IMPORTANT WARNING:
UPDATED 09/11/2007 Roche informed healthcare professionals about revisions made to the prescribing information for ceftriaxone (Rocephin) to clarify the potential risk associated with concomitant use of ceftriaxone with calcium or calcium-containing solutions or products. Healthcare professionals are advised that ceftriaxone and calcium-containing solutions including continuous calcium-containing infusions such as parenteral nutrition, should not be mixed or co-administered to any patient irrespective of age, even via different infusion lines at different sites. Ceftriaxone and IV calcium-containing solutions should not be administered within 48 hours of each other in any patient. No data are available on the potential interaction between ceftriaxone and oral calcium-containing products or interaction between intramuscular ceftriaxone and calcium-containing products (IV or oral). For more information visit the FDA website at: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Rocephin, http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/Rocephin_HCP_august2007.pdf, http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?id=5057&type=display and http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/InfoSheets/HCP/ceftriaxone.htm. Posted 07/05/2007 Roche and FDA informed healthcare professionals of revisions to the CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS, PRECAUTIONS, ADVERSE REACTIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION sections of the prescribing information for ceftriaxone sodium (Rocephin for Injection). The revisions are based on new information that describes the potential risk associated with concomitant use of ceftriaxone with calcium or calcium containing solutions or products. Cases of fatal reactions with calcium-ceftriaxone precipitates in the lungs and kidneys in both term and premature neonates were reported. Hyperbilirubinemic neonates, especially prematures, should not be treated with ceftriaxone. The drug must not be mixed or administered simultaneously with calcium-containing solutions or products, even via different infusion lines. Additionally, calcium-containing solutions or products must not be administered within 48-hours of the last administration of ceftriaxone. For more information visit the FDA website at: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Rocephin, http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/rocephin_PI_may2007.pdf and http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/rocephin_DHCP_june2007.pdf. |
About your treatment
Pending revision, the material in this section should be considered in light of more recently available information in the MedWatch notification at the beginning of this monograph.
Your doctor has ordered ceftriaxone, an antibiotic, to help treat your infection. The drug will be either injected into a large muscle (such as your buttock or hip) or added to an intravenous fluid that will drip through a needle or catheter placed in your vein for 30 minutes, one or two times a day.
Ceftriaxone eliminates bacteria that cause many kinds of infections, including lung, skin, bone, joint, stomach, blood, and urinary tract infections. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Your health care provider (doctor, nurse, or pharmacist) may measure the effectiveness and side effects of your treatment using laboratory tests and physical examinations. It is important to keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. The length of treatment depends on how your infection and symptoms respond to the medication.
Storing your medication
- Your health care provider probably will give you a several-day supply of ceftriaxone at a time. If you are receiving ceftriaxone intravenously (in your vein), you probably will be told to store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Take your next dose from the refrigerator 1 hour before using it; place it in a clean, dry area to allow it to warm to room temperature.
- If you are told to store additional ceftriaxone in the freezer, always move a 24-hour supply to the refrigerator for the next day's use.
- Do not refreeze medications.
If you are receiving ceftriaxone intramuscularly (in your muscle), your health care provider will tell you how to store it properly.
Store your medication only as directed. Make sure you understand what you need to store your medication properly.
Keep your supplies in a clean, dry place when you are not using them, and keep all medications and supplies out of reach of children. Your health care provider will tell you how to throw away used needles, syringes, tubing, and containers to avoid accidental injury.
In case of emergency/overdose
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.
Signs of infection
If you are receiving ceftriaxone in your vein or under your skin, you need to know the symptoms of a catheter-related infection (an infection where the needle enters your vein or skin). If you experience any of these effects near your intravenous catheter, tell your health care provider as soon as possible:
- tenderness
- warmth
- irritation
- drainage
- redness
- swelling
- pain
Brand names
