Patient Information Leaflet

Cefuroxime Sodium Injection

This leaflet tells you about the medicine you are receiving. It does not contain all the information about your medicine. If you have any questions or are unsure about anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

What Your Medicine Contains

Britacef (cefuroxime sodium) vials contain either 789mg or 1578mg of Cefuroxime Sodium Ph.Eur. (equivalent to 750mg or 1500mg of cefuroxime) as the active ingredient.

Cefuroxime is one of a group of medicines known as cephalosporins which are antibiotics. Antibiotics are used to kill the bacteria (`germs') which cause infections. Cefuroxime is used to treat infections of the ear, throat, chest, urinary tract (e.g. bladder), bones, joints and skin. It may also be used to treat some sexually transmitted infections (gonorrhoea), inflammation of the pelvis, meningitis and blood infections.

Cefuroxime is sometimes given before operations to prevent infections.

Before Taking Your Medicine

Britacef is NOT suitable if you are allergic to cephalosporins, or if you have an illness known as acute porphyria. Tell your doctor, before you have your medicine, if you have either of these conditions.

Britacef may not be suitable if :-

• you are pregnant, or think you might be pregnant, or intending to be pregnant
• you are breast feeding
• you are allergic to penicillin or other antibiotics
• you are taking diuretics (water tablets)
• you have kidney problems

Tell your doctor, before you have your medicine, if you have any of the above conditions. If you have already had a dose of cefuroxime, your doctor will have considered these questions on your behalf.

How Your Medicine is Given

Cefuroxime is a white to faintly yellow powder. The doctor or nurse will mix the powder with Water for Injections before injecting it. Your medicine will be injected either intramuscularly (into the muscle) or intravenously (into a vein). The usual dose for adults is 750mg three times daily. For severe infections a higher dose may be used, e.g. 1.5g (1500mg) three times daily.

The dose for children is based on their weight. It is usually between 30 and 100 mg/kg daily given in divided doses.

If you have kidney problems, your doctor will carry out some tests to check this, and then he may give you a lower than usual dose of cefuroxime. In some infections, your medicine will be given to you through a drip.

To treat gonorrhoea, your medicine will be given as two injections, at the same time of day, into the muscle. Each injection will contain 750mg cefuroxime.

If cefuroxime is given before an operation (to prevent infections) it will be given as an injection of 1500mg into the vein, at the same time as the anaesthetic. You may be given some smaller doses of cefuroxime, for one or two days after the operation.

Side Effects

All medicines may sometimes cause side effects in some people. Tell your doctor if you think your medicine is making you feel unwell, or if you get any of the following:-

• Skin rash or itchy skin
• Unusual pains in the joints or difficulty in using muscles
• Difficulty in breathing or tightness of the chest
• Fever, headache, dizziness, a feeling of being too active, nervousness, disturbed sleep or confusion
• Puffiness of the eyelids, face or lips
• Swelling or redness of the tongue
• Diarrhoea or change in bowel movements
• Feeling or being sick, pain in the stomach or chest

The following side effects have also been reported:-

• An unusual or severe allergic reaction
• Reductions in blood cell count and anaemias
• Liver problems or jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
• Pain at the site of injection
• Kidney problems
• Severe diarrhoea, and/or bloody diarrhoea which needs special treatment
• A severe skin rash resembling burns and covering the whole body
• A severe patchy skin rash also affecting eyes, nose, genitals and stomach, with headache, fever and joint pains.

Some bacteria may be resistant to cefuroxime. In these cases, your doctor may stop treatment with cefuroxime and change to a different antibiotic.

Storage of Your Medicine

Your medicine should be protected from light, and before mixing with the injection solution, stored below 25°C.

Once it has been mixed with the injection solution it should be stored in a refrigerator between 2°C and 8°C and used within 24 hours.

 

Your medicine should always be used before the expiry date on the label.

Your doctor will know how to store your medicine.

All medicines should be stored away from children.

Do not throw this leaflet away as you may want to read it again.