Chloramphenicol: Uses, Risks, and What You Need to Know

When you hear chloramphenicol, a broad-spectrum antibiotic once widely used for bacterial infections. Also known as chloromycetin, it was one of the first antibiotics that could fight a wide range of bacteria—from strep to typhoid. But its use today is tightly controlled because of dangerous side effects that can be life-threatening. Unlike common antibiotics like amoxicillin or azithromycin, chloramphenicol isn’t your first choice. It’s reserved for serious infections when nothing else works, like bacterial meningitis in places where vaccines aren’t available, or severe eye infections that don’t respond to safer drops.

What makes chloramphenicol so risky? It can shut down your bone marrow’s ability to make blood cells. This isn’t just a mild side effect—it can cause aplastic anemia, a rare but often fatal condition where your body stops producing red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Even worse, this reaction can happen weeks after you’ve stopped taking it, with no warning. That’s why doctors avoid it in kids, pregnant women, and people with liver problems. Another concern is gray baby syndrome, a deadly condition in newborns caused by their immature livers being unable to process the drug. It leads to low blood pressure, bluish skin, and breathing trouble—often fatal if not caught fast.

Despite the dangers, chloramphenicol hasn’t disappeared. It’s still used in eye drops and ointments for bacterial conjunctivitis because the amount absorbed into the body is tiny. In developing countries, it’s sometimes the only affordable option for treating typhoid fever or resistant pneumonia. But even then, it’s used with caution and blood monitoring. The rise of safer, targeted antibiotics has pushed chloramphenicol to the sidelines—not because it doesn’t work, but because the cost of using it is too high.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of articles—it’s a practical look at how antibiotics like chloramphenicol fit into real-world treatment. You’ll see how newer drugs compare, what alternatives exist for stubborn infections, and how to spot when a medication’s risks outweigh its benefits. Whether you’re dealing with a stubborn infection, researching treatment options, or just trying to understand why your doctor avoided a certain drug, these guides give you the facts without the fluff.