cefixime, Suprax (cont.)

Pharmacy Author:

Omudhome Ogbru, PharmD

Omudhome Ogbru, PharmD

Dr. Ogbru received his Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy in 1995. He completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Arizona/University Medical Center in 1996. He was a Professor of Pharmacy Practice and a Regional Clerkship Coordinator for the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy from 1996-99.

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Medical and Pharmacy Editor:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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Cefixime should be avoided by patients with a known allergy to cephalosporin type antibiotics. Since cefixime is chemically related to penicillin, an occasional patient can have an allergic reaction (sometimes even life-threatening anaphylaxis) to both medications.

Like most antibiotics cefixime may cause a condition called pseudomembranous colitis, a potentially serious bacterial infection of the colon caused by a bacterium called Clostridium difficile (C. difficile colitis). Patients who develop pseudomembranous colitis as a result of antibiotic treatment can experience diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and sometimes even shock.

Reference: FDA Prescribing Information

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