Prescription medication · Polymyxin Antibiotic
colistin
Also sold as Coly-Mycin M. This medicine treats outer ear infections caused by bacteria.
Data updated 2026-05-15
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colistin (Coly-Mycin M) is a prescription Polymyxin Antibiotic. This medicine treats outer ear infections caused by bacteria.
Cortisporin TC Otic is an ear drop medicine. It treats ear infections by killing bacteria and reducing inflammation.
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What it does
This medicine treats outer ear infections caused by bacteria.
Common side effects
No common side effects listed.
Key warnings
Neomycin can sometimes cause skin sensitivity.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from colistin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Cortisporin TC Otic contains antibiotics that kill bacteria. It also has hydrocortisone, which reduces swelling and itching. Thonzonium bromide helps the medicine penetrate the ear tissues.
Serious Warnings
Neomycin can sometimes cause skin sensitivity. This medicine may also cause hearing problems or kidney damage, but this is rare.
Known Drug Interactions
Monitor renal function in patients receiving vancomycin and concurrent and/or sequential systemic or topical use of other potentially, neurotoxic and/or nephrotoxic drugs, such as amphotericin B, aminoglycosides, bacitracin, polymyxin B, colistin, viomycin, or cisplatin.
Mechanism: Both of these drugs can be harmful to the kidneys, and using them at the same time increases the risk of kidney damage.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
What is in Cortisporin TC Otic?
How much of each medicine is in each mL?
Can I use this if I am allergic to any of the ingredients?
Can I use this if I have a viral infection in my ear?
How long should I use this medicine?
How do I apply the ear drops?
Can I use a cotton wick with this medicine?
What are the possible side effects?
What should I do if I experience a side effect?
Where can I report suspected adverse reactions?
Does colistin interact with other medications?
What drug class is colistin?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for colistin?
Related Medications in Polymyxin Antibiotic
Other drugs grouped near colistin - same-class peers and common alternatives.
amikacin
Amikin
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine.
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amoxicillin
Amoxil
Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium is a combination medicine used to fight bacterial infections.
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amoxicillin/clavulanate
Augmentin
Augmentin is a combination of two medicines, amoxicillin and clavulanate.
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ampicillin/sulbactam
Unasyn
Unasyn is a combination of two antibiotics that fights bacteria in your body.
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azithromycin
Zithromax, Z-Pack
Azithromycin is an antibiotic that fights bacteria.
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What the FDA Data Shows for colistin
The FDA label for colistin (sold under brand names such as Coly-Mycin M) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Polymyxin Antibiotic class. This medicine treats outer ear infections caused by bacteria. Labeling covers dosing, contraindications, and monitoring requirements derived from clinical trials.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. Voluntary reports accumulate over the lifetime of a drug and reflect wide-ranging clinical use. The database also lists 1 documented drug interaction derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated minor severity. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: August 1, 2024
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages