Medaxone Dosage/Direction for Use

General: Standard dosage: Adults and children over 12 years: The usual dosage is 1-2 g of Ceftriaxone once daily (every 24 hours). In severe cases or in infections caused by moderately sensitive organisms, the dosage may be raised to 4 g, once daily.
Duration of Treatment: The duration of treatment varies according to the course of the disease. As with antibiotic therapy in general, administration of Ceftriaxone should be continued for a minimum of 48-72 hours after the patient has become afebrile or evidence of bacterial eradication has been obtained.
Combination treatment: Synergy between Ceftriaxone and aminoglycosides has been demonstrated with many gram-negative bacteria under experimental conditions. Although enhanced activity of such combinations is not always predictable, it should be considered in severe, life threatening infections due to micro-organisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Due to chemical incompatibility between Ceftriaxone and aminoglycosides, the two drugs must be administered separately at the recommended dosages.
Chemical incompatibility with Ceftriaxone has also been observed with IV administration of amsacrine, vancomycin and fluconazole.
Method of administration: As a general rule the solutions should be used immediately after preparation.
Reconstituted solutions retain their physical and chemical stability for 6 hours at room temperature (or 24 hours in the refrigerator at 2-8°C). The solutions range in colour from pale yellow to amber, depending on the concentration and length of storage. The coloration of the solutions is of no significance for the efficacy or tolerance of the drug.
Intramuscular injection: For i.m. injection, Ceftriaxone 1 g is dissolved in 3.5 ml, of 1% lidocaine hydrochloride solution and injected well within the body of a relatively large muscle. It is recommended that not more than 1 g be injected at one site. The lidocaine solution should never be administered intravenously (see Contraindications).
Intravenous injection: For i.v. injection, Ceftriaxone 1 g is dissolved in 10 ml sterile water for injections. The intravenous administration should be given over 2-4 minutes.
Intravenous infusion: The infusion should be given over at least 30 minutes. For i.v. infusion, 2 g Ceftriaxone is dissolved in 40 ml of one of the following calcium-free infusion solutions: sodium chloride 0.9%, sodium chloride 0.45% + dextrose 2.5%, dextrose 5%, dextrose 10%, dextran 6% in dextrose 5%, water for injections. Ceftriaxone solutions should not be mixed with or piggybacked into solutions containing other antimicrobial drugs or into diluent solutions other than those listed previously, owing to possible incompatibility.
Do not use diluents containing calcium, such as Ringer's solution or Hartmann's solution, to reconstitute Ceftriaxone vials or to further dilute a reconstituted vial for IV administration because a precipitate can form. Precipitation of ceftriaxone-calcium can also occur when Ceftriaxone is mixed with calcium-containing solutions in the same IV administration line. Ceftriaxone must not be administered simultaneously with calcium-containing IV solutions, including continuous calcium-containing infusions such as parenteral nutrition via a Y-site. However, in patients other than neonates, Ceftriaxone and calcium-containing solutions may be administered sequentially of one another if the infusion lines are thoroughly flushed between infusions with a compatible fluid (see Contraindications, Precautions and Interactions).
There have been no reports of an interaction between ceftriaxone and oral calcium-containing products or interaction between intramuscular ceftriaxone and calcium-containing products (IV or oral).
Special Dosage Instructions: Pediatric use: Neonates, infants and children up to 12 years: The following dosage schedules are recommended for once daily administration: Neonates (up to 14 days): 20-50 mg/kg bodyweight once daily. The daily dose should not exceed 50 mg/kg.
Ceftriaxone is contraindicated in premature neonates up to a postmenstrual age of 41weeks (gestational age + chronological age) (see Contraindications).
Ceftriaxone is contraindicated in neonates (≤28 days) if they require (or are expected to require) treatment with calcium-containing IV solutions, including continuous calcium-containing infusions such as parenteral nutrition because of the risk of precipitation of ceftriaxone-calcium (see Contraindications).
For neonates, infants, and children (15 days to 12 years): 20-80 mg/kg once daily.
For children with bodyweights of 50 kg or more, the usual adult dosage should be used. Intravenous doses of ≥50 mg/kg bodyweight, in infants and children up to 12 years of age, should be given by infusion over at least 30 minutes. In neonates, intravenous doses should be given over 60 minutes to reduce the potential risk of bilirubin encephalopathy.
Meningitis: In bacterial meningitis in infants and children, treatment begins with doses of 100 mg/kg (up to a maximum of 4 g) once daily. As soon as the causative organism has been identified and its sensitivity determined, the dosage can be reduced accordingly. The following duration of therapy has shown to be effective: Neisseria meningitidis 4 days; Haemophilus influenza 6 days; Streptococcus pneumoniae 7 days.
Geriatric use: No dose adjustment of Ceftriaxone is required in patients ≥65 years of age provided there is no severe renal and hepatic impairment.
Renal impairment: No dose adjustment is required, provided hepatic function is not impaired. Only in cases of preterminal renal failure (creatinine clearance <10 ml/min) should the Ceftriaxone dosage not exceed 2 g daily.
Ceftriaxone is not removed by peritoneal- or hemodialysis. In patients undergoing dialysis no additional supplementary dosing is required following the dialysis.
Hepatic impairment: No dose adjustment of Ceftriaxone is required, provided renal function is not impaired.
Severe renal and hepatic impairment: In patients with both severe renal and hepatic dysfunction, clinical monitoring for safety and efficacy is advised.
Lyme borreliosis: 50 mg/kg to a maximum of 2 g in children and adults, once daily for 14 days.
Gonorrhea (penicillinase-producing and nonpenicillinase-producing strains): A single i.m. dose of 250 mg.
Perioperative prophylaxis: A single dose of 1-2 g depending on the risk of infection of 30-90 minutes prior to surgery. In colorectal surgery, administration of Ceftriaxone with or without a 5-nitroimidazole, e.g. ornidazole (separate administration) has been proven effective.