Cefipime

Description

Cefipime is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections affecting your lungs, bones, joints, heart, stomach, intestine, skin, and urinary tract. It is not effective against infections caused by viruses. This medicine works by attacking the cell walls of the bacteria and eventually kills them. Cefipime shows side effects like nausea vomiting, headache, stomach pain, swelling, redness, and pain at the injection site. Most of these are temporary and resolve on their own. Inform your doctor if these side effects are bothering you. Cefipime is administered into your vein or muscle by a health care professional in a hospital or clinic. Your doctor will determine the dose and duration of the treatment based on your condition. It is important to complete the entire treatment. If you discontinue this medicine too soon, your infection may not be treated completely. Cefipime is not recommended if you have a known allergy to it. Inform your doctor if you have liver, kidney, or health conditions. Your doctor may adjust the dose of this medicine to use it safely. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant, or are breastfeeding.

Side effects

Major & minor side effects for Cefipime

  • Stomach pain
  • Bleeding gums
  • Headache
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhoea
  • Skin rash
  • Pain at the injection site
  • Dizziness

Uses of Cefipime

What is it prescribed for?

  • Community-Acquired Pneumonia
  • Urinary tract infection
  • Bacterial skin infections
  • Intra-abdominal Infection
  • Febrile Neutropenia
  • Blood Infection
  • Bacterial infection of the inner layer of the heart
  • Bone and joint infections
  • Bacterial Meningitis
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Concerns

Commonly asked questions

  • Onset of action
    The effect of Cefipime starts immediately after taking the injection.
  • Duration of effect
    Cefipime may remain in your body for 12 hours.
  • Safe with alcohol?
    Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
  • Is it habit forming?
    No habit-forming tendency has been reported for Cefipime.
  • Usage in pregnancy?
    Cefipime may be safe for use in pregnancy. Animal studies indicate a low risk to the developing foetus. However, data on human studies are not available. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant.
  • Usage while breast-feeding?
    Cefipime is present in breastmilk at low levels and not expected to cause serious side effects. Occasionally, your baby might have diarrhoea or fungal infections but these conditions are not well evaluated. Consult your doctor if you are breastfeeding.

Allergy

Avoid taking Cefipime if you are allergic to it. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any symptoms such as skin rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, breathing difficulty, etc.
Warnings for special population

Pregnancy

Cefipime may be safe for use in pregnancy. Animal studies indicate a low risk to the developing foetus. However, data on human studies are not available. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant.

Breast-feeding

Cefipime is present in breastmilk at low levels and not expected to cause serious side effects. Occasionally, your baby might have diarrhoea or fungal infections but these conditions are not well evaluated. Consult your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
General warnings

Allergy

Cefipime is likely to cause allergic skin reactions in some people. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any symptoms such as skin rash, or severe itching/swelling, especially on the face.

Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop the ability to defeat the medicine that was intended to kill them. Hence, to avoid such resistance, you should always complete the entire course of treatment with Cefipime even if you feel better.

Missed Dose

Since Cefipime injection is administered in the hospital or clinical setting by a qualified healthcare professional, the likelihood of a missed dose is very low.

Overdose

Since Cefipime is administered in the hospital setting by a qualified healthcare professional, the likelihood of an overdose is very low. However, emergency medical treatment will be initiated by the doctor if an overdose is suspected.
All drugs interact differently for person to person. You should check all the possible interactions with your doctor before starting any medicine.
Interaction with Alcohol

Description

Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.

Instructions

Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Interaction with Medicine

Amikacin

Ethinyl Estradiol

Furosemide

Live cholera vaccine

Disease interactions

Impaired kidney function

Cefipime is filtered by the kidney and moved out of your body through urine. If you have kidney problems, you need special consideration while using Cefipime due to the risk of kidney damage. Dose adjustment may be required based on your clinical condition.

Colitis

Cefipime can kill the helpful bacteria in your stomach or intestine and lead to diarrhoea. Therefore use this medicine with extreme caution if you have gastrointestinal (stomach and intestine) diseases, particularly colitis (swelling of the inner lining of the colon), since it may worsen your condition.

Impaired liver function

Cefipime may increase liver enzyme levels and cause swelling of your liver. Hence, use this medicine with caution if you have liver problems due to the risk of liver damage. Dose adjustment should may be necessary based on the clinical condition.

Seizure disorders

Use Cefipime with caution if you have seizures (fits) because it can trigger the condition. Seizure medicines should be continued in people with a known seizure disorder. Dose adjustment for Cefipime may be required.
Food interactions
Information not available.
Lab interactions

Copper reduction tests

If a copper reduction test is conducted, Cefipime may produce a false-positive reaction for glucose in the urine. Hence, inform your doctor or lab technician that you are taking Cefipime.
Cefipime is administered by a qualified healthcare professional in the clinical or hospital setting. Do not self administer this injection. Make sure to complete the whole treatment even if you feel better after few doses. If you fail to complete the course of treatment, there is a risk of re-infection and the bacteria may become resistant. Cefipime may cause diarrhoea and in some cases, it may be severe. Consult your doctor if this condition persists or becomes worse. Cefipime may affect the results of some medical tests. Inform your doctor or lab technician before undergoing any tests.
Miscelleneous

Usage does not depend on food timings

To be taken as instructed by doctor

May cause sleepiness

How it works
Cefipime works by preventing the formation of the bacterial cell wall. This stops the growth and multiplication of the bacteria, hence it treats the infection.
Legal Status

Approved

Approved

Approved

Approved

Classification

Category

Fourth generation Cephalosporins, Antibiotics

Schedule

Schedule H1

Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. 2021. Cefepime for Injection, USP. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 8 March 2021].

https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=a02a3bfc-8e79-4e59-953e-361f92a3b3f1>

Pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2021. Cefepime. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 8 March 2021].

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/5479537>

Drugs, H., 2021. Cefepime Injection: MedlinePlus Drug Information. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: < [Accessed 8 March 2021].

https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a698021.html>

Medicines.org.uk. 2021. Renapime 1g Powder for solution for injection/infusion - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc). [online] Available at: < [Accessed 11 August 2021].

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/9671/smpc>

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Information on this page was last updated on 27 Oct 2021

Disclaimer

We’ve made all possible efforts to ensure that the information provided here is accurate, up-to-date and complete, however, it should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Practo only provides reference source for common information on medicines and does not guarantee its accuracy or exhaustiveness. The absence of a warning for any drug or combination thereof, should not be assumed to indicate that the drug or combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Practo does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information provided above. If you have any doubts about your medication then we strongly recommend that you consult with your doctor, nurse or healthcare provider. See detailed T&C here.