Gentamicin can harm your kidneys, and may also cause nerve damage or hearing loss, especially if you have kidney disease or use certain other medicines.
Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and all the medicines you are using. If you need surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are using gentamicin.
Before taking this medicine
You should not use  gentamicin if you are allergic to gentamicin or similar antibiotics such as amikacin, kanamycin, neomycin, paromomycin, streptomycin, or tobramycin.
To make sure gentamicin is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
kidney disease;
asthma or sulfite allergy;
myasthenia gravis;
a nerve-muscle disorder;
a nervous system disorder such as Parkinson's disease;
an electrolyte imbalance (low levels of calcium, potassium, or magnesium in your blood); or
if you are dehydrated.
Do not use gentamicin if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. Use effective birth control to prevent pregnancy during treatment.
It is not known whether gentamicin passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
