amikacin vs clindamycin
Side-by-side comparison of amikacin and clindamycin Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Amikin
Cleocin
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights serious infections caused by certain types of bacteria.
Clindamycin phosphate topical lotion is an antibiotic medicine that you put on your skin. It helps treat acne.
Amikacin treats serious infections caused by bacteria. This includes infections in the blood, lungs, bones, joints, brain, skin, and abdomen. It can also treat burns, post-surgery infections, and complicated urinary tract infections.
This medicine treats acne. Acne is a skin condition that causes pimples and blemishes. Clindamycin helps to reduce the bacteria that cause acne.
Amikacin belongs to a class of drugs called aminoglycosides. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps your body fight off the infection.
Clindamycin is an antibiotic. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps to reduce inflammation and clear up acne.
No common side effects listed.
- • Burning
- • Itching
- • Dryness
- • Redness
- • Peeling
- Off Label Use 1,908
- Drug Ineffective 1,673
- Cough 1,620
- Dyspnoea 1,556
- Hospitalisation 1,360
- Medicine not working 2,357
- Allergic reaction to the medicine 2,314
- Diarrhea 1,877
- Skin rash 1,621
- Feeling sick to your stomach 1,615
Amikacin can potentially cause hearing loss and kidney damage. Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems or are taking other medicines that can affect your hearing or kidneys. Your doctor should closely monitor you for hearing and kidney problems during treatment. This drug can also cause muscle weakness or breathing problems, especially if you are also taking anesthesia or certain muscle relaxants.
Clindamycin, when taken orally or by injection, can cause severe diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, and colitis (inflammation of the colon). These problems have rarely been reported with topical clindamycin, but tell your doctor right away if you have diarrhea while using this medicine.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Amikacin may harm your unborn baby. It is not known if amikacin passes into breast milk.
It is not known if clindamycin topical lotion can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
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How to Read This amikacin vs clindamycin Comparison
amikacin is classified in the Aminoglycoside Antibiotic drug class, while clindamycin sits within the Lincosamide Antibiotic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amikacin has 8,117 submissions while clindamycin has 9,784. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume — not per-patient risk — so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between amikacin and clindamycin — always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.