Cefazolin Sodium (ke-fä-zö-lin)
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you being given cefazolin against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about being given this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
What Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection is used for
Cefazolin is an antibiotic used to treat infections in different parts of the body caused by bacteria.
Cefazolin will not work against infections caused by viruses such as colds or the flu.
This medicine belongs to a group of antibiotics called cephalosporins (ke-fä-lö-spör-ins).
It works by killing the bacteria causing your infection or by stopping its growth.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
This medicine is not addictive.
It is available only with a doctor’s prescription.
Before you are given Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection
When you must not be given it
You must not be given Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection if you have an allergy to:
- any medicine containing cefazolin
- any other cephalosporin antibiotics.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing; swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body; rash, itching or hives on the skin.
You must not be given this medicine if you have had a serious allergic reaction to penicillin antibiotics.
If you are not sure whether you should be given this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Before you are given it
Tell your doctor if you have any types of allergies to penicillin antibiotics or any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes. You may have an increased chance of being allergic to cefazolin if you are allergic to penicillins.
Tell your doctor if you have any types of allergies to lignocaine.
Tell your doctor if you have:
- kidney problems
- stomach or intestinal problems
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding. Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell him/her before you are given cefazolin.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and cefazolin may interfere with each other. These include:
- probenicid, a medicine used to treat gout
- aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as amikacin, gentamicin, tobramycin)
- live typhoid vaccine
- warfarin.
These medicines may be affected by cefazolin or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to take different medicines.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while being treated with this medicine.
How Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection is given
How much is given
Your doctor will decide what dose you will receive. This depends on your condition and other factors, such as your weight.
For most infections, Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium for Powder Injection is given in divided doses throughout the day.
How it is given
Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection is given as a deep injection into a muscle, or a slow injection into a vein. It must only be given by a nurse or doctor.
If you receive too much (overdose)
As Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection is given to you under the supervision of your doctor, it is very unlikely that you will receive an overdose. However if you experience severe side effects tell your doctor immediately. Symptoms following an overdose may include pain and inflammation of the veins near the injection site, dizziness, tingling in the fingers or toes, headache, and seizures (fits).
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns.
Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26 in Australia, or call 0800 764 766 in New Zealand) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much cefazolin. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.
While you are being given Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection
Things you must do
If the symptoms of your infection do not improve within a few days, or if they become worse, tell your doctor.
If you get severe diarrhoea tell your doctor immediately. Do this even if it occurs several weeks after cefazolin has been stopped. Diarrhoea may mean that you have a serious condition affecting your bowel. You may need urgent medical care.
Do not take any diarrhoea medicine without first checking with your doctor.
If you get a sore, white mouth or tongue while you are being treated with, or soon after stopping trea ent with cefazolin, tell your doctor. Also tell your doctor if you get vaginal itching or discharge. This may mean you have fungal infection called thrush. Sometimes the use of this medicine allows fungi to grow and the above symptoms to occur. This medicine does not work against fungi.
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are being treated with cefazolin.
Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you are being treated with this medicine.
If you become pregnant while you are being treated with this medicine, tell your doctor immediately.
If you are about to have any blood or urine tests, tell your doctor that you are being treated with this medicine. It may interfere with the results of some tests.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are being treated with cefazolin. This medicine helps most people with infections, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.
Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
- oral thrush – white, furry, sore tongue and mouth
- vaginal thrush – sore and itchy vagina and/or discharge
- nausea, vomiting or mild diarrhoea
- pain or a change in the appearance of the vein at the site of the injection.
The above list includes side effects which are usually mild and/or short-lived.
If any of the following happen, tell your doctor or nurse immediately, or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:
- severe abdominal cramps or stomach cramps
- watery and severe diarrhoea, which may be bloody
- swelling of the face, lips or tongue which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing,
- wheezing or shortness of breath
- skin rash, itching or hives,
- blisters and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth nose and genitals
- frequent infections, fever, severe chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers
- bleeding or bruising more easily than normal
- seizures (fits), muscle spasms, lethargy, disorientation, memory loss, tremor.
The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention. These side effects are rare.
Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following side effects, particularly if they occur several weeks after stopping trea ent with cefazolin:
- severe abdominal cramps or stomach cramps
- watery and severe diarrhoea, which may also be bloody
- fever, in combination with one or both of the above.
These are rare but serious side effects. You may have a serious condition affecting your bowel. Cefazolin can cause bacteria, which is normally present in the bowel and normally harmless, to multiply and therefore cause the above symptoms. You may need urgent medical attention. However, this side effect is rare.
Do not take any diarrhoea medicine without first checking with your doctor.
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell. Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
Some of these side effects can only be found when your doctor does tests from time to time to check your progress.
After using Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection
Storage
Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection will generally be stored in the pharmacy or on the ward. The injection is kept in a cool dry place, protected from light and moisture where the temperature stays below 25°C.
If storing this medicine at home, keep the vials in their original packs until it is time for them to be used. If you take the vials out of the pack they may not keep well.
Do not store cefazolin or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep it where children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Product description
What it looks like
Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection is a white or almost white powder in a glass vial. It is available in packs of 5 vials.
Ingredients
Hospira™ Cefazolin Sodium Powder for Injection contains cefazolin sodium, equivalent to 1 g of cefazolin, as the active ingredient.
This medicine does not contain lactose, sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.
Sponsor
Australian Sponsor:
Hospira Pty Ltd
ABN 13 107 058 328
Level 3,
500 Collins Street,
Melbourne, VIC 3000,
Australia
New Zealand Sponsor:
Hospira NZ Limited
23 Haining Street
Te Aro
Wellington
New Zealand
This leaflet was updated in February 2012 .
AUST R number(s):
175817 (1 g vial)
Published by MIMS April 2014
