Ceftrex Special Precautions

1. Administer cautiously to penicillin-sensitive patients.
2. Ceftriaxone may be associated with a fall in prothrombin activity. Monitor prothrombin time for patients at risk and administer exogenous vitamin K as indicated. Vitamin K administration may be necessary if the prothrombin time is prolonged before therapy.
3. Pseudomembranous colitis may occur and consider this diagnosis in patients who develop diarrhea with antibiotic use. A toxin produced by Clostridium difficile is a primary cause of antibiotic-associated colitis. Colitis may range in severity from mild to life-threatening. Mild case of colitis may respond to drug discontinuation alone. When the colitis is not relieved by drug discontinuation, or when it is severe, oral vancomycin is treatment of choice.
4. Inject IM preparations deep into musculature.
5. Since ceftriaxone can precipitate in the gallbladder, some clinicians recommend that ceftriaxone be used with caution in patients with preexisting disease of the gallbladder, biliary tract, liver, or pancreas.
Use in Children: Because the drug can displace bilirubin from serum albumin, ceftriaxone should not be administered to hyperbilirubinemic neonates, particularly those who are premature.