Natamycin
About Natamycin
Natamycin are primarily used to treat fungal infections of the eye, such as fungal keratitis, conjunctivitis, and blepharitis. Natamycin works by targeting the specific fungi causing the infection, helping to clear the irritation and protect your vision. Your doctor will prescribe this ophthalmic suspension to stop the fungal growth safely and effectively.
To get the best results, it is essential to use Natamycin consistently and exactly as directed by your eye specialist. The eye drops are typically applied multiple times a day, and maintaining a regular schedule helps keep a constant amount of Natamycin in your eye. Since this is an eye medication, food intake does not affect how it works. Additionally, practicing excellent hand hygiene and temporarily avoiding contact lenses can significantly support your recovery.
While using Natamycin, you may experience some common side effects such as mild, temporary stinging or watery eyes. These symptoms are usually harmless and go away quickly after application. However, if you experience severe eye pain, vision changes, or worsening irritation, you should stop using the drops and consult your doctor immediately.
Before starting Natamycin, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other eye conditions, have recently had eye surgery, or use any other eye medications. Do not use Natamycin if you have a known allergy to any of its ingredients. If you suspect an allergic reaction, stop using the drops and seek medical attention right away.
While drug interactions are less common with eye drops, using other ophthalmic products too close to Natamycin can wash Natamycin out or cause irritation, so you should space them out. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or caring for an elderly patient, it is best to consult your doctor before starting treatment to ensure it is completely safe for your situation.
Uses of Natamycin
Medicinal Benefits
Natamycin helps treat fungal eye infections by eliminating the fungi responsible for the infection and supporting the natural healing of the eye. Reducing infection and inflammation helps protect vision and improve overall eye comfort.
Benefits may include:
- Helps treat fungal infections of the eye.
- Relieves symptoms such as eye redness, pain, irritation, and sensitivity to light.
- Supports healing of the affected eye and promotes recovery.
- Helps prevent the spread of fungal infection within the eye.
- Reduces the risk of corneal damage and vision-related complications.
- Promotes better eye comfort and supports long-term eye health when used as prescribed.
Directions for Use
- Follow your doctor's instructions on the dosage and timing of this medication to ensure safe and effective use.
- Lie down and tilt your head backwards. Pull your lower eyelid gently with your index finger to form a pocket. Instill the number of drops advised by the doctor into the pocket of the lower eyelid. Close your eyes for 1-2 minutes.
- Natamycin is for ophthalmic use only. Avoid touching the container tip to your eye or lids to prevent contamination.
Storage
Side Effects of Natamycin
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Temporary mild stinging or burning in the eye
- Watery eyes
- Slight redness or irritation
- Temporary blurred vision right after applying the drops
Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Severe eye pain, swelling, or worsening redness
- Sudden vision changes or loss of vision
- Signs of an allergic reaction, such as a skin rash, itching, or swelling of the face, tongue, or throat
Medicines Containing this Salt
View AllDrug Warnings
- Inspect the liquid before use: Always shake the bottle well and look at the liquid. Do not use the drops if you notice unusual clumping, major discoloration, or foreign particles.
- Keep the dropper tip sterile: Never let the dropper tip touch your eye, fingers, or any other surface, as this can easily contaminate Natamycin with bacteria or fungi.
- Complete the full course: Use the eye drops for the exact number of days prescribed by your doctor, even if your symptoms clear up early. Stopping too soon can cause the infection to return.
- Space out other eye drops: If you are using other eye medications, wait at least 10 minutes after applying Natamycin before using any other eye product.
- Avoid driving immediately after use: These eye drops may temporarily blur your vision. Wait until your eyes clear before driving or operating machinery.
Drug Interactions
- Steroid eye drops: Using these alongside Natamycin may worsen fungal eye infections or mask symptoms. Tell your doctor if you are using any other eye medications before starting treatment.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
safe if prescribedInteraction of Natamycin with alcohol is unknown. Please consult a doctor before consuming alcohol while using Natamycin.
Pregnancy
cautionNatamycin is a pregnancy category C drug so it may harm the fetus. Natamycin should only be used in pregnant females if clearly specified by the doctor.
Breast Feeding
cautionIt is not known if Natamycin can pass in breast milk or not so it should only be used in pregnant females if clearly specified by the doctor.
Driving
unsafeAvoid driving after taking Natamycin as it may cause blurred vision for some time that may affect your ability to drive or operate machinery.
Liver
safe if prescribedNatamycin is safe to use in patients with the liver disease only when prescribed by a doctor.
