinarian may have placed a special eye tube (a subpalpebral lavage, also called an SPL catheter). Use this tube only the way your veterinarian directed. After you inject the medicine into the tube, use only air to push the medicine through to the eye.
- If you are struggling to apply the medicine, or if your animal will not tolerate treatment, contact your veterinarian or pharmacist for ideas to make dosing easier and to reduce stress during medication time.
- This medicine may be prescribed for different lengths of time. Make sure you understand how long your veterinarian wants you to keep giving it.
- You may need prescription refills before the full course is finished.
- Do not stop this medicine without speaking to your veterinarian, because there may be important reasons to continue.
What should I do if I miss giving a dose of this medication?
- If you forget a dose, give it as soon as you remember.
- If it is almost time for the next scheduled dose, do not give the missed dose. Instead, give the next dose at the regular time.
- Then continue with the normal schedule.
- Do not give two doses at once and do not give extra doses.
How should I store this medication?
- Before the bottle is opened, keep it in the original prescription container, in the refrigerator, and protected from light.
- After opening, you may keep it either in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- Throw it away 21 days after opening.
- If your veterinarian or pharmacist prepared a custom (compounded) version for your animal, follow the storage directions and the expiration date provided for that product.
- Keep this medicine out of reach of children and away from other animals.
Can handling this medication be hazardous to me, my family, or other animals?
- Chloramphenicol can cause serious harm in people who are exposed to it.
- Wear disposable gloves when you handle this medicine. Do not use the same gloves again.
- After use, put the gloves in the trash.
- Do not let the medicine touch your skin, your eyes, or moist body areas such as the inside of the mouth, nose, or ears.
- If your animal vomits after receiving a dose, wear gloves when you clean up and throw away the vomit.
How should I dispose of this medication if I don’t use it all?
- Do not pour this medicine into a sink and do not flush it down a toilet.
- If your area has a community medicine “take-back” program, use that.
- If there is no take-back program:
- combine the medicine with coffee grounds or cat litter so it is less appealing to children and animals and not recognizable to people who might search through trash
- put that mixture into a sealable plastic bag to prevent leaks
- then place it in the household trash
- Do not keep leftover medicine to use later, and do not give it to anyone else.
What other information is important for this medication?
- This medicine may not be permitted in some animal competitions. Check the rules before entering your animal in a competition while your animal is receiving this medicine.
- If you have more questions about this medicine, contact your veterinarian or pharmacist.
“Disclaimer: The information on this page is provided as general educational material only. Every animal’s health situation is unique, and treatment decisions must be based on a full veterinary assessment. Always follow the specific instructions given during your consultation, and contact the prescribing veterinarian if you have any concerns.”
Related Medication Information
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