Kefzol injection

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss a dose of cefazolin.

Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or bloody, stop using cefazolin and call your doctor. Do not use anti-diarrhea medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

Other drugs may interact with cefazolin, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.

Before using cefazolin, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or to other cephalosporins; or to penicillins; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: kidney disease, liver disease, stomach/intestinal diseases (e.g., colitis).

Cefazolin may cause live bacterial vaccines (such as typhoid vaccine) to not work as well. Do not have any immunizations/vaccinations while using this medication unless your doctor tells you to.

Kidney function declines as you grow older. This medication is removed by the kidneys. Therefore, elderly people may be at greater risk for side effects while using this drug.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before using this medication.

This medication passes into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infant. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval.

Some products that may interact with this drug include: aminoglycoside antibiotics (e.g., tobramycin, gentamicin), "blood thinners" (e.g., warfarin), chloramphenicol.

Although most antibiotics are unlikely to affect hormonal birth control such as pills, patch, or ring, a few antibiotics (such as rifampin, rifabutin) can decrease their effectiveness. This could result in pregnancy. If you use hormonal birth control, ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details.

This medication may interfere with certain laboratory tests (including Coombs' test), possibly causing false test results. Make sure laboratory personnel and all your doctors know you use this drug.

Applies to cefazolin: injectable powder for injection, injectable solution, intravenous solution

Gastrointestinal

Common (1% to 10%): Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Oral candidiasis (oral thrush)
Very rare (less than 0.01%): Anal pruritus, pseudomembranous colitis
Frequency not reported: Mouth ulcers, abdominal/stomach cramps, epigastric pain, heartburn, flatus, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, colitis

Cephalosporin-class:
Frequency not reported: Colitis, abdominal pain[Ref]

Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite were usually of moderate severity and frequently resolved during or after therapy.

Oral candidiasis has been reported during prolonged therapy.

The onset of pseudomembranous colitis symptoms has been reported during or after antibacterial therapy.[Ref]

Metabolic

Common (1% to 10%): Loss of appetite
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Increased blood glucose level/hyperglycemia, decreased blood glucose level/hypoglycemia
Frequency not reported: Anorexia[Ref]

Local

Common (1% to 10%): Pain at IM injection site (sometimes with induration)
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Thrombophlebitis with IV administration
Frequency not reported: Phlebitis at injection site, induration[Ref]

Dermatologic

Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Erythema, erythema multiforme, exanthema, urticaria, angioedema (reversible local permeability of blood vessels, joints, mucous membranes)
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Toxic epidermal necrolysis (Lyell's syndrome), Stevens-Johnson syndrome
Frequency not reported: Pruritus, skin rash, fixed drug eruptions, pustular skin eruptions, contact dermatitis

Cephalosporin-class:
-Frequency not reported: Urticaria, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme, toxic epidermal necrolysis[Ref]

A case of occupational contact dermatitis due to cephalosporin allergy has been reported in a nurse who prepared cephalosporin solutions for administration to patients. The dermatitis resolved after the nurse stopped preparing the solutions.[Ref]

Nervous system

Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Seizures
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Dizziness, vertigo, hyperactivity, drowsiness, epileptogenic activity
Frequency not reported: Fainting, lightheadedness, somnolence, headache, encephalopathy (symptoms included tonic-clonic seizures, lethargy, disorientation, memory loss, asterixis, multifocal myoclonus)

Cephalosporin-class:
-Frequency not reported: Hyperactivity, hypertonia[Ref]

Seizures have been reported when inappropriately high doses were administered to patients with renal dysfunction (CrCl less than 55 mL/min).

Encephalopathy has been reported in patients with renal failure. Toxicity was due to increased drug serum levels and increased permeability of blood-brain barrier caused by uremia.[Ref]

Other

Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Drug-induced fever
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Malaise, fatigue, weakness, hot flushes, chest pain, increased LDH, increased alkaline phosphatase
Very rare (less than 0.01%): Face edema
Frequency not reported: Tiredness

Cephalosporin-class:
-Frequency not reported: Elevated LDH, superinfection, false-positive test for urinary glucose[Ref]

Respiratory

Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Interstitial pneumonia/pneumonitis
Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Pleural effusion, dyspnea, respiratory distress, cough, rhinitis[Ref]

Hematologic

Risk factors for coagulation disorders have included insufficient vitamin K or other blood clotting factors, artificial nutrition, poor diet, liver or renal dysfunction, thrombocytopenia, and disorders/diseases that cause bleeding (e.g., hemophilia, stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers).

A 26-year-old hemodialysis patient with a coagulase-positive staphylococcal arteriovenous fistula graft infection was found to have a hematoma and increased thrombin, prothrombin, and partial thromboplastin times after receiving 1 g IV followed by 0.5 g every 8 hours for 12 days. The laboratory changes resolved after therapy was stopped, but recurred when this drug was reinstituted.[Ref]

Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Neutropenia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, granulocytopenia, leukocytosis, granulocytosis, monocytosis, lymphocytopenia, basophilia, eosinophilia
Very rare (less than 0.01%): Coagulation (blood clotting) disorders, bleeding, decreased hemoglobin, decreased hematocrit, anemia, agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, pancytopenia, hemolytic anemia
Frequency not reported: Thrombocythemia, hematoma, increased thrombin time, increased prothrombin time, increased partial thromboplastin time, positive direct and indirect Coombs tests

Cephalosporin-class:
-Frequency not reported: Aplastic anemia, hemolytic anemia, hemorrhage, prolonged prothrombin time, pancytopenia, agranulocytosis[Ref]

Hepatic

Transient increases in AST, ALT, GGT, bilirubin, LDH, and alkaline phosphatase have been reported.[Ref]

Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Increased AST, increased ALT, increased GGT, increased bilirubin, hepatitis (transient), cholestatic jaundice (transient)

Cephalosporin-class:
Frequency not reported: Hepatic dysfunction (including cholestasis), elevated bilirubin[Ref]

Renal

Transient increases in BUN were generally reported in patients using other potentially nephrotoxic agents concomitantly.[Ref]

Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Nephrotoxicity, interstitial nephritis, undefined nephropathy, increased BUN (transient)
Frequency not reported: Increased creatinine levels, renal failure, increased serum urea

Cephalosporin-class:
-Frequency not reported: Renal dysfunction, toxic nephropathy, increased creatinine, interstitial nephritis (reversible fever, azotemia, pyuria, eosinophiluria; with some cephalosporins)[Ref]

Genitourinary

Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Vaginitis, genital candidiasis (moniliasis), proteinuria
Very rare (less than 0.01%): Genital pruritus
Frequency not reported: Vulvar pruritus[Ref]

Psychiatric

Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Nightmares, nervousness/anxiety, insomnia, confusion

Ocular

Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Disturbed color vision

Hypersensitivity

Very rare (less than 0.01%): Anaphylactic shock (including swelling of larynx with narrowing of airways, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, falling blood pressure, swollen tongue)
Frequency not reported: Anaphylaxis, allergic reaction (including eosinophilia, urticaria, itching, drug fever, skin rash, Stevens-Johnson syndrome), allergic cross-sensitivity

Cephalosporin-class:
-Frequency not reported: Allergic reactions, serum sickness-like reaction[Ref]

Cardiovascular

Frequency not reported: Hypotension[Ref]

Some side effects of Kefzol may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA.