tigecycline at a glance
Medicine class
Glycylcycline antibiotic related to tetracyclines
Licensed uses
Complicated skin and soft-tissue infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections
How it is given
Infused into a vein; it is not taken by mouth
What is tigecycline used for?
Licensed use is restricted to situations where other suitable antibiotics are unavailable or inappropriate.
Complicated skin and soft-tissue infections in adults and children aged 8 years and over, excluding diabetic foot infections
Complicated intra-abdominal infections in adults and children aged 8 years and over
How does tigecycline work?
Tigecycline blocks bacterial protein production. This usually stops susceptible bacteria multiplying rather than directly killing them.
tigecycline preparations and strengths
Solution for infusion
Route: Intravenous
Strengths: 50 mg
How to take tigecycline
It is prepared from a powder and infused into a vein by trained staff. Some patients may use an established intravenous line at home after assessment, training and continuing specialist support.
Food does not affect administration.
Do not prepare or administer it yourself unless your hospital team has trained and authorised you.
Report pain, redness, swelling, discharge or difficulty flushing the intravenous line.
tigecycline side effects
Common or expected effects
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea
- Abdominal discomfort, indigestion or reduced appetite
- Headache or dizziness
- Itching or rash
- Pain, inflammation or irritation around the infusion vein
- Changes in liver, pancreatic or blood-clotting test results
Get urgent medical advice
- Sudden severe allergic reaction
- Severe blistering or peeling skin reaction
- Acute pancreatitis
- Liver injury or liver failure
- Severe, persistent or bloody antibiotic-associated diarrhoea
- Abnormal bleeding or bruising associated with impaired clotting
tigecycline in pregnancy
Pregnancy data are limited. Tigecycline is generally avoided unless the infection requires it and suitable alternatives are unavailable; later exposure may affect developing teeth and bone. Decisions should involve the infection specialist and maternity team.
tigecycline while breastfeeding
It is unknown whether tigecycline enters human milk, and risk to a breastfed infant cannot be excluded. The prescriber should weigh the importance of treatment against the benefits of breastfeeding and agree whether breastfeeding or tigecycline should be paused.
tigecycline interactions
Tell the clinical team about all prescribed, non-prescribed and herbal products.
Warfarin and other anticoagulants
Tigecycline can alter clotting tests, so closer monitoring may be needed.
Tacrolimus or ciclosporin
Tigecycline may increase trough concentrations, requiring monitoring to reduce toxicity risk.
Oral contraceptives
Antibiotic treatment may reduce contraceptive effectiveness; discuss whether additional contraception is required.
Common questions about tigecycline
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Why is tigecycline usually reserved for infections with limited antibiotic options?
Clinical trials found numerically more deaths among tigecycline-treated patients than comparator-treated patients, although the cause was uncertain. Its licence restricts use to situations where alternatives are unsuitable.
Can tigecycline be taken by mouth?
No. It is prepared from a powder and infused into a vein.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.