Cefuroxime belongs to a group of medicines called Cephalosporins, which are used for treating infections.  

Cefuroxime can be used to treat:  

• infection of the middle ear   
• sinus infection  
• throat infection  
• Skin & Soft Tissue infections
• serious lung infections (pneumonia) acquired outside of hospital  
• infections in the urinary tract 

Cefuroxime can also be used to treat Lyme disease (an infection spread by parasites called ticks).

How to take Cefuroxime?

Your doctor will decide the right dose of Cefuroxime and will tell you how long to take your medicine. The number of Cefuroxime tablets you need to take will depend on your condition. Follow your doctor’s instructions exactly and never change the dose yourself. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure about how much medicine to take or when to take it.

Usual dose for adults: The usual adult dosage of Cefuroxime is 250 mg-500 mg twice daily depending upon severity and type of infections. The medicine should always be taken at the same time each day.  

Elderly: For elderly patients, the doses are the same as adults provided the kidney functions are normal.  

Patients with kidney problems: In adult patients with kidney problems, the dosage of Cefuroxime may need to be reduced. Your doctor will calculate the right dose for you according to the results of blood or urine tests that measure how well your kidneys are working and also according to the severity of your infection.

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. 

In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking:  

• anticoagulant (blood thinning) therapy with medicines such as Warfarin.
• Oral Contraceptives
• Antacids
• Probenecid

Like all medicines, Cefuroxime can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. 

The following side effects are important and will require immediate action if you experience them. You should stop taking Cefuroxime and see your doctor immediately if the following symptoms occur:  

The following side-effects have  been reported:  

Common side effects (affect less than 1 in 10 patients) include:  

• Diarrhea
• Headache
• fungal infections (such as Candida)
• dizziness
• feeling sick
• stomach pain

Uncommon side effects (affect less than 1 in 100 patients) include:  

• being sick
• Skin rash
• severe diarrhoea (pseudomembranous colitis)
• allergic reactions
• skin reactions (including severe)
• high temperature (fever)
• yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin
• inflammation of the liver (hepatitis).
• red blood cells destroyed too quickly (hemolytic anemia).

Do not take Cefuroxime if you:   

• Are allergic (hypersensitive) to Cefuroxime Axetil or to any of the other ingredients in this medicine.
• An allergic reaction may include rash, itching, difficulty in breathing or swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue. 
• Are allergic (hypersensitive) to any other Cephalosporin type of antibiotic.     
• Ever had a severe allergic reaction to Penicillin antibiotic or to any other beta-lactam type of antibiotic.  

Take special care with Cefuroxime

Before you take Cefuroxime Axetil you should tell your doctor if you:      

• Are allergic to Penicillin antibiotics or to any other beta-lactam type of antibiotics. Not all people who are allergic to Penicillins are also allergic to Cephalosporins. However, you should take special care if you ever had an allergic reaction to any Penicillin. This is because you might also be allergic to this medicine.  

In patients who develop severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis (serious allergic reaction which causes difficulty in breathing or dizziness) after administration of Cefuroxime, the medicine should be withdrawn and appropriate treatments should be given. 

• if you are taking any sort of treatment (like dialysis) for kidney failure. You may take Cefuroxime but you may need a lower dose.         

Having a course of Cefuroxime can temporarily increase the chance that you can get infections caused by other sorts of germs on which Cefuroxime does not act. For example, thrush (infection caused by a yeast germ called Candida) may occur.

Effect on laboratory tests:

• If you are to undertake any blood or urine tests, inform your doctor that you are taking Cefuroxime, as Cefuroxime can alter the results of some of these tests.  
• Cefuroxime can alter the results of some urine tests for sugar (such as Benedict’s or Fehling’s tests). If you have diabetes and routinely test your urine, tell your doctor. This is because other tests may have to be used to monitor your diabetes while you are having this medicine. 
• Cefuroxime may alter the results of a blood test for antibodies called the direct Coombs’ test.  

Taking Cefuroxime with food and drink: Take Cefuroxime after food. You should swallow the tablets whole with a glass of water.  

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: If you are pregnant, likely to become pregnant or breast- feeding, you must tell your doctor before taking this medicine. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.  

Driving and using machines : Cefuroxime can make you dizzy and have other side effect that make you less alert. if you feel light-headed or dizzy, do not drive or operate machinery.