Cephapirin Dosage
Applies to the following strengths: 1 g
Usual Adult Dose for:
Additional dosage information:
Usual Adult Dose for Skin or Soft Tissue Infection
500 mg to 1 g IV or IM every 4 to 6 hours
Serious life-threatening infections: Up to 12 g/day IV
Usual Adult Dose for Surgical Prophylaxis
Preoperative: 1 to 2 g IV or IM 30 to 60 minutes prior to the start of surgery
Intraoperative: 1 to 2 g IV or IM during surgery
Postoperative: 1 to 2 g IV or IM every 6 hours for 24 hours (3 to 5 days in high risk patients)
Renal Dose Adjustments
CrCl 10 to 50 mL: Usual dose given every 6 to 8 hours
CrCl 9 mL/min or less: Usual dose given every 12 hours
Liver Dose Adjustments
Data not available
Precautions
Discontinue if seizures or hypersensitivity reactions occur.
Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been reported with almost all antibiotics and may potentially be life-threatening. Therefore, it is important to consider this diagnosis in patients who present with diarrhea following cephalosporin therapy. Mild cases generally improve with discontinuation of the drug, while severe cases may require supportive therapy and treatment with an antimicrobial agent effective against C difficile. Hypertoxin producing strains of C difficile cause increased morbidity and mortality; these infections can be resistant to antimicrobial treatment and may necessitate colectomy.
Dialysis
Patients who are to be dialyzed should receive the same dose just prior to dialysis and every 12 hours thereafter.
Other Comments
The lower dose is adequate for certain infections, such as skin and skin structure and most urinary tract infections. The higher dose is recommended for more serious infections.
More about cephapirin
- Check interactions
- Compare alternatives
- Side effects
- During pregnancy
- Drug class: first generation cephalosporins
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Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.