Medical Editor: John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP
What Is Cefzil?
Cefzil (cefprozil) is a cephalosporin antibiotic used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria. Cefzil is available in generic form.
What Are Side Effects of Cefzil?
Common side effects of Cefzil include:
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- diarrhea,
- stomach pain,
- dizziness,
- restlessness,
- hyperactivity,
- stiff or tight muscles,
- unusual or unpleasant taste in your mouth,
- itching or skin rash,
- vaginal itching or discharge, or
- diaper rash in an infant taking liquid cefprozil.
Tell your doctor if you have unlikely but serious side effects of Cefzil including:
- unusual tiredness or
- weakness.
Dosage for Cefzil
The recommended adult dose of Cefzil is 250-500 mg twice daily for 10 days. Pediatric dose is determined by the child's weight.
What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Cefzil?
Cefzil may interact with probenecid, antibiotics, or diuretics (water pills). Tell your doctor all medications you are taking.
Cefzil During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Cefzil should be used only when prescribed during pregnancy. This medication passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.
Additional Information
Our Cefzil (cefprozil) Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
SLIDESHOW
ADHD Symptoms in Children See SlideshowGet emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction (hives, difficult breathing, swelling in your face or throat) or a severe skin reaction (fever, sore throat, burning eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash with blistering and peeling).
Call your doctor at once if you have:
- severe stomach pain, diarrhea that is watery or bloody (even if it occurs months after your last dose);
- fever, chills, sore throat, mouth sores;
- pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, fever, confusion or weakness;
- easy bruising, unusual bleeding;
- a seizure; or
- kidney problems--little or no urination, swelling in your feet or ankles, feeling tired or short of breath.
Common side effects may include:
- nausea, diarrhea;
- vaginal itching or discharge;
- diaper rash; or
- abnormal liver function tests.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
SIDE EFFECTS
The adverse reactions to cefprozil are similar to those observed with other orally administered cephalosporins. Cefprozil was usually well tolerated in controlled clinical trials. Approximately 2% of patients discontinued cefprozil therapy due to adverse events.
The most common adverse effects observed in patients treated with cefprozil are:
Gastrointestinal: Diarrhea (2.9%), nausea (3.5%), vomiting (1%), and abdominal pain (1%).
Hepatobiliary: Elevations of AST (SGOT) (2%), ALT (SGPT) (2%), alkaline phosphatase (0.2%), and bilirubin values ( < 0.1%). As with some penicillins and some other cephalosporin antibiotics, cholestatic jaundice has been reported rarely.
Hypersensitivity: Rash (0.9%), urticaria (0.1%). Such reactions have been reported more frequently in children than in adults. Signs and symptoms usually occur a few days after initiation of therapy and subside within a few days after cessation of therapy.
CNS: Dizziness (1%), hyperactivity, headache, nervousness, insomnia, confusion, and somnolence have been reported rarely ( < 1%). All were reversible.
Hematopoietic: Decreased leukocyte count (0.2%), eosinophilia (2.3%).
Renal: Elevated BUN (0.1%), serum creatinine (0.1%).
Other: Diaper rash and superinfection (1.5%), genital pruritus and vaginitis (1.6%).
The following adverse events, regardless of established causal relationship to CEFZIL (cefprozil) , have been rarely reported during postmarketing surveillance: anaphylaxis, angioedema, colitis (including pseudomembranous colitis), erythema multiforme, fever, serum-sickness like reactions, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and thrombocytopenia.
Cephalosporin class paragraph
In addition to the adverse reactions listed above which have been observed in patients treated with cefprozil, the following adverse reactions and altered laboratory tests have been reported for cephalosporin-class antibiotics:
Aplastic anemia, hemolytic anemia, hemorrhage, renal dysfunction, toxic epidermal necrolysis, toxic nephropathy, prolonged prothrombin time, positive Coombs' test, elevated LDH, pancytopenia, neutropenia, agranulocytosis.
Several cephalosporins have been implicated in triggering seizures, particularly in patients with renal impairment, when the dosage was not reduced. (See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION and OVERDOSAGE.) If seizures associated with drug therapy occur, the drug should be discontinued. Anticonvulsant therapy can be given if clinically indicated.
Read the entire FDA prescribing information for Cefzil (Cefprozil)
© Cefzil Patient Information is supplied by Cerner Multum, Inc. and Cefzil Consumer information is supplied by First Databank, Inc., used under license and subject to their respective copyrights.
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