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clindamycin vs clindamycin topical

Side-by-side comparison of clindamycin and clindamycin topical. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

Drug Interactions Clindamycin has been shown to have neuromuscular blocking properties that may enhance the action of other neuromuscular blocking agents.

Recommendation: Tell your doctor or surgeon if you are using clindamycin before having any medical procedures. They may need to monitor your muscle recovery more closely.

Drug Class
clindamycin Lincosamide Antibiotic
clindamycin topical Topical Antibiotic
Type
clindamycin Prescription
clindamycin topical Prescription
Summary
clindamycin

Clindamycin phosphate topical lotion is an antibiotic medicine that you put on your skin. It helps treat acne.

clindamycin topical

Clindamycin topical (Cleocin T) is a medicine you put on your skin to treat acne. It helps to kill the bacteria that cause acne.

What It Treats
clindamycin

This medicine treats acne. Acne is a skin condition that causes pimples and blemishes. Clindamycin helps to reduce the bacteria that cause acne.

clindamycin topical

Clindamycin topical is used to treat acne. Acne is a skin condition that causes pimples and blemishes. This medicine helps reduce the number of acne pimples you have.

How It Works
clindamycin

Clindamycin is an antibiotic. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps to reduce inflammation and clear up acne.

clindamycin topical

Clindamycin is an antibiotic. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps to reduce inflammation and clear up acne.

Common Side Effects
clindamycin
  • Burning
  • Itching
  • Dryness
  • Redness
  • Peeling
clindamycin topical
  • Burning
  • Itching
  • Dryness
  • Redness
  • Peeling
FAERS Reports
clindamycin
  • Allergic reaction to the medicine 2,314
  • Diarrhea 1,877
  • Skin rash 1,621
  • Feeling sick to your stomach 1,615
  • Pain 1,505
clindamycin topical

No adverse event reports.

Serious Warnings
clindamycin

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.

clindamycin topical

Clindamycin, when taken orally or by injection, can cause severe diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea, and colitis. While rare with the topical form, tell your doctor right away if you develop diarrhea while using this medicine.

Pregnancy
clindamycin

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.

clindamycin topical

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding before using this medicine. It is not known if clindamycin topical can harm your unborn baby or pass into breast milk.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This clindamycin vs clindamycin topical Comparison

clindamycin is classified in the Lincosamide Antibiotic drug class, while clindamycin topical sits within the Topical 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, clindamycin has 8,932 submissions while clindamycin topical has 0. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to clindamycin can increase the effects of drugs used to relax muscles during surgery. this could make the muscle-relaxing effect stronger or last longer than intended.. 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 clindamycin and clindamycin topical - 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.