Consumer medicine information

DBL™ Cephalothin Sodium for Injection

Cefalotin Sodium (ke-fä-lö-thin)

Consumer Medicine Information

What is in this leaflet

This leaflet answers some common questions about DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor and pharmacist.

All medicines have benefits and risks. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you being given DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection against the benefits this medicine is expected to have for you.

If you have any concerns about this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.

What DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is used for

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is an antibiotic used to treat infections in different parts of the body caused by bacteria.

This medicine will not work against infections caused by viruses such as colds or the flu.

Cefalotin sodium 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 cefalotin sodium has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.

This medicine is available only with a doctor’s prescription.

There is no evidence that cefalotin sodium is addictive.

Before you are given DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection

When you must not be given it

You should not be given DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection if you have an allergy to:

any medicine containing cefalotin sodium
• any other cephalosporins
• any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include skin rash, itching, difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips or tongue.

you have had a serious allergic reaction to penicillins
the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering
the expiry date on the pack has passed.

If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work as well (or it may make you feel sick).

If you are not sure whether you should start treatment with cefalotin sodium, talk to your doctor.

Before you are given it

Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.

Tell your doctor if:

you have any type of allergic reaction to penicillin medicines, cephalosporin medicines or any other antibiotic medicines

You may have an increased chance of being allergic to cefalotin sodium if you are allergic to penicillins or cephalosporins.

Tell your doctor if you have or have had any of the following medical conditions:

kidney disease
severe bowel conditions/disease.

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 them before you are given DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Some medicines and DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Ijection may interfere with each other. These include:

aminoglycoside antibiotics eg gentamicin, tobramycin; medicines used to treat bacterial infections.
anticoagulants eg warfarin (Coumadin™, Marevan™), heparin (Calciparine™, Calcihep™), medicines used to prevent blood clots.
colistin sulfomethate sodium (Coly-Mycin M Parenteral™), a medicine used to treat certain bacterial infections.
ethacrynic acid (Edecril™), fluid tablets which cause a loss of fluid.
frusemide (Lasix™, Urex™), fluid tablets which cause a loss of fluid.
methotrexate (Ledertrexate™, Methoblastin™), used to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis.
piretanide (Not available in Australia), a medicine which causes an increased volume of urine.
probenecid, a medicine used to treat gout or prolongs the action of certain antibiotics.

These medicines may be affected by cefalotin sodium, or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicine, 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 given this medicine.

How DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is given

Follow all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection can be given in two ways:

as a slow injection into a vein
as a deep injection into a large muscle.

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection must only be given by a doctor or nurse. Your doctor will decide what dose you will receive of DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection and how long you will receive it for. This depends on your infection and other factors, such as your weight. For most infections, DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is usually given in divided doses throughout the day.

Sometimes only a single dose of DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is required for treatment in certain patients.

If you take too much (overdose)

As DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is most likely to be given to you in hospital under the supervision of your doctor, it is very unlikely that you will receive an overdose.

However, if you think you may have received an overdose of cefalotin sodium, immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Emergency at your nearest hospital, even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.

While you are being given DBL Cephalothin Sodium 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, pharmacist or nurse immediately. Do this even if it occurs several weeks after cefalotin sodium 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 cefalotin sodium, 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 cefalotin sodium allows fungi to grow and the above symptoms to occur. Cefalotin sodium does not work against fungi.

If you become pregnant while you are being treated with cefalotin sodium tell your doctor immediately.

If you are about to start taking any new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are being treated with cefalotin sodium.

If you have to have any blood or urine tests tell your doctor you are being given cefalotin sodium. It may affect the results of some blood and urine tests.

Tell all the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are receiving DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection.

Things you must not do

Do not stop taking DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection because you are feeling better, unless advised by your doctor. If you do not complete the full course prescribed by your doctor, all of the bacteria causing your infection may not be killed. These bacteria may continue to grow and multiply so that your infection may not clear completely or it may return.

Do not give DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.

Do not use DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.

Side effects

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are being given DBL™ Cephalothin Sodium for Injection.

Like other medicines, cefalotin sodium can cause some side effects. 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 list of side effects. You may not experience any of them.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

While you are being given it

Tell your doctor 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
mild stomach upsets, such as feeling sick
diarrhoea
pain, swelling, redness, a hard lump or tenderness at the site of injection
skin rash
itchiness.

These are all mild side effects of cefalotin sodium.

Tell your doctor or nurse immediately if you notice any of the following:

severe blisters and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose or genitals
itchy spots accompanied by fever and feeling unwell

The above list includes serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention.

If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to casualty at your nearest hospital:

fever
skin rashes which may be itchy
vomiting
severe diarrhoea
swelling or clotting of a vein
faster heart rate.
fitting
life threatening allergic reaction which may include skin rash, itching, difficulty breathing, swelling of face, lips or tongue
skin rash with joint pain and fever
decrease in urine output or decrease in urine concentrating ability.

The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.

After finishing treatment with it

Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following side effects, particularly if they occur several weeks after stopping treatment with DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection:

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. Cefalotin sodium 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 if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.

After being given DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection

Storage

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection will generally be stored in the pharmacy or on the ward.

If stored at home, keep your cefalotin sodium vials in their original packs until it is time to use them. If you take the vials out of the pack they may not keep well.

Keep them in a cool, dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.

Do not store DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it in the car or on a window sill. 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

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is a white to off white, almost odourless, crystalline powder.

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection comes in a single strength:

Cefalotin sodium equivalent to cefalotin 1 g.

It is available in 10 mL vials in packs of 10.

Ingredients

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection contains cefalotin sodium as the active ingredient.

It also contains:

sodium bicarbonate.

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection does not contain gluten, lactose, sucrose, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.

Sponsor

DBL Cephalothin Sodium for Injection is supplied in Australia by:

This leaflet was prepared in June 2019

AUST R 63203

Published by MIMS August 2019