amikacin vs vancomycin
Side-by-side comparison of amikacin and vancomycin Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Amikin
Vancocin
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights serious infections caused by certain types of bacteria.
Vancomycin is a strong antibiotic. It fights serious infections caused by certain bacteria.
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.
Vancomycin treats serious infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to some other antibiotics. This includes infections like endocarditis (infection of the heart valves), septicemia (blood poisoning), bone infections, lung infections, and skin infections. It can also treat pseudomembranous colitis, a severe diarrhea caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the colon.
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.
Vancomycin works by stopping bacteria from building their cell walls. Without a cell wall, the bacteria cannot survive. This helps your body fight off the infection.
No common side effects listed.
- • Flushing of the upper body ('red neck')
- • Pain or muscle spasm in the chest and back
- • Inflammation at the injection site
- Off Label Use 1,908
- Drug Ineffective 1,673
- Cough 1,620
- Dyspnoea 1,556
- Hospitalisation 1,360
- Drug Ineffective 6,107
- Acute Kidney Injury 4,178
- Off Label Use 3,966
- Pyrexia 3,513
- Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia And Systemic Symptoms 2,311
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.
Rapid infusions of vancomycin can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, wheezing, trouble breathing, hives, or itching. Severe skin reactions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis have also been reported.
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.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is not known if vancomycin will harm an unborn baby. Vancomycin passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you need to take this medicine.
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How to Read This amikacin vs vancomycin Comparison
amikacin is classified in the Aminoglycoside Antibiotic drug class, while vancomycin sits within the Glycopeptide 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 vancomycin has 20,075. 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 vancomycin — 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.