Daptomycin, made simple.
Daptomycin is a strong antibiotic, given through an IV, used to treat serious skin and bloodstream infections. This guide explains what to expect during your treatment course, in plain language. A Mississippi pharmacist wrote it for you.
This guide is here to teach you. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace your doctor or pharmacist. Always do what your doctor tells you, and ask a pharmacist before you change how you take any medicine.
Print this guide for your fridgeWhat daptomycin is and why your care team chose it
Daptomycin is a strong antibiotic. It is used to treat serious infections caused by certain bacteria, including some that are resistant to other antibiotics, such as MRSA.
Daptomycin is given as an IV, straight into a vein. There is no pill form. It is given over a treatment course of a set length, which your care team decides based on your infection. For many patients, part or all of that course is given at home through a home infusion service.
- Serious skin infections. Daptomycin treats serious, complicated skin infections.
- Bloodstream infections. It also treats bloodstream infections, sometimes called bacteremia, including certain heart valve infections.
One thing to know up front, and it is the most important fact on this page: daptomycin cannot treat pneumonia. If you were told you have pneumonia and were placed on daptomycin, ask your care team about it right away. The reason is explained below.
How daptomycin works, and how it is given
Daptomycin attacks the outer membrane of the bacteria, the bacteria's skin. It punches into that membrane and disrupts it, which kills the bacteria. Because it works on the membrane rather than on a specific inner target, it can kill certain bacteria that have learned to resist other antibiotics. It works against one broad group of bacteria, called gram-positive bacteria, which is why your care team chooses it only when it matches the specific bacteria causing your infection.
Daptomycin is given as an IV, usually over about 30 minutes, through whatever IV access you have, such as a PICC line or a port. How often you receive it, and for how many total days or weeks, depends on your infection. Skin infections are often a shorter course, while bloodstream and heart valve infections are usually longer. Your care team sets the exact plan.
Because daptomycin is given by IV on a set plan, there is no missed pill to make up. If you ever miss or are late for a scheduled infusion, call your infusion pharmacy or care team right away so they can advise you.
What to watch for during your daptomycin course
The main things to watch.
- Muscle problems. Daptomycin can, in some people, injure muscle tissue, and in rare cases this becomes severe. Your care team will check a blood test called CPK on a schedule, usually at least once a week, to catch any muscle effect early. Tell your care team right away about any new muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, even if it seems minor, and even before a blood test.
- A lung reaction, usually later in treatment. Daptomycin can rarely cause a lung reaction. It tends to show up after a couple of weeks or more, often around the fourth week. The warning signs are new fever, new cough, and new shortness of breath. If you develop these, get medical help right away and make sure they know you are on daptomycin.
Common, usually milder.
- Constipation, nausea, or diarrhea.
- A headache, or trouble sleeping.
- Redness or pain at the IV site.
- Some limb or back pain.
Call your care team if you notice:
- New muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness.
- Tingling, burning, or numbness in your hands or feet.
- Diarrhea that is severe, or has blood or mucus, with belly pain. This can be a gut infection that sometimes follows antibiotics.
- Signs your kidneys may be struggling, such as passing much less urine, leg swelling, or unusual tiredness.
Go to the emergency room or call 911 if:
- You have severe muscle weakness along with dark, tea-colored urine. This can be a sign of serious muscle breakdown.
- You have sudden severe shortness of breath, a high fever, and a cough after two or more weeks on daptomycin. This can be the lung reaction described above.
- You have signs of a severe allergic reaction after an infusion, such as hives, throat tightening, or trouble breathing.
Two important points for certain patients
If you take a statin, a common cholesterol medicine whose name often ends in the word statin, there is something to know. Both statins and daptomycin can affect muscle, so taking them together raises the risk of muscle problems. Your care team may pause your statin during your daptomycin course, or, if you stay on it, check your CPK blood test more often. Do not stop or restart your statin on your own. Let your care team manage it.
If you take warfarin, a blood thinner, there is a second point. Daptomycin can cause your blood-clotting test, the INR, to read falsely high. This does not mean your blood is actually thinner. It is a quirk of how the lab test reacts to daptomycin. The risk is that someone could change your warfarin dose based on a misleading number. Make sure the lab and the team that manages your warfarin know you are on daptomycin, so they read your INR correctly. The effect goes away after daptomycin is finished.
