Brand Dalacin C

Dalacin capsules contain the active ingredient clindamycin hydrochloride, which is an antibiotic medicine.
Dalacin C treats bacterial infections by killing the bacteria causing the infection. It does this by preventing the bacteria from forming normal cell walls. The cell walls of bacteria protect the bacterial cells and are essential for their survival. When these cell walls are not formed correctly it causes them to disintegrate and the bacteria therefore die. This inhibits the ability of the bacteria to grow and therefore stops the spread of the infection.
Dalacin C kills a wide variety of bacteria that are known collectively as anaerobic bacteria. This means that they do not need oxygen to grow and multiply. Anaerobic bacteria can cause infections in areas of the body such as the bones, gut, pelvic cavity and gums. Clindamycin is used to treat these types of infections, as well as leg ulcers and pressure sores that are infected with anaerobic bacteria.
Dalacin C also has a similar range of antibacterial activity to the penicillins and is useful as an alternative antibiotic in those people who are allergic to penicillins or for infections caused by bacteria called staphylococci that have become resistant to penicillin.
However, it is not a widely used antibiotic because the risk of developing antibiotic-associated colitis (inflammation of the colon) is greater with clindamycin compared to other antibiotics. This usually results in severe diarrhea and clindamycin should be stopped immediately if this occurs.
Dalacin C capsules are usually used for serious infections after treatment with other antibiotics, such as penicillin or metronidazole has not been effective.

Indications
Bacterial infections of the skin and soft tissue, such as infected ulcers, mouth abscesses, cellulitis.
Bacterial infections of bone (osteomyelitis).
Bacterial infections of joints.
Bacterial infections of the intestine (enteritis).
Preventing infection of the heart (bacterial endocarditis) during medical or dental procedures in people with heart valve defects or artificial heart valves.

Precautions
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is important that you finish the prescribed course of this antibiotic medicine, even if you feel better or it seems the infection has cleared up. Stopping the course early increases the chance that the infection will come back and that the bacteria will grow resistant to the antibiotic.
This medicine can sometimes cause inflammation of the bowel (colitis). For this reason, if you get diarrhoea either during or after taking this medicine, particularly if it becomes severe or persistent, or contains blood or mucus, you should consult your doctor immediately.
If you are having long-term treatment with this medicine your doctor may want you to have regular blood tests to monitor your kidney and liver function.
Dalacin C capsules contain lactose and are not suitable for people with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, Lapp lactose deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption.

Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

• Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, indigestion or abdominal pain.
• Inflammation of the large intestine (colitis).
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
• Inflammation of the vagina (vaginitis).
• Decrease in the number of white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets in the blood.
• Skin reactions, such as rash, hives, redness of skin.

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine's manufacturer.