User Reviews for colistin (colistimethate sodium) injection

This drug was given to me after I had expressed concerns about it to the pharmacist two years previous. I got it around 6pm intravenously and by 11pm I couldn’t keep my head supported and I wasn’t able to move parts of my body. Throughout the night I worsened and by morning around 7am I couldn’t breathe or speak. It felt like a million elephants were sitting playing the drums on my chest. I could get no air in or out and could not verbalise what I was feeling to the staff. Then they raced me to ICU and the rest is a blur. In the end-Pap saved the day I think. But family were called in from all over the world and told to prepare themselves that they might never see me again. Priest gave my last rights but I have no memory of a lot that happened. All I know is Colomycin nearly killed me and I made the mistake of reluctantly giving my consent with the suspicions I had. Read More Read Less

I was originally prescribed colistin when my colonized bacteria proved to be pan-resistant to most other antibiotics. There had been some research suggesting colistin may be able to change resistance patterns after consistent use. In my case this proved true as after about 6 months on an alternating schedule (1 month on, 1 month off) my cultures showed that sensitivities to the more typical, modern antibiotics had increased to the point where we could treat my next exacerbation with a more standard cocktail of IV antibiotics. It definitely takes more work than Tobi or Cayston, and the nebulization time is longer, but I feel that it also has the positive side effect of treating my colonized sinus infection better than the others. I notice a significant reduction (and sometimes elimination) of any discolored mucus from my sinuses after my month on. This effect increased after I started inhaling through my mouth as usual, but always exhaling through my nose to improve distribution of the med through the sinuses. I also feel I have a better result when mixing the 150 mg powder with 5 ml of sterile water/saline compared to when it is mixed with smaller amounts of liquid. It foams less at this concentration, allowing more to be inhaled, at the cost of slightly longer nebulization times. My prescription calls for 75 mg per treatment, so I complete the use of a single 150 mg vial within 12 hours (two nebs of 2.5 ml with 75 mg colistin each time). For ease of use, if you are comfortable with a syringe and needle to transfer sterile liquid to the vial of powder, allowing it to dissolve gently, drawing out the correct amount and refrigerating the rest (and using or disposing within 24 hours), it takes time, but is not difficult.Read More Read Less

My mother was placed on this medication for Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and it shut down her kidneys. We were made aware of nephrotoxicity ahead of time. Now she's on hemodialysis.

Preparing the medication isn't the quickest and most convenient as to Tobi or Cayston, but this drug is very effective for me therefor I am very happy. The only side effect I have is some tingling in my feet. I will mention this to my Doctor tomorrow. I have been on the drug almost 1 month.

Colistimethate is somewhat difficult to mix- it takes a little while for the solution to clear. At first, my daughter had some side effects (her mouth was numb, she felt like she was in slow motion), but the doctor lowered the dose and she's going well with it now.