Your dose and how often you take
Cefotaxime will depend on the following factors:
- age
- gender
- weight
- patient's health
- the health of the patient's liver
Cefotaxime Dosage
Adult
- Recommended: 500 mg injection into the muscle in a single dose
Adult
- Recommended: 500 mg injection (for females) and 1000 mg injection (for males) into the muscle in a single dose
Adult
- Recommended: 1000 mg injection into the muscle or vein every 12 hours (2000 mg daily)
Adult
- Recommended: 1000-2000 mg injection into the muscle or vein every 8 hours (3000-6000 mg daily)
Adult
- Recommended: 2000 mg injection into the vein every 6-8 hours (6000-8000 mg daily)
Adult
- Recommended: 2000 mg injection into the vein every 4 hours (up to 12000 mg daily)
Adult
- Recommended: 1000 mg injection into muscle or vein 30-90 minutes before the surgery
Adult
- Recommended: 1000 mg injection into the vein after clamped umbilical cord and after the first dose, 1000 mg injection into muscle or vein at 6-12 hours should be given.
Adult
- Recommended: 2000 mg three times daily for 14-21 days (not more than 6000 mg/day)
Forms
Injection
Strength: 500 mg, 1000 mg, 2000 mg, 10000 mg, 1000 mg/50 ml, and 2000 mg/50 ml
Injection, Powder, for Solution
Strength: 250 mg, 500 mg, 1000 mg, 2000 mg, 10000 mg, and 1000 mg/1 ml
Special Instructions
Newborns
50 mg/kg (22.7 mg/lb) dose into the vein should be given every 12 hours in the newborn child aged from birth to 1 week and every 8 hours in the newborn child aged 1-4 weeks.
Children aged 1 month to 12 years
50-180 mg/kg (22.7-81.8 mg/lb) dose into muscle or vein should be given in children weighing less than 50 kg (110 lb) in 4-6 divided doses. Children weighing more than 50 kg (110 lb) should use the same dose as adults.
Older patients
Older patients are more susceptible to kidney dysfunction. So, care should be taken while selecting the dose and provide close monitoring of the functioning of the kidney in such patients.
Creatinine clearance
The dose of Cefotaxime should be decreased to half of the normal dose in patients with creatinine clearance less than or equal to 20 ml/minute. 1000 mg dose of Cefotaxime divided into 2 doses should be given in every 12 hours in patients with creatinine clearance less than or equal to 5 ml/minute.
Missed Dose
If you have skipped the injection, talk to your doctor.
Overdose
What to do if you overdose on Cefotaxime?
In case of overdose,
close supervision and supportive care should be provided. Symptomatic treatment should be started for side effects such as
seizures and severe allergic reactions. Also, provide treatment of
cramps with
phenobarbital or
diazepam, not with
phenytoin.
Cefotaxime should be removed from the body by blood purifying technique (called hemodialysis or peritoneal
dialysis).
Symptoms of an overdose of Cefotaxime
If you use too much of this medicine, it could lead to dangerous levels of the medicine in your body. In such cases, symptoms of an overdose may include:
- cramp
- elevation of blood urea nitrogen
- elevations of creatinine
- increased central nervous system activity
- reversible altered mental state
- seizure
If you think you have overdosed on Cefotaxime, call a poison control center immediately. You can look up the poison control center information from the
Poison Center Finder at TabletWise.com.