Kidney
cautionNatamycin should be used with caution in renal problems. Dose adjustments may be necessary.
Children
cautionNatamycin is not recommended for children as the safety and effectiveness were not established.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Avoid wearing contact lenses during the entire course of your treatment, as lenses can trap the fungi and delay your recovery.
- Practice strict hand hygiene by washing your hands thoroughly before and after touching your eyes or applying the eye drops.
- Do not share towels, pillows, or eye makeup with anyone else to prevent spreading the fungal infection.
- Protect your eyes from bright light by wearing sunglasses, as your eyes may be extra sensitive to light during treatment.
- Discard any eye makeup used right before or during the infection to avoid re-infecting your eyesonce you heal.
Special Advise
To diagnose the fungal infection in the eye, the doctor may examine the eye by taking a small sample of tissue or fluid from the eye.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Eye infections caused by fungi is known as fungal eye infection. These infections are rare, but they can be severe.
Conjunctivitis: It is also known as 'pink eye', and is an infection that affects the outer membrane of the eyeball. This is a contagious disease that can spread from one person to another through hand-to-eye contact or touching objects that are already touched by persons who have infected eyes. Symptoms include pink eyes, watery discharge, and itchiness of the eyes.
Keratitis: It is a common eye infection that affects the cornea (clear part) of an eye. People who use contact lenses are at high risk of developing this condition in comparison to others who don't wear lenses. symptoms include redness, eye discharge, pain, and irritation of the eye.
Endophthalmitis: This infection affects the inside part of the eyes. Common symptoms include redness of eyes, white or yellow discharge from eyes, reduced vision, and swelling of eyes.
FAQs
Natamycin is used to treat fungal infections of the eye.
Tell your doctor if you are using other medicines including ointments or drops. Wait for a minimum of 5 minutes after applying Natamycin and then only use other medicines.
The most common cause for fungal eye infection is an eye injury especially if a plant material like a stick or thorn caused an injury. Most fungi that cause eye infections live in the environment often associated with plant material.
While using antifungal medicine, it is suggested to avoid high sugary foods like bananas, dates, certain meats, and refined fats.
Natamycin works only for fungal eye infections, using it unnecessarily may lead to reduced effectiveness of the medicine.
Some of the common symptoms of fungal eye infection are eye redness, blurred vision, eye pain, eye discharge.
Natamycin is mostly used for the treatment of eye infections. It is not recommended for the treatment of ear infections. However, it should be used for any indication only when prescribed by a doctor.
Natamycin may improve within 2 to 3 days of administration. However, recovery depends on different factors such as age, the severity of the infection, and comorbidities.
Natamycin contains natamycin, an antifungal medicine that works by binding to ergosterol in fungal cell membranes, damaging the membrane and killing the fungus. Because bacteria do not contain ergosterol, Natamycin does not work against bacterial infections.
Before using Natamycin, you must inform your doctor if you have any allergy to Natamycin or any antibiotics or if you are taking any other medicines.
Natamycin is not known to cause cancer. It is an antifungal medication used to treat eye infections, and there is no evidence linking it to cancer.
Natamycin is derived from Streptomyces natalensis, a micro-organism. It is an antifungal medication used to treat eye infections caused by fungi.
The common side effects of Natamycin include eye irritation, allergic reaction, vision change, and eye pain. If the side effects persist or worsen, please consult your doctor.
No, you should avoid wearing contact lenses while treating a fungal eye infection. Lenses can trap the fungi against your cornea, making the infection worse. Talk to your doctor.
Mild, temporary stinging or burning immediately after application is common and usually passes within a couple of minutes. If the irritation is severe, worsens, or is accompanied by swelling, stop using the drops and talk to your doctor.
The safety of these eye drops during pregnancy or breastfeeding is not fully established, though very little medicine enters the bloodstream. You should only use this medication if your doctor determines the benefits outweigh the risks. Talk to your doctor.
The exact frequency depends on how severe your infection is. In severe cases, your doctor may instruct you to apply the drops every 1 to 2 hours initially, then gradually decrease the dose as the eye improves. Talk to your doctor.
If you stop using the drops too early, the remaining fungi can multiply and cause the infection to return, potentially worse than before. Always finish the entire course. Talk to your doctor.
Steroid eye drops can sometimes make fungal infections worse or delay healing. Only use them together if specifically instructed and closely monitored by an eye specialist. Talk to your doctor.
Store Natamycin at room temperature between 15°C and 25°C (59°F to 77°F) unless your product packaging specifically instructs you to keep it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze Natamycin. Talk to your doctor.
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