Clindamycin Dosing for Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Adult Dosing by Severity

For adults with mild-to-moderate skin and soft tissue infections, the recommended dose is 300-450 mg orally every 6-8 hours, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 2, 3
For adults with severe skin and soft tissue infections, the recommended dose is 600-900 mg intravenously every 6-8 hours, as suggested by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 2, 3
For MRSA infections in adults, the recommended dose is 600 mg intravenously every 8 hours, based on guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 3

For children with skin and soft tissue infections, the recommended oral dose is 30-40 mg/kg/day divided into 3-4 doses, not exceeding adult dosing, as recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 3
For children with MSSA infections, the recommended intravenous dose is 25-40 mg/kg/day divided into 3 doses, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 3
For children with severe non-purulent infections, the recommended intravenous dose is 10-13 mg/kg/dose every 8 hours, as suggested by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 2

The minimum treatment duration for uncomplicated skin and soft tissue infections is 7 days, which may be extended if the infection has not improved, as recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 2

Clindamycin is an important option for MRSA skin infections, particularly in children, but caution is advised due to potential inducible resistance, as noted by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 3
Clindamycin is bacteriostatic, not bactericidal, and should be used with caution in certain patient populations, as recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 3
For penicillin-allergic patients, clindamycin is an excellent alternative for both MSSA and MRSA infections, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1, 3