The simple rule: make sure every part of your care team knows every medicine you take. At Fairview, we check daptomycin against the rest of your medication list, even when a hospital or home infusion service is running your IV.
What it costs
The cost is different for every person, because every insurance plan is different.
Here is the honest way to find your price. If you pay cash, call Fairview and we will give you a price for your situation. If you have private insurance, there may be a coupon or a savings program from the maker of the drug that helps lower your cost, and we will check if one is available for you. The best step is to let a pharmacist look at your plan. We do this for every patient.
Do not let cost make you skip doses. Call us first. There is almost always something we can do.
There is also a generic version of many medicines. The generic is the same medicine. Ask your pharmacist if a generic is a good fit for you.
What should be checked during treatment
A course of daptomycin includes regular checks. These are how problems get caught early, so keep every appointment.
Your care team will check, on a schedule:
- A muscle blood test, called CPK, usually at least once a week.
- Your kidney function.
- Your overall response to treatment.
- These are checked more often for some patients, including those on a statin or with reduced kidney function.
Your pharmacist can help by:
- Explaining what the monitoring is for, in plain language.
- Making sure you understand the muscle warning and the later lung sign.
- Checking daptomycin against the rest of your medicines.
- Being a steady local resource for you and your family.
At Fairview, we are glad to be your local resource during a daptomycin course, even when your infusions are handled elsewhere. Call us with any question.
Things worth knowing
Daptomycin cannot treat pneumonia.
This is the most important rule about daptomycin. It does not work for pneumonia. Even though daptomycin is powerful against serious infections elsewhere in the body, it cannot treat a lung infection. The reason is specific: the inside of the lungs is coated with a natural substance called surfactant, and surfactant switches daptomycin off. This is an absolute rule, not a preference. If you have been told you have pneumonia and have also been placed on daptomycin, ask your care team about it right away to make sure nothing has been mixed up. A lung infection needs a different antibiotic.
If you are receiving daptomycin at home.
Many patients receive daptomycin through a home infusion service, and your infusion pharmacy and nurse will train you fully. A few key points: take the dose out of the refrigerator ahead of time, usually 6 to 12 hours before, so it warms to room temperature on its own, and never microwave it or heat it in any way. Before each infusion, check the label for your name and the correct medicine and dose, and look at the bag, if it is leaking, cloudy, or has floating particles, do not use it and call your infusion pharmacy. Follow the exact line-care and flushing steps your team taught you. After each infusion, report any new muscle pain, and any new fever, cough, or breathlessness.
Kidney function.
If your kidneys are not working at full strength, daptomycin is given less often, and your monitoring is done more frequently. If you are on dialysis, daptomycin is given after your dialysis session on dialysis days.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Tell your care team if you are pregnant, may be, or are breastfeeding, so they can weigh the decision with you.
Cost.
Daptomycin is available as a generic, and it is billed differently from a normal pharmacy prescription, usually through the hospital or the home infusion pharmacy as part of your treatment. Your insurance generally covers it for an appropriate infection with your prescriber's authorization. If you have any question about the cost of your infusion care, you are always welcome to call Fairview and we will help you understand it.
How Fairview helps daptomycin patients
Even when a hospital or a home infusion service handles your IV, Fairview is here as your local resource. Here is what we do.
During your treatment course:
- We answer your questions about daptomycin in plain language, by phone or in person.
- We make sure you understand the points that matter most: the muscle warning, the later lung sign, and that daptomycin does not treat pneumonia.
- If you take a statin or warfarin, we make sure you understand those two interaction points.
For your safety:
- We check daptomycin against the rest of your medication list.
- We help you understand your CPK and kidney monitoring.
- We are a steady local resource for you and your family.
Questions people ask about daptomycin
It is a strong IV antibiotic for serious skin infections and bloodstream infections, including ones caused by resistant bacteria like MRSA.
Have a question about your daptomycin treatment? Ask a pharmacist you can trust.
A course of IV antibiotics can feel like a lot to manage. If you have any question, about your infusions, your monitoring, or what to watch for, ask us. Fairview is here for you.