Hydrocortisone Neomycin And Polymyxin Description

Generic Name : HYDROCORTISONE, NEOMYCIN, and POLYMYXIN

Pronunciation : (hye droe kor' ti sone) (nee oh mye' sin) (pol I mix' in)

Trade Name(s) : Lycortin, efcorlin soluble,

Why it is prescribed: The combination of hydrocortisone, neomycin, and polymyxin eliminates bacteria that cause eye, skin, and ear infections and relieves pain, inflammation, redness, and itching.

When it is to be taken: For eye infections, this medication usually is used every three or four hours; for ear and skin infections, it is used two to four times a day.

How it should be taken: This combination of drugs comes in the form of eardrops, eye drops, and a skin cream. Your prescription label tells you how much to use at each dose.
To apply the eardrops, follow these directions :
(1) Gently clean and dry your ear with a sterile cotton swab.
(2) Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
(3) Check the dropper to make sure it is not chipped or cracked.
(4) The eardrops must be kept clean. Avoid touching the dropper against your ear, fingers, or any other source of contamination.
(5) Warm the drops to near body temperature by holding the container in your hand for a few minutes.
(6) If the drops are a cloudy suspension and not a clear solution, shake the container well for 10 seconds.
(7) Draw some medication into the dropper.
(8) Tilt your head so that the affected ear is up, or lie on your side with the affected ear up.
(9) To allow the drops to run in, hold the earlobe up and back for an adult and hold the earlobe down and back for a child.
(10) Place the prescribed number of drops in your ear and keep your ear tilted up for five minutes. To avoid injury, do not insert the dropper into your ear.
(11) If you prefer, insert a soft cotton gauze wick plug and saturate it with the eardrops. Keep the cotton moist by adding eardrops every four hours, and replace the cotton every 24 yours.
(12) Wash your hands to remove any medicine.
To use the skin cream, wash the affected skin area thoroughly; then apply a small amount of cream and rub it in gently. If you use the cream on your face, keep it out of your eyes. Shake the bottle of eye drops well before each use and apply them in the following manner:
(1) Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
(2) Use a mirror or have someone else put the drops in your eye.
(3) Make sure that the end of the dropper is not chipped or cracked.
(4) Avoid touching the dropper against your eye or against anything else.
(5) Hold the dropper tip down at all times to prevent drops from flowing back into the bottle and contaminating the remaining contents.
(6) Lie down or tilt your head back.
(7) Holding the bottle between your thumb and index finger, place the dropper tips as near as possible to your eyelid without touching it.
(8) Brace the remaining fingers of that hand against your cheek or nose.
(9) With the index finger of your other hand, pull the lower lid of the eye down to form a pocket.
(10) Drop the prescribed number of drops into the pocket made by the lower lid and the eye. Placing drops on the surface of the eyeball can cause stinging.
(11) Close your eye for two to three minutes to keep the medication in the eye.
(12) Replace and tighten the cap right away. Do not wipe or rinse it off.
(13) Wipe off any excess liquid from your cheek with a clean tissue.
(14) Wash your hands again to remove any medication.

Special Instruction :
1. Do not use this medication for more than 10 days. If your infection does not improve within one week or worsens, contact your doctor.
2. Use this medication exactly as directed. Do not use it for a longer time, do not apply more of it, and do not apply it more often than as instructed.
3. Do not bandage or otherwise wrap your skin unless directed to do so.
4. Do not apply this drug to areas of the body other than as directed.
5. If you use this drug on a child's diaper area, do not place tightly fitting diapers or plastic pants on the child; they can increase drug absorption and cause harmful effects.
6. Do not apply cosmetics or other skin preparations to the treated skin area without consulting your doctor.
7. If you forget to take a dose, apply the missed dose as soon as you remember it any apply any remaining dose for that day at evenly spaced intervals. However, if you remember a missed dose near the time you are scheduled to apply the next one, omit the missed dose completely and apply only the scheduled dose. Do not apply a double dose.

Side Effects :
1. Eye pain; itchy, red, and inflamed eyes and eyelids. Stop using the drug and contact your doctor.
2. Ear pain; itchy, red, and inflamed eyes and eyelids. Stop using the drug and contact your doctor.
3. Ear stinging, ear burning. Stop using the drug and contact your doctor.
4. Acne, skin sores, rash, itching, burning, stinging, irritation, increased hair growth, changes in skin color. Stop using the drug and contact your doctor.
5. Hearing difficulty, decreased urination. Stop using the drug and contact your doctor.

Other Precautions :
1. If you have kidney disease or are pregnant, tell your doctor before using this medication.
2. Do not allow anyone else to use this medication without a prescription, especially children.
3. Children are more sensitive to the drug than are adults, and another person's skin problem may be very different from yours.

Storage Conditions : Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of the reach of children. Store it at room temperature.