Meropenem 500 mg Injection

Some medical conditions may interact with meropenem. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances
• if you have had an allergic reaction (eg, rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, swelling, dizziness) to a penicillin antibiotic (eg, amoxicillin), a cephalosporin antibiotic (eg, cephalexin), or to any other beta-lactam antibiotic (eg, imipenem)
• if you have kidney or liver problems, bacterial meningitis, or a history of seizures or central nervous system problems (eg, brain lesions), or you are in shock
• if you are on dialysis

Some MEDICINES MAY INTERACT with meropenem. Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• Probenecid because it may increase the actions and the risk of meropenem‚s side effects
• Divalproex sodium or valproic acid because their effectiveness may be decreased by meropenem
• Other medicines that may increase your risk of seizures (eg, tramadol) because the risk of seizures may be further increased when combined with meropenem. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about whether any of your other medicines may increase your risk for seizures

This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if meropenem may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.

In addition to its needed effects, some unwanted effects may be caused by meropenem. In the event that any of these side effects do occur, they may require medical attention.

If any of the following side effects occur while taking meropenem, check with your doctor or nurse immediately:

More common:

• Redness and swelling at the injection site

Less common:

• Bluish lips or skin
• chills
• cold, clammy skin
• confusion
• dizziness
• fainting
• fast heartbeat
• fast, weak pulse
• fever
• itching skin
• lightheadedness
• not breathing
• pain at the injection site
• rapid, shallow breathing
• skin rash and itching
• sweating

Skin and Skin Structure Infections (Adult Patients and Pediatric Patients 3 Months of Age and Older Only)

Meropenem for Injection, USP  is indicated as a single agent therapy for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections due to Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-susceptible isolates only), Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, viridans group streptococci, Enterococcus faecalis (vancomycin-susceptible isolates only), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis,Bacteroides fragilis, and Peptostreptococcus species.

Intra-abdominal Infections (Adult and Pediatric Patients)

Meropenem for Injection, USP is indicated as a single agent therapy for the treatment of complicated appendicitis and peritonitis caused by viridans group streptococci, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacteroides fragilis, B. thetaiotaomicron, and Peptostreptococcus species.

Bacterial Meningitis (Pediatric Patients 3 Months of Age and Older Only)

Meropenem for Injection, USP is indicated as a single agent therapy for the treatment of bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae‡, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis.

‡ The efficacy of Meropenem as monotherapy in the treatment of meningitis caused by penicillin nonsusceptible isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae has not been established.

Meropenem for Injection, USP has been found to be effective in eliminating concurrent bacteremia in association with bacterial meningitis.

• Meropenem may cause dizziness or drowsiness. These effects may be worse if you take it with alcohol or certain medicines. Use meropenem with caution. Do not drive or perform other possibly unsafe tasks until you know how you react to it.
• Be sure to use meropenem for the full course of treatment. If you do not, the medicine may not clear up your infection completely. The bacteria could also become less sensitive to this or other medicines. This could make the infection harder to treat in the future.
• Meropenem only works against bacteria; it does not treat viral infections (eg, the common cold).
• Mild diarrhea is common with antibiotic use. However, a more serious form of diarrhea (pseudomembranous colitis) may rarely occur. This may develop while you use the antibiotic or within several months after you stop using it. Contact your doctor right away if stomach pain or cramps, severe diarrhea, or bloody stools occur. Do not treat diarrhea without first checking with your doctor.
• Long-term or repeated use of meropenem may cause a second infection. Tell your doctor if signs of a second infection occur. Your medicine may need to be changed to treat this.
• Meropenem may interfere with certain lab tests. Be sure your doctor and lab personnel know you are using meropenem.
• Lab tests may be performed while you use meropenem. These tests may be used to monitor your condition or check for side effects. Be sure to keep all doctor and lab appointments.
• Meropenem should be used with extreme caution in CHILDREN younger than 3 months old; safety and effectiveness in these children have not been confirmed.
• PREGNANCY and BREAST-FEEDING: If you become pregnant, contact your doctor. You will need to discuss the benefits and risks of using meropenem while you are pregnant. It is not known if this medicine is found in breast milk. If you are or will be breast-feeding while you use meropenem, check with your doctor. Discuss any possible risks to your baby.