Cephalosporins: Precautions

Certain cephalosporins should not be combined with alcohol or with medicines that contain alcohol. Abdominal or stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, facial flushing, and other symptoms may result within 15–30 minutes and may last for several hours. Do not drink alcoholic beverages or use other medicines that contain alcohol while being treated with cephalosporins and for several days after treatment ends.

People with certain medical conditions or who are taking certain other medicines can have problems if they take cephalosporins. Before taking these drugs, be sure to let the physician know about any of these conditions:

ALLERGIES. Severe allergic reactions to this medicine may occur. Anyone who is allergic to cephalosporins of any kind should not take other cephalosporins. Anyone who is allergic to penicillin should check with a physician before taking any cephalosporin. The physician should also be told about any allergies to foods, dyes, preservatives, or other substances.

DIABETES. Some cephalosporins may cause false positive results on urine sugar tests for diabetes. People with diabetes should check with their physicians to see if they need to adjust their medication or their diets.

PHENYLKETONURIA. Oral suspensions of cefprozil contain phenylalanine. People with phenylketonuria (PKU) should consult a physician before taking this medicine.

PREGNANCY. Women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant should check with their physicians before using cephalosporins.

BREASTFEEDING. Cephalosporins may pass into breast milk and may affect nursing babies. Women who are breastfeeding and who need to take this medicine should check with their physicians. They may need to stop breastfeeding until treatment is finished.

OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS. Before using cephalosporins, people with any of these medical problems should make sure their physicians are aware of their conditions:

• History of stomach or intestinal problems, especially colitis. Cephalosporins may cause colitis in some people.
• Kidney problems. The dose of cephalosporin may need to be lower.
• Bleeding problems. Cephalosporins may increase the chance of bleeding in people with a history of bleeding problems.
• Liver disease. The dose of cephalosporin may need to be lower.

USE OF CERTAIN MEDICINES. Taking cephalosporins with certain other drugs may affect the way the drugs work or may increase the chance of side effects.

— Nancy Ross-Flanigan